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The 2025 GSTEP Semi-finalist Stage -What You Need To Know

The Ghana Science & Tech Explorer Prize (GSTEP) Challenge is moving forward into the next phase of the competition after receiving an impressive total of over 1,500 applications from the Greater Accra, Eastern, and Ashanti regions. We have now narrowed it down to 105 teams, which are the semi-finalists of this year’s challenge. These teams are the first to be officially recognized as participants in the 2025 GSTEP Challenge.

Semi-finalist stage (January – February 2025)

At this phase, scheduled from January to February 2025, our selected semi-finalist teams will receive extensive mentorship, coaching and resources to help them transform their ideas into minimum viable products. 

The Practical Education Network (PEN) and ShulemLake, partners in the GSTEP consortium will assist our semi-finalists teams by providing expert mentors, technical coaches, training materials, and various STEM resources aimed to refine and enhance their projects, ensuring that they are both innovative and practical. 

After this development period, a panel of expert judges will assess the prototypes, and 45 teams from the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Eastern regions will be chosen to advance to the Finalist stage.

The Regional Induction Ceremonies (January 2025)

The journey for our semi-finalists begins with an in-person regional induction ceremony organized by the GSTEP consortium. These ceremonies are scheduled for the second week of January, starting with the Greater Accra cohort, followed by the Eastern region, and concluding with the Ashanti regional teams.

Participating teachers, mentors, and coaches will engage in workshop sessions where they will be introduced to the challenge prize program and provided with guidelines and resources to effectively execute their roles and responsibilities throughout the programme. Our selected mentors and coaches will also meet with their assigned teams and teachers to gain insights into their projects and identify the support needed for developing their prototypes.

The induction ceremony will feature a series of workshops that include teamwork and team-building activities, business plan development, prototyping, budgeting, and financing. Participants will also enjoy interactive STEM activities focused on teamwork, communication, presentation, and public speaking.These sessions are designed to equip our teams for the Challenge while introducing them to essential skills in critical thinking, STEM, and problem-solving.

Benefits of Being a Semi-finalist

Being selected as a semi-finalist in the 2025 GSTEP Challenge is a significant accomplishment that offers a range of exceptional opportunities:

  • Mentorship: Each of our semi-finalist teams from the Greater Accra, Eastern, and Ashanti regions will benefit from the guidance of industry experts and experienced mentors.
  • Resources:Every participating team will receive access to essential STEM materials and tools needed to transform their ideas into viable minimum products.
  • Networking: All semi-finalists will have the opportunity to connect with fellow students from various schools across the participating regions, as well as professionals in the STEM field.


Moving Forward

The semi-finalist phase marks just the beginning of the 2025 GSTEP exciting journey. As we transition to the finalist stage, our finalist teams will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas, showcase their prototypes, and compete for top honours. The highlight of this year’s programme will be the Exhibition & Awards Ceremony in July 2025, where all finalist prototypes will be publicly displayed, and winners, recognized and celebrated.

For semi-finalist teams that do not make it to the finalist stage, the opportunity to participate in the Perseverance Awards Programme and continue building their prototype is available. 

The Perseverance Awards are designed to honour teams that demonstrate exceptional resolve and a commitment to their proposed ideas. These awards celebrate the spirit of pushing forward, refining solutions, and staying engaged in STEM innovation, regardless of the outcome of the initial competition stages.

The GSTEP Challenge transcends the boundaries of a traditional competition; it serves as a vital platform for young innovators across Ghana to make a meaningful impact in their communities through inventive solutions. The semi-finalist phase is a critical step in this journey, providing the necessary support and resources to help promising ideas come to fruition.

The 2025 GSTEP Challenge is executed by a consortium of partners, with the DreamOval Foundation as the lead implementer, alongside the Partnership Bureau, Shulem Lake, and the Practical Education Network (PEN), and is proudly funded by Fondation Botnar.

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