Conservation Game Jam registration open
Registration is now open for the 2026-2027 Iowa Conservation Game Jam(opens in new tab)! This design challenge encourages students in grades 3-12 to develop digital games that help others learn about Iowa’s endangered species, prairies, Iowa invasive species, soil conservation, renewable energy, and water quality in Iowa. The Iowa Conservation Education Coalition (ICEC) was awarded a Meta Data Center Community Action Grant to help educators embrace digital game development through professional development, classroom technology, and student recognition.
This year’s challenge will focus on assisting educators to engage in a sense-making and problem-solving approach to game design that may include AI investigations for older students and the Iowa Science Phenomena Project(opens in new tab) for all students. An Educator Playbook(opens in new tab) explains the process whether classrooms use AI or not.
A series of webinars will help educators infuse research and resource verification in learning about environmental topics. Stickers are available for student rewards (see left). All webinars will be recorded and available to those who register(opens in new tab).
- Webinar #1: October 6, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. An introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- Webinar #2: October 13, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Help your students use AI tools for investigating environmental topics
- Webinar #3: October 20, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Game platforms and using AI prompts for game design
Student teams can submit their ideas for judging with experts in game design and conservation. They will explain their game and demonstrate game play on a 4-minute video that they submit by February 1. Interested educators should register(opens in new tab) to receive important announcements about the game jam including upcoming webinars.