The Junior Academy is a project-based learning program where students form international teams and work with STEM experts through an online community platform called Launchpad. Students participate in Innovation Challenges where they collaborate under the guidance of STEM mentors to design solutions to real-world problems. Challenges run twice a year: Fall (mid-September to mid-November) and Spring (mid-February to mid-April). Each challenge cycle includes a kick-off week that builds relevant skills in research methods, design thinking, and data analysis. Students are expected to dedicate three to four hours each week during challenge periods. Students who fully complete a challenge receive a certificate of completion and a complimentary Young Membership to The New York Academy of Sciences. Students and mentors can participate from anywhere in the world.
Recruitment checked November 4, 2026: the official program page and linked application portal now publish an invitation-only Spring 2027 intake: November 11, 2026 through January 6, 2027. The portal supplies the EST opening/cutoff times and Spring-specific age boundaries. This is a separate recruitment window from Fall 2026; existing Launchpad members remain eligible to participate without a new application. Public applications for academic year 2027–2028 are announced for April 2027, with no exact opening day or deadline.
The main page lists January 26, 2027 decisions, while the portal says by the end of January. Its current historical Fall 2026 FAQ lists a July 2 closing, rather than the prior catalog's unreverified July 9. General mid-September–mid-November and mid-February–mid-April challenge seasons are retained as descriptive guidance, not exact dates for a specific cohort. The program and its challenges are explicitly free; no purchase or payment is required.