Emoti-Con is a celebration of NYC student achievement in digital media and technology, designed to build student confidence, spark new connections & showcase student innovations.
Emoti-Con catalyzes change by creating a roadmap between students’ academic pursuits and real world career applications through direct interaction with industry professionals.
At Emoti-Con, New York City middle and high school student digital designers, app makers, developers, gamers, artists, media storytellers, and activists present their original innovations with support from a community of peers, educators and tech industry mentors & judges.
FAQ’s
What is Emoti-Con?
- Emoti-Con is both a virtual project fair and in-person student/tech professional networking event.
- A city-wide competition and virtual project fair that showcases student work from STEM & Media programs from all over NYC!
- An in-person celebration of the creative work produced all year at the informal programs of organizations within the Hive NYC Learning network and at public schools participating in CS4ALL NYC, Mouse Design League, the Games for Change Student Challenge, and many other DOE programs.
- Emoti-Con is planned and delivered by a cross-institutional, cross-generational committee led by alumni, and educators from Mouse, Code Nation, Global Kids, and other members of the Hive NYC network.
- At both the in-person celebration and in the virtual project fair, projects that enter the Emoti-Con Challenge will receive meaningful written encouragement and feedback from their peers as well as judges, who are industry professionals!
What types of projects can be submitted?
- All types of digital media and/or technology projects are welcome!
- Apps, websites, games, videos, podcasts, coding/CS, 3D/VR/AR, art, music, animation, digital social change campaigns, etc
- Projects must be original ideas created by middle or high school students in NYC.
- Projects can be in any stage of development - from basic sketches to fully working prototypes – it is all about your idea and its potential impact, not about how technical or “finished” it is.
What is Mouse Design League?
- Mouse Design League is a career-oriented Computer Science and Technology course that transforms students with no coding experience into socially aware tech problem solvers.
- Design League winning projects are qualified to attend the Emoti-Con in-person networking event & celebration.
- Design League is taught during the school day at NYC Public Schools.
- Students discover new CS curriculum and career pathways grounded in Human Centered Design and Computational Thinking skills to identify, design, and innovate digital solutions.
- To learn more, visit mouse.org/designleague
What are the eligibility requirements for a school to participate in Emoti-Con?
- Middle school, High school, or GED students, individuals or teams.
- Public school students in the NYC metro region
What types of agencies/organizations can participate in Emoti-Con?
- NYC schools
- After School Programs / Organizations
- Individuals
If located outside of NYC, can a school participate?
- Emoti-Con NYC is for New York City schools. However, Mouse is always open to bringing Mouse Design League to new schools! Please contact Mouse to learn more about this opportunity.
How can I learn about future updates for Emoti-Con?
- Sign up here to stay connected!
Can a parent volunteer at Emoti-Con?
- Please refer to your school to join as a chaperone.
How can I request information about sponsorship opportunities?
- Thank you for your interest in supporting Emoti-Con! Please email emoticon@mouse.org.
