Forsyth County Tech Fair Opens Registration for Jan. 30 Showcase

Forsyth County’s long-running Technology Fair will return to Whitlow Elementary on Jan. 30, offering a public stage for student projects in a wide range of tech fields and serving as the county’s regional qualifier for the state competition March 5. Registration is open through Jan. 8 for third- through 12th-grade students across public, private and home schools. Entry costs $10 per student, though schools, businesses or PTAs can sponsor a school for $200 to waive individual fees and feature the sponsor’s logo on the county and state tech fair websites.

The fair, initiated in Forsyth in 2001 and expanded to the state level in 2002, typically sees about 150 projects judged annually across categories including 3D modeling, animation, audio production, device modification, digital photo production, game design, graphic design, internet applications, mobile apps, multimedia and non-multimedia applications, project programming robotics, tech literacy and programming challenges, and video production. Grade-level divisions run third-fourth, fifth-sixth, seventh-eighth, ninth-tenth and 11th-12th grades; hardware and programming challenge entries are open to seventh-12th grades only. First-place winners in each grade and category will represent Forsyth at the state fair, and scholarships are awarded to the highest-placing high school senior in every category.

Karen Daughtery, an informational technology specialist at Whitlow and the director of the event, framed the fair as a reflection of local priorities. “We are a very technology forward-thinking county, so a lot of these students are already doing these projects,” she said. Daughtery also pointed to the continuity many students find in the program. “We have students who have been doing the tech fair since third grade and are now in high school,” she said.

Beyond competition, the fair functions as a community barometer of digital skills and access. Forsyth schools have expanded robotics teams, STEM programming and efforts to supply low-income students with mobile devices and internet access. Those initiatives matter for more than classroom achievement: access to digital tools shapes long-term opportunities, including college and workforce pathways in health technology, and influences families’ ability to use telehealth and other online public health resources.

At the same time, cost and device access remain barriers for some families. School and community sponsorships provide one immediate way to reduce entry costs, but advocates say sustained investment in device equity, internet connectivity and school-based tech resources is necessary to ensure all students can participate and benefit.

Parents and students who want to register or learn more can sign up at techfair.forsyth.k12.ga.us.