GEORGIA FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING PROGRAM, INC

FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING

. . . since 1974

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Materials for the 2025-26 school year will be available by August 7, 2025.

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Problem Solving

Creative Thinking

Critical Thinking

Decision Making​

--through a challenging academic competition

 

FPS has highly-engaging competitions that can be independent activities or infused into the school curriculum.  A school affiliation is not necessary for FPS participation in Georgia.

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Click the button below for information on a one-off competition - the World Solutions Challenge - for students in grades 5 - 8 who are new to Future Problem Solving!

Learn about FPS through a easy one-time competition!

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GA FPS materials for the 2025-26 school year will be available by August 7.

If you need more information, please contact GA FPS Affiliate Director, Argen Hicks, at argenhicks@gmail.com.

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Students can participate in FPS through schools (as a curricular or extracurricular activity) or independently.

All that is required is an adult sponsor (coach) and a spirit of adventure!

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WHAT IS FUTURE PROBLEM SOLVING (FPS)?

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Future Problem Solving is primarily a thinking activity in which students use both oral and written communication.

FPS engages students in critical thinking and creative problem solving.

(FPS is not mathematical problem solving or hands-on physical creation of an object to solve a problem.)

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Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI) was founded in 1974 by creativity pioneer, Dr. E. Paul Torrance, at the University of Georgia.  FPSPI promotes a six-step problem solving process and encourages students to develop a vision of the future.

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GA FPS sponsors four different academic competitions for students in grades 4 through 12 during the school year.  In Global Issues, students study a given topic such as Terraforming or Sleep Patterns and apply the six-step problem solving process to a future scenario about the topic.  In Creative Writing and Storytelling students develop their own future story (written or oral) about the topic.  In Community Projects, students apply the six-step process to a real problem in their own community.

 

To find out about our non-competitive components -- Novice and Action-based Problem Solving -- contact GA FPSP.​

 

 

The FPS Six-Step Problem Solving Process:

1. Identify Challenges Related to the Area of Concern

2. Select an Underlying Problem

3. Produce Solution Ideas to the Underlying Problem

4. Generate and Select Criteria to Evaluate Solution Ideas

5. Evaluate Solution Ideas to Determine the Best Solution

6. Develop an Action Plan for Implementing the Best Solution

 

 

Future Problem Solving Program International is a nonprofit educational corporation administering creative problem solving activities for students in grades K-12.  GA FPS is one of 30+ FPS Affiliate programs in the United States, Australia, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and other countries around the world. Annually, over 250,000 students participate in FPS activities.

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Who can participate in Georgia?

Georgia FPS competitions open to all students in grades 4-12.  Individuals or teams participate in one of three divisions:

Junior division – grades 4-6, Middle division – grades 7-9, Senior division – grades 10-12

 

Click below to read more about FPS and reasons to participate.

COMPETITION NAME CHANGES:

GlobaI Issues = Global Issues Problem Solving

Community Projects = Community Problem Solving

Creative Writing = Scenario Writing

Storytelling = Scenario Performance

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