PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — The submission deadline for a science education contest focused on bioluminescence and biofluorescence has been extended to December 4. The “Glow Life” program, a collaboration between Dollywood, Smokies Life, and Discover Life in America, invites fifth-grade classrooms in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina to explore these natural phenomena and their importance in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The contest offers five winning classrooms a spring 2027 visit to Dollywood, where students can experience bioluminescence firsthand on the park’s newest attraction, NightFlight Expedition. The Glow Life program provides free curriculum materials, including an educational video, designed to align with Tennessee and North Carolina fifth-grade state science standards.
Participating classes are encouraged to create projects in a medium of their choosing, such as an essay, art project, play, video, song, or an imagined new bioluminescent creature. These projects should explore bioluminescence and biofluorescence and their significance to living organisms within the Smokies region.
Carol Agee, Dollywood Community Affairs and Philanthropy Manager, stated that a goal at Dollywood is to be authentic to the region. Agee explained that the NightFlight Expedition attraction allowed for the introduction of the story of bioluminescence in the Smokies. She expressed optimism that the Glow Life project would help teachers encourage student growth in science and deepen their appreciation for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Bioluminescence and biofluorescence contribute to an intriguing glow when night falls in the Smokies. Bioluminescence is defined as the production of light by living organisms through a chemical reaction, while biofluorescence involves an organism absorbing ultraviolet or blue light and re-emitting it in another color, typically red, orange, or green.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recognized as highly biodiverse among U.S. national parks, hosting a wide array of animals, plants, insects, fungi, and other organisms. Discover Life in America has documented over 22,000 species to date, with scientists estimating that 60,000 to 80,000 total species reside in the Smokies. The Glow Life curriculum aims to inspire current fifth-grade students to become future scientists.
Todd Witcher, Executive Director for Discover Life in America, noted that synchronous fireflies have brought global attention to the bioluminescence in the national park. Witcher highlighted that the Glow Life contest encourages scientific exploration beyond fireflies to include a variety of other bioluminescent and biofluorescent organisms, ranging from mushrooms to salamanders. He indicated that the program invites students to explore the scientific principles behind these seemingly magical Smokies species.
Smokies Life, a nonprofit partner of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, supports the park's scientific, historical, and interpretive activities. The organization operates visitor center stores in and around the region and provides educational projects and services to park visitors.
Jacqueline Harp, CEO of Smokies Life, stated that engaging students through Glow Life is an exceptional way to showcase the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a special place. Harp emphasized the importance of highlighting to area fifth graders that the national park is a place of science, aiming to ignite curiosity for the next generation of scientists and stewards of the Smokies. She added that extending the contest deadline to December 4 is expected to allow more teachers and students to participate.
