What if your classroom could explore some of the Smokies’ most fascinating nighttime wonders AND have the chance to win a trip to Dollywood?
For the 2026–27 school year, Dollywood, Smokies Life and Discover Life in America are teaming up to launch Glow Life, an educational project and classroom contest designed to inspire fifth grade students to learn more about bioluminescence and biofluorescence in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The program invites fifth grade classrooms throughout East Tennessee and Western North Carolina to explore the science behind organisms that glow, shine and transform light. Five winning classrooms will receive a spring 2027 trip to Dollywood to experience NightFlight Expedition, the park’s newest attraction, which opens to the public on Aug. 19.
Discover the Science Behind the Glow
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its incredible biodiversity. More than 22,000 species have been documented in the park by Discover Life in America, while scientists estimate that as many as 60,000 to 80,000 species may call the Smokies home.
Among those species are organisms that display two especially fascinating natural phenomena: bioluminescence and biofluorescence.
Bioluminescence occurs when a living organism produces light through a chemical reaction. Biofluorescence happens when an organism absorbs ultraviolet or blue light and then emits it as another color, often red, orange or green.
While the synchronous fireflies of the Smokies are perhaps the best-known example of bioluminescence, there are many other organisms worth discovering, including mushrooms, salamanders and other species.
“Glow Life” encourages students to look beyond fireflies and explore the many ways living things interact with light.
A Chance to Learn AND Win
Glow Life includes free lesson plans, an educational video and a fall 2026 classroom contest created specifically to encourage scientific curiosity among fifth grade students.
As part of the contest, classrooms are encouraged to create a project exploring bioluminescence, biofluorescence and their importance to living things in the Great Smoky Mountains.
The possibilities are wide open. Students can create:
- An essay
- An art project
- A play or performance
- A video
- A song
- An imagined bioluminescent creature
- Or another creative project of their choosing
The goal is to encourage students to ask questions, get creative and explore the science behind some of the Smokies’ most intriguing organisms.
Five winning classrooms will receive a spring 2027 trip to Dollywood, where students can experience NightFlight Expedition.
Experience the Smokies After Dark at NightFlight Expedition
Opening to the public on Aug. 19, Dollywood’s NightFlight Expedition takes guests on an immersive adventure inspired by the hidden wonders of the Smokies after dark.
The indoor adventure coaster combines forward and backward motion with immersive environments representing the mountains, rushing waterways and a shimmering lake. Along the journey, riders explore the nighttime landscape while searching for radiant light from bioluminescent creatures and plants.
The attraction provides a unique way for students to connect what they learn through Glow Life with an immersive experience inspired by the science and natural beauty of the region.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Smokies Stewards
The Glow Life project brings together three organizations with a shared interest in connecting people with the natural world.
Dollywood is partnering on the project as part of its ongoing connection to the Smokies and its commitment to providing educational experiences inspired by the region.
“Glow Life” also builds on the educational work of Smokies Life, a nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park that supports the park’s scientific, historical and interpretive activities through educational products and services.
Discover Life in America brings its expertise in biodiversity to the project. Its flagship All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) is a long-term effort to identify and understand every species found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Together, the organizations hope Glow Life will encourage students to see the Smokies as more than a beautiful place to visit, but as a living laboratory filled with opportunities for discovery.
How to Participate in Glow Life
Fifth grade classrooms in eligible counties in Tennessee and North Carolina can learn more about the Glow Life curriculum and contest, including participation details and submission requirements, at:
With free educational resources, hands-on creativity and the opportunity to experience one of Dollywood’s newest attractions, Glow Life offers students a chance to explore the science of the Smokies in a whole new light.
