It has been well documented in a myriad of ways that the mass standardization of testing has made its way into education. This has not only led to a "teach toward the test" mentality but has led to a deficit in creativity in education. Yet, as teachers are making designated efforts to include creativity, they are finding a clear distinction in higher-level thinking and problem-solving capabilities for those students over others.

In order to meet the need for both recognition in STEAM and a STEAM Curriculum, the Artifex Award was designed around a STEAM Curriculum with an emphasis on a portfolio project. The Award can be awarded along three distinct ways to demonstrate learning within STEAM; Innovation, Service, and Legacy. Innovation is the goal to create a STEAM Project, Service is giving assistance to the community through STEAM, and Legacy is making a lasting impact that others can use to learn.