What is the challenge for 2027?? 

EcoThrills - The Sustainable Amusement Ride Challenge:

United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

Your team has been hired to design the newest attraction for an amusement park unlike any other — park where "green" is the main event. The owners are committed to building a fun, family-friendly destination that runs on clean energy, minimizes waste, and inspires every visitor to think about their impact on the planet.

In this challenge, elementary and middle school students will design and build a working amusement park ride using a prototype constructed of K'Nex and/or Engino. The ride must move, operate, or demonstrate motion in some way, and it must clearly showcase an environmentally friendly approach to how it is powered, built, or operated.

Teams should consider how their ride reduces its environmental footprint and may choose to incorporate recycled or reused materials into other aspects of the model outside of the K'Nex/Engino prototype, such as background settings showcasing visual representations of clean energy sources, to highlight environmentally responsible thinking and enhance the model's commitment to sustainability.

Competition Rules:

● A team of 2-4 students will work together on the project.

● Students must create their prototype using no more than 1400 K’Nex and/or Engino pieces. String, tape, and rubber bands are permitted. 3D printed pieces are NOT allowed.

● Teams must bring their materials to the competition and will have 2 hours to recreate their project for judging. Prototypes must be built "from scratch."

● There can be no pre-constructed components brought to the competition. Pieces can be organized in labelled bags but must be fully unassembled and stay in the bag until the competition begins.

● Projects must fi t on a 6-foot-long table. No water, live plants, or live animals may be used as part of the display.

● Each team must submit a design notebook and blueprint for viewing at the competition.

● Each team must prepare a presentation (2 minutes or less) on their model and how it answers the challenge. 

Judging Criteria:

• Creativity

• Teamwork

• Design Notebook

• Blueprint

• Prototype Design

• Presentation

Components of the Competition:

Design Notebook

• This should be a journal of the team’s progress from start to finish.

• The Notebook should include elements of the Engineering Design Process.

• Resources for Design Notebooks

Blueprint

• A blueprint is a technical drawing or design plan for a project. It is used to represent the final product.

• Blueprints for the STEM Design Challenge can be a drawing, cad drawing, online sketch, etc. Be creative!

• Resources for Blueprint Ideas

Prototype

• Teams will answer the challenge by creating a prototype of their idea using K’Nex and/or Engino.

• Teams may include a backdrop or artwork, but judges will not consider this in their scoring.

• Projects must fit on a 6-foot-long table. Water may not be used in the display.

Presentation

• Teams are asked to share their ideas in a presentation for the judges.

• Each presentation will be 2 minutes or less.

• Every student on the team should be a part of the presentation.

• Judges may ask questions of the team after the presentation.