2027 Challenge

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.

April 12, 2027

REGISTER HERE - Registration will open January 4, 2027

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 fit 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.

If you are having difficulty purchasing/finding K'Nex, you can also purchase Engino sets.  The recommended sets can be found here:

 https://www.fishersci.com/us/en/catalog/search/products?keyword=engino