Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Elementary students, it's time to become 3D creators! Enter our competition where you'll use TinkerCAD to develop essential skills in spatial reasoning and digital design. Submit your creation and showcase your mastery of 3D modeling fundamentals. 

Lead Judge: Amber W

Curriculum Connections:

Science: Strands A and D

Math: Strands A, C & E

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Teams of four will design a 3D-printed solution to a problem using TinkerCad or other related software. Teams will then 3D print their object to go along with their design process.

Note: Schools must have access to a 3D printer for this contest!

Lead Judge: Ryan A

Curriculum Connections:

Science: Strands A and D

Math: Strands A, C & E

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Working in teams of two (2), students will use the mapping feature on ArcGIS to create and analyse maps to solve a given problem from a physical and human geography perspective. Students will communicate their findings in a storymap. 

Lead Judges: Marija A & Craig S

Curriculum Connections:

Grade 7 Geography: A2.2, A2.3, A2.4, B2.3, B2.4, B3.6

Grade 7 History: A2.4, A2.5, B2.4, B2.5

Grade 8 Geography: A2.2, A2.3, A2.4, B2.2, B2.3, B2.4

Grade 8 History: A2.4, A2.5, B2.4, B2.5

Competition WITH Provincial Final

Competition WITH a Cost

Teams of four will follow a detailed landscaping blueprint to make a scale model of a green space. This contest will include using hand-tools, wood for the frame, a fence and bench.  

Regional competition will include a larger scale project that uses a variety of materials such as wood, gravel, rocks and plant life.

Lead Judge: Kuldeep C

Curriculum Connections:

Science: Strands A & D

Math: Strand E (Measurement)

Competition WITH Provincial Final 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Working in teams of four (4), students will use any DDSB approved software to create a maximum two (2) minute character animated video of ‘The Elevator to Anywhere’.  Characters should be original creations. Animation focus should be placed on facial and body expressions, character and object interaction, timing.  Appropriate sound effects, music and animation principles that drive the story should also be included. 

Lead Judges: Dan R (Jr) & Nitasha A (Int)

Curriculum Connections: 

Language: A1, A2, A3, D1

Visual Arts: D1, D2

Drama: B1, B2

Competition WITH Provincial Final 

Competition WITH a Cost

Teams of four must design, make a blueprint for and create a to scale multi-dwelling housing unit (for example: Townhouses, Duplex, Triplex, Apartment/Condo Building etc.) out of wood and recycled materials.

Lead Judge: Blair C

Curriculum Connections: 

Science: Strands A & D

Math: Strand E (Measurement) 

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Teams of two will receive a set of ingredients to bake a cake and decorate it. This challenge will require some work to be done at home supervised by family members (with permission) as well as a few other ingredients.

Students will be provided with a theme based design challenge to decorate their cake. Regional competition will include more complex items and design challenges.

Lead Judge: Jillian B

Curriculum Connections: 

Language: A1, B2, B3, C3  

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Students in teams of two will use board approved software, to create a music composition in their chosen genre or style within the parameters supplied in the lesson outline. An introduction to the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and how to use it  will be supplied for students to watch before starting the project. 

Lead Judge: Dan S

Curriculum Connections:

Arts: Music - C1, C1.3 & C3

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Students in teams of two will design a mood board or slideshow that showcases their floral design concepts for a given event or theme. The mood board/slideshow will present color schemes, flower types, arrangement ideas, and decorative elements. Students will research floristry trends and styles, create a cohesive design, and explain their vision for the selected theme or event.

Lead Judge: Audrey D

Curriculum Connections:

Science: B1

Language: D3.2

Visual Arts: D1.1, 1.2 & 1.3

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Students will be planning for their dream class trip. They will create a Google Sheets budget planner that helps their teacher track trip costs, calculate totals, and determine how much money to charge each student. Students will use a variety of formulas and incorporate conditional formatting. Students will be assessed on the functionality & design of your spreadsheet. 

Lead Judge: Josh G

Curriculum Connections:

Math: Financial Literacy, F1.3 & F1.4 

Language: Innovation and Design, A2.6

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

In this high-energy, hands-on skills contest Grade 7 and 8 students step into the shoes of a startup founder. Their mission? To launch a new company in a cutting-edge industry—from Gaming & eSports to Sustainable Tech.

Moving beyond simple theory, students will simulate the real-world work of Graphic Designers, Marketing Managers, and Entrepreneurs. They won't just learn about media; they will become media creators.

The Mission: Students will select a company profile and execute a complete branding package:

• Visual Identity: Designing a logo that communicates values using elements of art and design principles.

• Promotional Campaign: creating a targeted marketing strategy (e.g., social media mockup, poster, or merchandise design) to "sell" their brand to a specific audience.

Lead Judge: Kirsty K

Curriculum Connections:

Arts: Visual Arts - D1.1, 1.3 & D2.3

Language: A1, A2.6, A2.4, D1.1 & D2.1

Competition WITH Provincial 

Competition WITH a Cost

Teams of four will research, design, build, test and redesign a working model of a wind turbine using the supplied materials (no pre-constructed models), while recording video clips for their final video submission. 

A new community initiative is focusing on creating ‘Affordable and Clean Energy’ for all of its residents and this endeavor will help them achieve one of their long term goals, “striving for accessible, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”. 

The wind turbine should be constructed to be able to generate enough electrical energy (capacity) to generate electricity. 

Lead Judge: Bobbie F

Curriculum Connections:

Science: A1, A3, C1, D1, D2 

Geography: A2, A3, B1 

Language: A1, D3

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Welcome teachers and students! Get ready to dream big and design bold — this year’s design competition lets you step into the shoes of Intermediate architects and interior designers.

With digital tools, your students will create stunning, realistic home designs — then turn them into a polished slideshow to show off their vision. It’s all about creativity, teamwork, and bringing ideas to life!

What’s cool about the challenge:

• 🤝 It's a team activity: students collaborate, share ideas, and build something together.

• 🌟 Final projects are shared as slick slideshows — perfect for presenting, celebrating, and inspiring others!

• 🎯 Great for building design-thinking, creativity, and cooperation… and having a blast along the way.

Whether you’re super into art or just like dreaming up creative spaces — this competition is for you. Who will design the coolest, most creative home, that matches the profiles/needs of families across the region? Let’s find out!

Lead Judge: Scott C

Curriculum Connections:

Math: Measurement

Language: Oral Communication

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Sea turtles face many dangers on their way to the ocean, such as obstacles on the beach and predators. 

Your task is to use a Micro:Bit to simulate a device that could help save baby sea turtles. 

You'll write code to detect threats, navigate to safety, and celebrate when the turtles reach the water. 

Lead Judge: Willena H

Curriculum Connections:

Math: C3

Science: A2

Language: B1

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

In this year’s Micro:bit 7-8 challenge for Skills Ontario, participants can expect to explore cybersecurity with Micro:bit.

In the In-Class Challenge, students will be tasked with creating an encryption tool, which converts a string of plain text (e.g. a password) into a format which conceals the information. Students are encouraged to be creative with their approach to make the most secure encryption possible and protect their data! Participants will explore topics in coding such as variables and arrays, loops with a defined count, and functions to make their designs possible.

This will lead into the Regional Challenge, where the most successful designs will be tasked with designing a login system for two Micro:bit, mimicking how secure systems operate in the real world! Participants will make use of Micro:bit’s Radio connections alongside topics from the In-Class Challenge to make this possible.

Lead Judge: Alex P

Curriculum Connections:

Math: C3

Science: A2

Language: B1

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

In groups of two, students will document their surroundings by taking one authentic photo each day for a week, with no posed images. This will encourage students to capture real, unfiltered moments of life and develop their personal photography style. Students are encouraged to submit both original and edited versions of their photos.

NOTE: All photographs for this competition cannot include faces of people. Students are strongly encouraged not to use cell phones. NO AI for editing or photos (Digital Camera, Film etc.)

Lead Judge: Chris J

Curriculum Connections:

Language: D3

Visual Arts: D1

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Students in teams of two will write and deliver a 5 minute timed speech on a provided topic related to technology and Education. 

Students may use notes such as cue cards but no presentation tools such as Google Slides. 

Lead Judge: Allison A

Curriculum Connections:

Language: B1, B3, D2, D3

Competition WITHOUT Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Working in teams of three (2 artists and 1 model), students will use the provided bruising palette to complete a series of three Special Effects (SFX) makeup challenges. Each task will showcase creativity, technical skill, and attention to detail. 

Tasks Include: 

1. The 4 Stages of a Healing Bruise 

2. Black Eye Creation

3. Zombie Transformation 

Lead Judge: Alison W

Curriculum Connections:

Visual Arts: D1.1, D1.2, D1.3, D2.1 & D3.2

Drama: B1.1, B1.2 & B2.1

Science: Cells & Systems

Competition WITH Provincial 

Competition WITH a Cost

Teams of four will work together to solve a real life problem using simple machines. Students will be able to use simple hand-tools to manipulate materials. This project requires using the Engineering Design Process to solve from start to finish.

Lead Judge: Ja Young K

Curriculum Connections:

Science: Strands A and D

Math:

Strand E (Measurement)

Competition WITH Provincial 

Competition WITH a Cost

Students will work cooperatively in groups of four to complete a challenge which includes skills from the Science and Technology Curriculum from grades 7-8. Each group will demonstrate their collaborative team skills solving the problem in an open ended challenge. 

Students will use the principles of engineering design and solve a real-life problem with hydraulics and pneumatics.

Lead Judge: Chester Y

Curriculum Connections:

Science: A1, D1, D2

Language: A1, B1, D1

Competition WITH Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Teams of four (4) will build a VEX IQ robot that is both driver driven and coded to perform a set of three specific tasks. Teams will need to set up a robotics competition field or create objects to simulate a playing field to compete. A winning robotics team from each participating class is invited to submit a video for a chance to qualify for the Regional Contest on January 27th. 

Lead Judges:

Sarah O (Jr) & Megan S (Int)

Curriculum Connections:

Science: Strand A

Math: Algebra Stand (coding)

Competition WITH Provincial 

Competition WITHOUT a Cost

Teams of two will review a variety of safety materials and complete workplace safety inspections. Studies show that new and young workers in Ontario are four times more likely to get hurt during their first month on the job than any other time. Having a background in workplace safety and knowing what to look for before prior to entering the workforce can help prevent workplace injuries for students. Whether is a part time job they have through high school, part of a co-op program, or their career once they have finished school, workplace safety awareness is invaluable. 

Lead Judge: Lauren D

Curriculum Connections:

Science: A1

Language: B2, B3, C2, C3