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LIU12 Regional Competition:
4th-5th = February 26, 2026
6th-8th = February 27, 2026
State Competition: TBD at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA.
WE NEED JUDGES FOR BOTH DAYS OF THE REGIONAL COMPETITION!
IT IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED FOR ALL TEAMS TO BRING AT LEAST ONE PERSON TO HELP JUDGE!
Registration closed at the end of the day on TBD. Questions? Contact Autumn Zaminski (apzaminski@iu12.org)
This competition will be at Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12 in New Oxford, PA.
This competition will be at Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12 in New Oxford, PA.
2026 Challenge
2026 Challenge
In this challenge, elementary and middle school students will focus on Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (UN Sustainable Development Goal 9) by designing a prototype that addresses a
real-world problem related to infrastructure, transportation, or urban development. The goal is to inspire
students to think about how cities, roads, bridges, and systems can be built or improved to be more
efficient, sustainable, and accessible.
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 in addition to K'Nex or Engino pieces.
Teams must bring their materials to the competition and will have 2 hours to recreate their project for judging.
There can be no pre-constructed components brought to the competition. Protypes must be built "from scratch."
Projects must fit on a 6-foot-long table. Water may not be used as part of the display.
Each team will need to create and submit a design notebook and a blueprint for viewing at the competition.
Each team will need to prepare a presentation (2 minutes or less) on their model and how it answers the challenge.
Judging Criteria
Creativity
Teamwork
Challenge Success
Design
Presentation
Competitions
Awards will be given to top three teams in grades 4-5 and grades 6-8.
The 1st place team in each division (grades 4-5 and grades 6-8) at each Intermediate Unit regional competition will advance to the state competition.
The state competition will be held on TBD at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA.
PARTS OF THE COMPETITION
PARTS 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.
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. Pictures should not be used.
Prototype
Teams will answer the challenge by creating a prototype of their idea using K’Nex pieces and/or Engino.
The prototype will be a representation of their solution. They may expand on their solution during the presentation.
Teams may include a backdrop or artwork, but judges will not consider this in their scoring.
Projects must fit on a 6' Table. Water may not be included 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 participate in the presentation.
Judges may ask questions of the team after the presentation.
Note - There is no budget this year for middle school students.
This is a great resource if you'd like to print and distribute the rules to students.
View some of the previous virtual entries from last year to get an idea of designs.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:
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