The Reverse Engineering category is intended to provide a means of discovering engineering concepts and methods. The participant must take something apart and learn how it works, then explain it! For more details on this category, click here.

The Computer Science: Programming category is intended to provide an opportunity for students to display their programming skills. For more details on this category, click here.

The Rube Goldberg category is intended to provide a means of discovery in physics and engineering concepts and methods. The category covers the device construction, the use of simple machines, and the written sequence requirements. For more details on this category, click here.

Scientific Inquiry is the basic experimentation category. The items pertaining to this category cover Scientific Methodology, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment Design, Data Collection, and Analysis.  For more details on this category, click here.

The participant in the Robotics category must design a device (a robot) that accomplishes a specific purpose repeatedly and autonomously or via remote control. Robotics teaches practical engineering, technology, and math concepts. For more details on this category, click here.

Wearable Design is a category that can include either wearable technology (pedometers, heart rate monitors, etc.) OR fashion design. For more details on this category, click here.

The Invention category is intended to provide a general area of an innovation solution to a problem, or a new single item invention. The category covers the illustrative design detail, the understanding of the invention's use and benefits, and design prototype construction.  Within this category is also Environmental Innovation . This is intended to provide a means of sharing environmentally innovative ideas which may include new products, procedures, inventions, promotional projects, etc. For more details on this category, click here.