Competition Guidelines for all Divisions
- These guidelines apply to all divisions. Additional competition guidelines will accompany the build for each division.
- Each club may enter one team of three to five students.
- The invention may have parts that suspend beyond the board but cannot be braced/tethered/supported by anything (i.e. wall or floor) other than the board. The board must be flat on the floor.
- The team must use ONLY items from the specified list. Materials must fit into a closed 18-gallon plastic storage container with a lid.
- No prewritten or typed instructions/directions may be used during the competition.
- All construction must be done on-site. All pieces used in the build including the board must be free of any writing, marking, colors/preprinted/pre-painted items, etc.
- Stickers may be used for decoration only. They may not be used for construction purposes, color coding etc.
- No pieces can be preassembled and must be separate in the container.
- An onsite challenge will be assigned during the competition.
- Electricity/outlet and internet will not be provided.
- Liquids, sand, glitter, or other substances that would leave a mess may not be used in any form of the entry.
- SAFETY - Participants using a battery powered glue gun MUST use silicone finger protectors or wear gloves when using the glue gun.
- SAFETY - Participants must always wear closed toed shoes.
- SAFETY - NO ladders or stepstools feet must remain on the floor.
Elementary Competition Guidelines
For a Straw Tower Challenge, students must build a tower that supports a tennis ball at the top. This challenge encourages students to apply engineering principles such as compression, tension, triangulation, and center of gravity while working collaboratively to solve a design problem.
- Each club may enter one team of three to five students.
- Teams will be given forty-five (45) minutes to construct and ninety (90) seconds to demonstrate and explain the project.
- The invention must be constructed on a piece of foam board no larger than 30 inches by 40 inches. This piece of foam board will be separate from the materials container.
- The invention may have parts that suspend beyond the board but cannot be braced/tethered/supported by anything (i.e. wall or floor) other than the board.
- The team must use only items from the required specified list and materials must fit into a closed 18-gallon gallon plastic storage container with a lid.
- No prewritten or typed instructions/directions may be used during the competition.
- All construction must be done on-site. All pieces used in the build including the board must be free of any writing, marking, colors/pre-painted items, etc.
- Stickers may be used for decoration only. They may not be used for construction purposes, color coding etc.
- No pieces can be preassembled and must be separate in the container.
- A task will be given prior to construction using one of the following (balls, marbles, or matchbox car) for the durability and structural integrity of the tower.
- Electricity/outlet and internet will not be provided.
- Liquids, sand, glitter, or other substances that would leave a mess may not be used in any form of the challenge.
Approved Materials List
The team must use ONLY the items from the specified list of materials below. Materials must fit into a closed 18-gallon container with lid. Teams will be responsible for all materials and the foam board needed for the build.
| Aluminum Foil - 30 sq. ft. | Paper Fasteners - 8 | Rulers - 2 |
| Card Stock - 100 sheets | Paper Plates - 10 | Safety Scissors - 4 pairs |
| Clothes Pins - 20 | Pen/Pencil-3 | Straws Plastic/Paper - 250 |
| Index Cards - 3"x 5" -100 | Pipe Cleaners - 10 | String one spool |
| Masking Tape - 2 rolls | Playing Cards - 1 standard deck | Tennis ball |
| Paper Clips - 10 | Rubber Bands - 20 |