Engineering Competitions: A Launchpad for High School Students into STEM

Engineering competitions offer high school students a unique avenue to explore the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These competitions provide hands-on experience, foster teamwork, and allow students to apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems. Participation in such events can significantly enhance a student's college application and help them determine if engineering is the right path.

The Value of Engineering Competitions

Colleges seek applicants who demonstrate a genuine interest in their intended major, whether through academics or extracurricular activities. Engineering competitions provide a platform for high schoolers to delve into technology development and ascertain their passion for engineering.

Enhancing College Applications

Participation in engineering academic contests is generally considered a Tier 2 activity, and sometimes even Tier 1, in college admissions, depending on the competition's selectivity and the student's performance. These competitions showcase a student's commitment to STEM and their ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical challenges.

Featured Engineering Competitions

Here's an overview of various engineering competitions available for high school students:

Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS)

TEAMS is an annual, theme-based competition designed to help middle school and high school students discover their STEM potential. Teams of two to four students apply their knowledge in practical, creative ways to solve real-world engineering challenges.

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Key Details for TEAMS

Mission: To help middle school and high school students discover their STEM potential.
Team Size: Teams of two to four students.
Competition Format: In-person competition for state honors.
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12.
Coach Requirement: Each team needs a teacher or other adult to act as a coach.

VEX Robotics

VEX Robotics creates robotics kits designed for students in PreK through high school, used for competitions at regional, state, and national levels, culminating in the VEX Robotics World Championship. The kits are designed to be accessible for first-time coders while still challenging experienced coders.

FIRST Robotics Competition

The FIRST Robotics Competition provides real-world engineering experience, tasking students aged 14-18 with building industrial-size robots to play a challenging field game against competitors. Participants build skills in coding, teamwork, communication, and entrepreneurship.

Junior Solar Sprint (JSS)

JSS is a free educational program for 5th through 8th grade students where students design, build, and race solar-powered cars using hands-on engineering skills and principles of science and math. Students develop teamwork and problem-solving abilities, investigate environmental issues, and gain hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills to create the fastest, most interesting, and best-crafted vehicle possible. JSS is designed to support the instruction of STEM in categories such as alternative fuels, engineering design, and aerodynamics.

Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge

The Conrad Challenge is an annual, multi-phase innovation and entrepreneurial competition that brings together a dynamic community of innovators and entrepreneurs driving a collaborative movement to develop extraordinary and viable solutions to benefit our world in one of four areas: aerospace & aviation, cyber technology & security, energy & environment, and health & nutrition. Participants compete in teams of high school students (age 13-18).

eCYBERMISSION

eCYBERMISSION is a web-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics competition for 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th-grade teams. Teams propose a solution to a real problem in their community and compete for State, Regional, and National Awards.

Zero Robotics

Zero Robotics is a robotics programming competition where the robots are SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites) inside the International Space Station. Teams program the SPHERES to solve an annual challenge, with finalists competing in a live championship aboard the ISS.

Technovation Girls

Technovation Girls equips young women (ages 10-18) to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders, solving big problems in their communities.

High School Design

High School Design is a free event that takes place annually, putting high school students' creativity, teamwork skills, technical knowledge, and abilities to the test. It features new engineering design challenges in various engineering disciplines created by students in the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows (SELF) Program. Working as individuals or in small teams, high school students design, build, and test a project that addresses the design criteria. It is a student-run day-long event, with the intent of promoting interest in engineering among high school students.

MATE International ROV Competition

This competition gives students exposure to STEM and robotics by allowing them to experiment with and develop underwater robotics technologies. The competition is broken down into classes that divide students by experience and age, with each class given a specific underwater robotics challenge whose difficulty is based on their age.

Rube Goldberg Machine Contest

This lighthearted competition requires participants to build hilarious machines to complete a simple task using discarded household items, or more simply, junk. The competition is inspired by the cartoons of Rube Goldberg and is designed for students of any age to be able to compete.

High School Bridge Building Contest

This competition allows students to dive into the realms of physics and engineering as they design and construct their own model bridge. This competition provides students with a glimpse into the life of a civil engineer, and participants can even see their designs tested for functionality in the real world. This competition exists on the regional and international levels.

Shell Eco-marathon

This international competition, presented by Shell, challenges participants to construct the most energy-efficient vehicle. Students will design either a Prototype or Urban Concept vehicle in one of three energy categories: internal combustion engine (gasoline, ethanol, or diesel), battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell.

American Rocketry Challenge

The American Rocketry Challenge is the biggest student rocket competition in the United States. Every year, the contest rules and specific challenge change to encourage a fresh approach to rocket design.

Destination Imagination Challenge Experience

An international competition for students in kindergarten through college, the Destination Imagination Challenge Experience teaches life skills while encouraging imagination.

Regeneron ISEF

The Regeneron ISEF is a renowned pre-college science competition open to high school students. The competition offers 21 STEM categories in which students can compete. Specific engineering categories include Biomedical Engineering, Engineering Technology: Statics and Dynamics, Environmental Engineering, Materials Science, Robotics and Intelligent Machines, and Systems Software.

CyberPatriot’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition

This competition tasks teams of students with finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in virtual operating systems. Team scores are based on how secure they are able to make the virtual OS.

Imagine Cup

Sponsored by Microsoft, the Imagine Cup is a STEM competition open to international secondary school students who are at least 16 years old.

Other Competitions

EngineerGirl: Sponsors a contest dealing with engineering and its impact on our world.
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow: A nationwide contest designed to boost interest and proficiency in STEM.
Destination Imagination: Open to all kindergarten through university-level students worldwide, with challenges in Technical, Scientific, Fine Arts, Improvisational, Engineering, Service Learning, and Early Learning categories.
The Junior Academy: An elite group of problem solvers made up of talented students, STEM experts, and companies around the world dedicated to designing innovative solutions to global challenges.
Science Buddies Engineering Challenge: An annual challenge where students use their problem-solving skills to design, build, and test contraptions.
3M Young Scientist Challenge: Students in grades 5-8 provide innovative solutions to help solve everyday problems in a 1-2 minute video.
Future Engineers: An education platform that hosts and develops design challenges for young innovators.
THINK Scholars Program: An educational outreach initiative that promotes STEM by supporting and funding projects developed by high school students.
ProjectCSGIRLS: A nonprofit organization aimed to cultivate a love for technology and computer science in girls.
Verizon Innovative App Challenge: Offers grants for winning middle schools and high schools and Samsung Galaxy Tabs for students on the winning teams.
Design Squad: Fun challenges and interesting design projects.

Preparing for Engineering Competitions

Utilize Available Resources

Many competitions provide resources to help participants prepare. For example, NASA's Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP) is a free tool for creating aircraft designs, and Open VSP Ground School helps users learn how to navigate the software.

Review Challenge Materials

Thoroughly review all materials provided in preparation for successfully participating in the upcoming High School Engineering Challenge event experience.

Work on the Challenge

Look through the scoring rubric to get familiar with the requirements of the challenge. Review the engineering notebook template to address the questions in the scoring rubric aligning with the challenge theme.

Submit Your Solution

Be sure to submit your engineering notebook by the official submission deadline.

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