winners announced
Challenge Details

YOUR CHALLENGE IS:

DESIGN AND BUILD AN ACTION CONTRAPTION MACHINE THAT STARTS AND ENDS WITH A DOMINO (STORE-BOUGHT OR HOMEMADE)

Challenge Closed





Use your engineering skills to create an Action Contraption machine that wows the judges! If you are a K-12 student in the United States, your challenge is to build a machine that can produce a chain reaction using found items such as dominos, paper towel rolls, straws, marbles, and/or much more! Your machine must begin and end with a domino (store-bought or homemade) falling and should include at least two simple machines, such as an inclined plane or pulley system (see the EDUCATION RESOURCES  to learn more about simple machines). To enter, submit a video of your machine, a short design description, a title, and a thumbnail image. Your submission will be judged without sound, so be sure to focus on the visual elements of your action contraption.

Individual or team entries (up to 4 members) are allowed and will be judged in three grade-level categories: K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Please do not include faces, names, or voices in your entry, and remember to review the CONTEST RULES and DESIGN GUIDELINES for all challenge details.

Get creative and start engineering!

WINNERS

1
Grades K-5 Winner
Sakura M.
Rye Brook, NY
The Cretaceous Playground
Grades K-5 Finalist
Abby Y., Conor T., John B., Lasya J.
Dublin, OH
The Marvelous Masterpiece
Grades K-5 Finalist
Atharva J.
San Marcos, CA
My Action Contraption Machine
Grades K-5 Finalist
Emma T., Laney W., Lydia S.
Palmyra, MO
Camping Contraption
1
Grades 6-8 Winner
Kannon C.
Cumberland Center, ME
The Incredible Tentacle Maker
Grades 6-8 Finalist
Alan R., Eshaan R., Sean N., Victor G.
Thonotosassa, FL
The Gauntlet
Grades 6-8 Finalist
Cash K., Sam S., Tawni W., Wyatt R.
Belfield, ND
Bobcat Contraption
Grades 6-8 Finalist
Jenna H., Jersey C., Xin N.
Palmyra, MO
Fuzz Balls at Work
1
Grades 9-12 Winner
Allana B., Jasmine T., Natasha G.
Kissimmee, FL
Yellow Umbrella Opener
Grades 9-12 Finalist
Ámbar Á., Estela D., Maite R., Patricia R.
San Juan, PR
Juicy Machine
Grades 9-12 Finalist
Ariana A., Dereck S., Isabella R., Sebastian S.
San Juan, PR
Crashing Dominoes
Grades 9-12 Finalist
Canaan H.
Deville, LA
Crazy Rube Goldberg Action!
 
 

DATES / JUDGING CRITERIA / PRIZES

You have to play by the rules to win.

WHO CAN ENTER

Individuals or teams (up to 4) of K-12 students in U.S. public, private, and home schools (including U.S. territories & possessions and schools operated by the U.S. for the children of American personnel overseas). All teammates must be in the same judging category.
For all eligibility details, please refer to the rules.
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12

JUDGING CRITERIA

Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
 
50
POINTS
Creativity of your design
25
POINTS
Clarity of your design description
25
POINTS
Complexity of your design
50
POINTS
Creativity of your design
25
POINTS
Clarity of your design description
25
POINTS
Complexity of your design
50
POINTS
Creativity of your design
25
POINTS
Clarity of your design description
25
POINTS
Complexity of your design

HOW TO ENTER

Please review the Challenge Rules and Design Guidelines prior to creating your entry.

Challenge Rules Design Guidelines

TEACHERS
Sign up to register your class and manage entries. We now support Google Classroom too!

STUDENTS
Sign up on your own, or use a code to participate with your class.

STUDENT USING GOOGLE CLASSROOM?
Login to Submit

STUDENT & TEACHER SIGN UP
PROGRAM DATES
Challenge Launch
29
November
Entries Close
20
January
Finalists Announced
17
March
Winners Announced
21
March
Challenge Launch
29
November
Entries Close
20
January
Finalists Announced
17
March
Winners Announced
21
March

PRIZES

 

Dive Into The Challenge

Lesson Plan Details and Challenge Tips!

1. Links & Lessons

Explore the design process

2. Brainstorm & Design

Learn about simple machines
Links & Lessons
Brainstorm & Design
Links & Lessons
>
Links & Lessons
Brainstorm & Design

LEARN ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

Explore the engineering design process and simple machines and get ready to come up with your action contraption design.

Brainstorm & Design

Your action contraption machine should include a minimum of two simple machines. Learn about the six simple machines, and brainstorm how to include them in your machine's design. Then, check out some art inspiration from Pulitzer Prize-winning American cartoonist Rube Goldberg!
Brainstorming Idea
Inclined Plane

An inclined plane is a simple machine that is a flat, sloped surface used to move an object to a higher or lower place. Ramps, stairs, and sloping roads are just a few examples of inclined planes. Can you think of any others? Make a list of inclined planes and think about how to build them into your action contraption machine. What materials would you use, and what object/s would your inclined plans move?

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Wheel and Axle

Whether you ride a bicycle, bus, or car, these vehicles all use a wheel and axle. The wheel and axle is a wheel connected to an axle (rod) that rotates the wheel producing a rotational force that can move or lift objects. What are some other examples of the wheel and axle? How could you incorporate the wheel and axle machine into your design?

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Lever

A lever is a simple machine with a beam resting on a point of support or fulcrum (pivot point)-think teeter-totter. If you were to sit on one end of the teeter-totter, the other end would lift up. Levers can use a small force to move a much bigger force, making it easier to move objects, remove tight objects, and break them. Some examples of levers are nutcrackers, scissors, pliers, brooms, and baseball bats. What materials could you use as levers, and how might they fit into your design?

Brainstorming Idea
Pulley

A pulley is a simple machine with a rope that loops over a wheel with a groove. One part of the rope is attached to the object (load), and when you pull on the other side of the rope, the wheel turns, moving the load. Pulleys are good for moving objects in hard-to-reach places and make the work of moving heavy loads a lot easier. Pulleys can let you move loads down, up, or sideways. Other examples of things that have pulleys are water wells, flag poles, window blinds, and theater curtains. If you choose a pulley as one of your two simple machines, how will you build it and use it in your machine’s design?

Brainstorming Idea
Wedge

A wedge is an object made of two inclined planes or a curved surface reaching a point. Wedges can lift objects up, break them apart or hold them in place. Common examples include a doorstop, nail, chisel, fork, and push pin. Can you think of any others? Make a list of wedges and think about how to build them into your action contraption machine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Screw

A screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder. People commonly use screws to fasten things, dig holes, move objects or hold them together. A few examples of screws are jar lids, drill bits, bolts, car jacks, and the end of a screw in a light bulb. Think about how you could incorporate a screw into your design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Art Inspiration

Rube Goldberg was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American cartoonist, innovator, author, sculptor, and inventor. He is best known for his cartoons, which were elaborate pictures of extremely complex action contraption machines that performed simple tasks. Check them out for design inspiration!

Digital Tools

Build & Iterate

FOR THE CLASSROOM

Group Size

Split into 8 teams

Approach

Assign each team a video lesson and have them present what they learned

Material

None

Educator tools

 

LAUNCHING THE INNOVATORS OF TOMORROW

Future Engineers hosts online contests and challenges for K-12 students, including the recent Mars 2020 "Name the Rover" contest. This challenge platform was developed with support from the U.S. Department of Education, and all challenges are free for student/classroom participation.