Guidelines

2025-2026 MISSION: STEM Guidelines

Theme: Destination SpaceU

• The 2025-2026 MISSION: STEM Regional Competition will be hosted on the UCF main campus. Please refer to the FAQs for more details. Rules and dates are subject to change.
• Each school/organization may bring a maximum of 15 students to the MISSION: STEM Regional Competition at UCF. Each student may participate in a maximum of 3 events ON SITE (mousetrap car, water bottle rocket, glider, bridge, egg drop).
• The minimum number of students that must be registered from a school/organization is 3.
• Click HERE to register for the MISSION: STEM Regional Competition at UCF! (Registration opens in October)

2025-2026 Events

Banner Competition

• Maximum of 1 banner per school
• Banners submitted at Regional Competition
• 2025-2026 Banner Competition Guidelines

Bridge Competition

• Must have 3 students per team and a maximum of 2 teams per school; minimum of 1 student per team must be present to compete
• Bridges submitted at Regional Competition
• 2025-2026 Balsa Bridge Competition Guidelines

Egg Drop Competition

• Must have 3 students per team and a maximum of 2 teams per school; minimum of 1 student per team must be present to compete
• Entries submitted at Regional Competition
• 2025-2026 Egg Drop Competition Guidelines
• Drop Location

Energy Transfer Machine Competition

• Maximum of 3 teams per school and the competition is limited to 35 teams total (first-come basis)
• Must have 1 to 6 students per team
• Entries submitted online prior to Regional Competition (see guidelines and Important Dates)
• 2025-2026 ET Machine Competition Guidelines
• Train the Trainer Workshop Presentation
• ETM Ideas and Resources
• ETM Run Example

Essay Competition

• Grades K-2 Illustration with 2 sentence caption and video explanation
• Grades 3-12 Essay with Works Cited and cover page
• Only 1 student per essay/illustration and maximum 5 essays/illustrations per school
• Entries submitted prior to Regional Competition (see Important Dates)
• 2025-2026 Essay Competition Guidelines – COMING SOON

Glider Competition

• Must have 3 students per team and a maximum of 3 teams per school; minimum of 1 student per team must be present to compete
• Gliders submitted at Regional Competition
• 2025-2026 Glider Competition Guidelines
• Train the Trainer Workshop Presentation
• Important Glider Concepts

Math Competition

• Up to 3 students per team and a maximum of 5 teams per school
• 2025-2026 Math Competition Guidelines
• 2015 Test and Keys:
• High School
• Middle School
• Elementary School

Mousetrap Car Competition

• Must have 3 students per team and maximum 2 teams per elementary school or 3 teams per middle/high school
• Mousetrap car kits available at: Kelvin Mousetrap Racer Kit
• Technical drawing paper available at: Artsupply.com 
• Engineering Notebook to be submitted at Regional Competition
• Technical Drawing to be submitted at Regional Competition
• Train the Trainer Presentation (2017-2018): Mousetrap Car Construction Step by Step 
• 2025-2026 Mousetrap Car Competition Guidelines

Poster Competition

• Maximum of 1 poster per school submitted by an individual student
• Electronic PDF submission of poster and video presentation prior to Regional Competition (see Important Dates)
• 2025-2026 Poster Competition Guidelines

Water Rocketry Competition

• Must have 3 students per team and maximum 2 teams per elementary school or 3 teams per middle/high school
• Engineering Notebook to be submitted at Regional Competition
• Patch design to be submitted prior to Regional Competition (photo – see Important Dates) and at Regional Competition
• Past Train the Trainer Presentation: Water Bottle Rocketry – A Beginner’s Guide
• 2025-2026 Water Bottle Rocket Competition Guidelines

*This page last updated 9/19/25