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2024-2025 SECME Guidelines

Theme: Energy is Everywhere!

  • The 2024-2025 SECME 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 SECME 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 SECME Regional Competition at UCF! (Registration opens in October)

National Events

The 2024-2025 National Guidelines are now available on the SECME National website.

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)
Mousetrap Car Competition
  • Must have 2-4 students per team andĀ maximum 2 teams per elementary school or 3 teams per middle/high school
  • Mousetrap car kits available at: Kelvin Mousetrap Racer Kit
  • Engineering Notebook to be submitted as PDF prior to Regional Competition (see Important Dates)
  • Presentation to be submitted prior to Regional Competition (see Important Dates)
  • Video of car running only necessary for 1st place teams that proceed to the National Competition
  • Train the Trainer Presentation (2017-2018): Mousetrap Car Construction Step by StepĀ 
Water Rocketry Competition
  • Must have 2-4 students per team and maximum 2 teams per elementary school or 3 teams per middle/high school
  • Engineering Notebook to be submitted as PDF prior to Regional Competition (see Important Dates)
  • Presentation to be submitted prior to Regional Competition (see Important Dates)
  • Video of rocket launch only necessary for 1st place teams that proceed to the National Competition
  • Past Train the Trainer Presentation: Water Bottle Rocketry – A Beginner’s Guide
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)

Local Events

The 2024-2025 guidelines for local events are now available!

Banner Competition
Bridge Competition
Egg Drop Competition
Energy Transfer Machine Competition
Glider Competition
Math Competition

*Guidelines page last updated 11/7/24

2021-2022 Competition Theme
  • SECME 45 Years: Honoring the Past, Embracing the Present to Build a Better Future

    • Dates:
    • Opening in October
    • September 16, 2024
      Train the Trainer Workshop Registration Closes at midnight

      – Email STEM@ucf.edu for registration details

    • September 21, 2024
      Train the Trainer Workshop
    • December 6, 2024
      SECME Regional Competition Registration Deadline

      – Schools with student/team numbers must be submitted online

    • December 13, 2024
      Invoice Request Deadline

      – All payments must be initiated with your bookkeeper
      – $20 per student

    • January 17, 2025
      Registration Fees Due

      – Check must be in the office by 4pm
      – No exceptions will be made

    • January 21, 2025
      All team and student names must be entered/finalized by midnight
    • January 27, 2025
      Essays (all grade levels) and presentations (MTC and WBR, all grade levels) due by midnight via your account on the SECME registration site.
    • February 5, 2025
      Energy Transfer Machine submissions due by 5pm. See guidelines for details on how to submit videos.
    • February 5, 2025
      Poster and video submissions due by midnight. Please submit via your account on the SECME registration site.
    • February 7, 2025
      Emergency name changes due by 5pm (name changes may be requested via email only)
    • February 15, 2025
      SECME Regional Competition

      – School/Team Check-in 7am
      – Opening Session 8am
      – Award Ceremony 2-3pm

    • Dates and times are subject to change. Registered teams will be notified via email in the event of a change.