North America Scholastic Esports Federation Seeks Students’ Wacky Contraptions in Free Online Team-based STEAM and Engineering Contest

(Atlanta, GA – October 27, 2021) – The North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) has teamed up with The Rube Goldberg Institute for Innovation & Creativity (RGIIC), for a worldwide contest that combines science and art. Students will use Minecraft Education Edition to devise a digital contraption that completes a simple task in the most wacky and overly-complicated way possible. Registration is now open for the digital Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, with mini-events through the fall culminating in the declaration of global champions in spring 2022.

Rube Goldberg Machine Contests are well-known for their ability to inspire communication, problem-solving and teamwork while honing skills like math, physics and chemistry—blended with artistry and creativity. In the digital competition, students also build a greater understanding of software and technology through the use of Minecraft.

The foundation of the digital Rube Goldberg Machine Contest will be laid in three livestreams where certified Global Minecraft Mentors will help youth learn about the steps to the Engineering Design Process. Students will also learn tips and tricks for building Rube Goldberg Machines using Minecraft, and they’ll enter preliminary design challenges throughout fall 2021.

In the spring of 2022, youth worldwide will leverage their growing understanding of the Engineering Design Process to enter the Big Build challenge: use Minecraft to create a contraption that will Open & Illuminate a Book. Winners will be showcased on NASEF social media and website and will receive Amazon gift cards and award certificates.

Youth in grades 3-12 from around the world are invited to join. NASEF will offer free entry into the contest and free use of Minecraft Education Edition for all participants. Educators, whether teachers or family members, will receive free guides and instruction to make this a productive event.

“My grandfather, Rube Goldberg, was a cartoonist whose invention drawings took the most wonderfully circuitous route to complete a simple task,” said Jennifer George, Chief Creative Officer of the Rube Goldberg Institute of Innovation & Creativity. “And while Rube never built the machines he designed, his work has inspired generations of inventors to build wild and wacky contraptions that actually work! Today we celebrate our 33rd year of ‘live’ competitions and the second year that we are partnering with NASEF to help kids use computers to design equally creative Rube Goldberg Machines in the digital world of Minecraft.”

“NASEF’s Minecraft challenges demonstrate both how much kids love to play in Minecraft, and how much they learn through this fun, interactive platform,” said Gerald Solomon, founder and executive director of NASEF. “The digital Rube Goldberg Machine Contest encourages kids to team up with classmates, friends, and family, and to tap their creativity as they build functional machines. What a perfect example of STEAM, which blends art and STEM/science!”

click here for contest details.

About the organizers

The Rube Goldberg Institute for Innovation & Creativity is a family-run not-for-profit 501(c)3 focused on equity and access in STEAM education. Find them on Twitter and Facebook. 

The North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) is on a mission to provide opportunities for all students to use esports as a platform to acquire STEM/STEAM-based skills and critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life. NASEF operates under the umbrella of the World Wide Scholastic Esports Foundation (WWSEF). Find NASEF at NASEF.org and on Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

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Media Contacts:
Claire LaBeaux
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925-337-0244

Kristen Kelley, 
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