KidWind 2025-2026 Season Challenge

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PA KidWind Challenge

Registration for the PA KidWind Solar and Wind State Competitions will be LIVE on January 6 2026!

2025-2026 PA KidWind Challenge Season Dates:

  • March 5, 2025: KidWind Solar Energy State Competition to be held at Penn State University Park
  • March 25, 2025: KidWind Wind State Competition to be held at Penn State University Park

How to register for the state challenge: 

  1. Go To https://kidwind.org/
  2. Hover over "Challenges" and click on "in-person challenges".
  3. Scroll down to the events map and you will see the two PA State Competitions (PA Solar, March 5th/ PA Wind, March 25th). Sorted by date.
  4. Click on the following event you would like to register for.
  5. On the right hand side, you will see a "Register" pink button.
  6. Click on the "plus" sign to select "1" and click on the pink button "Register".
  7. Fill out the registration form. (Your submission is not completed untill all student names are recorded.)


Helpful tips:

  • No! You do not need to make a username or password to register.
  • When registering, please state the coaches' full name and email address.
  • No! There is no fee to register. It will cost 0$ to register.
  • You must register one team at a time! If you are coaching multiple teams, then you will have to fill out multiple submissions. (Maxium number of team registrations, THREE Teams per challenge.)
  • When completed, you should receive a confirmation email from KidWind.


     

Build and Test Challenge:

 

KidWind State Competition

  • Penn State University Park (HUB-Robeson Center) - March 25, 2025

More Information

  • Teams will design and build their own blades and incorporate into a turbine system, including a generator, hub, and a gearbox (see KidWind rules).
  • Live presentation- Teams will present a <10 min presentation to the panel of judges on the day of competition. The presentation should document the progression of their turbine design. Teams should also include a description of their design philosophy and how the team iterated on this design or made improvements to the design to increase the performance.

Solar Challenge:

Teams will design a environment and/or home structure that incorporates solar power. The overall goal is to create load(s) that are powered by solar. UPDATE: The PA Solar Challenge Competition 2025-2026 will be based on the national KidWind's Solar Rulebook for this year's competition. 

  • Penn State University Park (Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub) - March 5, 2025

     

More Information

  • The design will be evaluated based on the team’s creativity in applying and innovating with solar device concepts while learning to work with solar photovoltaics (PV).
  • Judges will examine the structure and ask questions about the team's design process and application. The solar-powered design will be evaluated on the team's thoughtful, creative, and resourceful design, the innovation and complexity of your circuitry.

Need more information about the KidWind Solar Challenege? Please visit the national website and select, "2025-26 Solar Rulebook"