FAQ

Registration for The Tech Challenge 2027 will open on Oct. 6th, 2026.

Yes.

No. The Tech Challenge is designed for students in Grades 4-12 and is not age-appropriate for younger students. 

We encourage third graders and below to attend the Tech Challenge Showcase as viewers in anticipation and excitement for participation in future years!

Yes, teams can have members from different grade levels. However, you will participate at the level of the team’s highest grade level. For instance, even though you are in sixth grade, your team will participate in the high school division.

A team must be made up of 2-6 students.

Every registered team gets two extra large bags for testing at home or at school! These are the same type of bags that will be required on Showcase day.

Ways to pick up your bags:

• Sign up and attend a Team Orientation event
• Sign up and attend an in-person Test Trials event
• Pick up during open hours: Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Please email [email protected] ahead of time to coordinate your pickup. 

No! Electricity is not required. We encourage teams to explore how physical mechanisms powered by things like gravity can make things move in your game.

The most important thing to consider when choosing a target player is availability. Your team must be able to interview this person and physically test the game with them. A great player also has clear preferences and is willing to give honest feedback.

Here are three common ways teams can find a great player:

• Classmates: Your team can design for another student in their class or afterschool program who is not on their team
• Family or friends: Your team can design for a family member, neighbor, or friend who lives nearby. This guarantees easy access for playtesting and can provide distinct physical constraints (for example, a younger sibling’s reach or a grandparent’s mobility). 
• Special Guest Players: Your adviser can arrange for a specific volunteer – such as a school principal, local firefighter, or senior citizen – to be the player.

Yes! While it is ideal to interview and playtest with the exact same person, we know that coordinating schedules can be difficult and volunteers sometimes become unavailable. Don’t let this block your team from playtesting with a different user!

That is actually great data! When a player says what they don’t like about a prototype, they are giving the team clues on what to iterate on. Documenting this feedback also shows that you are following a true user-centered design process!

If you run out of time to adjust the game before the Showcase, definitely still bring it! Judges love to see your documentation of what went wrong and how you listened to your user.

No, you do not need a finished game to playtest! Your team can test as soon as they have a rough, low-fidelity prototype of their core mechanism. Testing early with cardboard and tape is better than waiting until the game is fully decorated. If a mechanical part isn't built yet, a team member can simply act as the mechanism (e.g., manually dropping a ball when the user hits a button).

Space and seating in our Team Orientation are quite limited and tend to fill up quickly! We encourage prioritizing space for advisers, team members, and any adults serving as the additional support for multiple teams. We still want to provide as much support to team members as possible so if this presents a challenge, please reach out to our team at [email protected].

The team orientation is a hands-on workshop designed for teams and their advisers. (Last year we called this TACK: Team and Adviser Challenge Kick-off” but we decided that might be a bit to long to say this year!) If all team members cannot attend together, we encourage you to bring as many as you can.
We will be providing a self-directed online course for those who cannot attend in person.

See our participant events page. Registration opens in February 2027.

No! Many teams show up at test trials with only part of their device working. It’s a great way to test an idea and get feedback.
There will be judges at test trials to answer questions. Test trials are useful at any stage in your process. In addition to testing your prototype, Test Trials also help teams practice sharing their ideas and collaborating as a team. There will be several test trial events, so take full advantage!

The judging process consists of three areas:

• Engineering design process: Judges will talk with your team about how it arrived at a solution.
• Engineering journal: Your team will turn in its journal in PDF format. Don’t forget to make it clear which design is your final solution. Your team won’t be around to answer questions during this part of the judging.
• Device performance: Your team will demonstrate its solution and judges will evaluate how well your design meets the challenge.

See the rules and resources for additional information.

Sure. When looking for sponsors, consider two things: what you need and who you know. Think about businesses that have the materials you are looking for and ask for donations. Or talk to friends, family, neighbors or anyone else who might want to help you. You’ll want to prepare a presentation before you approach potential sponsors. Describe the program and why you are participating. Explain where you are in the design process and how their assistance will help you. Take things for them to look at, The Tech Challenge poster, your latest device sketch, etc. Respect their time and keep it brief.

You can get together with anyone to create a team. The only rule is that every participant must be in Grades 4-12 somewhere — not necessarily in your class or school.

Yes! If your team has members that need special considerations, please contact us at [email protected].

Volunteers who volunteer for full-day shifts will receive a free lunch during their lunch break. Snacks will be provided to all volunteers.

There will be water refill stations around the event. We encourage all volunteers and attendees to bring filled water bottles in order to stay hydrated.

STEM or engineering experience is not required for Showcase Volunteers. Only those volunteering to be Head Judges or part of the Challenge Design Team are required to have an engineering or STEM background.

Training prior to Showcase weekend is only required for volunteers serving in Judge roles (Head Judge, Team Journal Judge, Showcase Event Judge). If you are unable to attend this training, a recorded session is available. Please email [email protected] for more information if needed.

All other volunteer roles do not require training prior to Showcase weekend. Once volunteers arrive for their scheduled shifts, they will receive training on-site to prepare them for their roles.

If your child is 16 years of age or older, they are able to sign up to volunteer for certain roles. We cannot guarantee that if you and your child sign up for the same role and shift that you will be placed together.

Volunteers earning community service hours are responsible for tracking their own volunteer hours and signing in and out of their shifts. A staff member (floor lead/supervisor) will verify and sign off on their hours.

Unfortunately, our policy does not allow children to accompany adults during their volunteer shifts. Volunteer roles tend to require full focus and attention and this could prevent the adult from fully supervising their child. For safety purposes, we encourage volunteers to not bring their child(ren) with them during their shift.

If your child is 16 years of age or older, they are able to sign up to volunteer for certain roles. Please note that if both you and your child register for the same role and shift, placement together is not guaranteed.

If your child is under the age of 16 years of age, we welcome them to attend as spectators but are not able to actively volunteer at the event.

For this historic 40th anniversary season, the Showcase event is coming home to take place inside The Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose. The Showcase will be held on Friday, April 30, 2027, and Saturday, May 1, 2027.

Grade levels are not assigned to specific days for this year's Showcase. Teams in all grades (Grades 4 through 12) can participate on either Friday, April 30, 2027, or Saturday, May 1, 2027. Showcase sign-up is different from general registration and will take place at a later date. There is no additional cost associated with Showcase sign-up. It is simply to reserve your team’s time slot.

No, this year, wagons and carts will not be allowed at the Showcase event due to venue constraints. Teams needing physical accommodations can contact us at [email protected] for more details.

See the Rules for more details about the two extra large bags we are providing to carry your game.