Rules FAQ 

Below is additional information that may be helpful to participants and advisers. 

As The Tech Challenge progresses, participating teams and The Tech staff may discover that the rules must be updated. All changes will be posted on The Tech Challenge website, and registered teams will be notified by email regarding significant changes. Changes posted to the website will be labeled by date. Please check the website often for updates.

During device testing, the top priority is safety. Judges are authorized to stop any activity they view as unsafe. Teams are expected to handle and operate their devices safely. The judges’ word is final on safety-related issues.

The Tech Challenge emphasizes the importance of engineering solutions that would be practical in real life. Test rigs involve small-scale representations of real-world conditions. Teams should develop designs that represent real-life solutions.

The Spirit of the Challenge is an important factor in scoring. The best engineering journals document an understanding of real-world factors and contain a detailed explanation of how your design might have practical, real-life applications. Teams should expect judges to press them on this issue and will be asked questions such as “How would your design work in real life?” A good explanation of how their design approach is compatible with the Spirit of the Challenge will have a positive influence on the team’s score.

While store-bought solutions are not prohibited, they are not in the Spirit of the Challenge.