I. CONTEST OVERVIEW
True North School is organizing Vietnam’s first annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest on Saturday, May 13th, 2023. The contest gives students an opportunity to use their science, art, and other skills to create an automatic production line system to perform a specific task. Earth Day is this year’s theme, and teams are challenged to build a recycling machine. The Rube Goldberg contest is a positive environment for students to express their creativity, gain experience with machines, work in teams and improve their problem-solving skills. True North School is dedicated to building tomorrow’s leaders, and this contest challenges students to think about environmental conservation, which will be a major focus of the 21st century.
The Annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest organized by True North School has been approved and licensed by the Rube Goldberg Institute - the organizer of the annual international Rube Goldberg competition.
II. CONTEST TOPIC
The First Annual Rube Goldberg Contest in Vietnam hosted by True North School’s topic is Earth Day: "Invest in our Planet". Earth day is on April 22nd, 2023 and True North School’s goal is to carry out an impactful competition with students and foster an environment that builds awareness of environmental issues. The challenge given to teams is to build a waste recycling machine.
III. CONTEST PARTICIPANTS
1. The contest is open to students from grades 3 - 12 (from 9 to 18 years old) who are studying at Primary, Middle, and High schools in Hanoi and neighboring provinces.
2. The competition is divided into 3 groups as follows:
- Primary School: For students Grade 3 - Grade 5
- Middle School: For students in Grades 6 - 8
- High School: For students in Grades 9 - 12
3. English is the official language of the competition.
IV. AWARDS
Awards | Quantity | Prize |
| First Prize | 01/ competition round |
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| Second Prize | 01/ competition round |
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| Third Prize | 01/ competition round |
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V. CONTENTS, FORM & CONTEST FEES
A. Task:
In the allotted time, teams need to design and build a continuous system that recycles different types of waste (specific tasks will be announced on the day of the competition). Specifically, your machine will need to deposit a water bottle into a recycling container in a creative way and then ring a bell to signal the task is complete.
In the spirit of the international Rube Goldberg competition, the Rube Goldberg machines are intricately designed to accomplish a simple everyday task in a different and innovative way. Through this, students will learn how to think creatively, work in groups & solve problems, as well as apply their knowledge of science and engineering to design and manufacture their own machine for the first time.
B. Provided Materials:
- 120cm x 120cm board for building their machine.
- Power outlet for charging digital devices.
- Internet access.
- The materials are listed in the following document: LINK
- Instructions at the LINK
C. Regulations on Contest Products:
- The product must not use power in any part, but batteries can be used (if necessary). Batteries are accepted as the only power supply device for the product in case of need (maximum 2 AA batteries).
- Additional materials brought by Teams on match day, including equipment, are not permitted to use electrical power. The only exception is the team’s personal computing devices (laptops, tablets, etc).
- Additional materials brought in by the teams cannot be pre-assembled. The team will be disqualified if the product has any pre-assembled parts.
- The machine must not exceed 170cm in any direction (length, height, width) and must be on the board.
- The product will need to achieve the following minimum number of steps depending on the league table:
- Primary school: Minimum 4 steps
- Middle School: Minimum 8 steps
- High School: Minimum 12 steps
- The team will be disqualified immediately if one of the above rules is violated.
D. Fees
Registration fee: 500,000 VND/member. This fee includes the cost of buying materials and the cost of lunch for the teams, excluding lunch for accompanying parents and other expenses.
VI. REQUIREMENTS & INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPETITION TEAMS
A. Requirements for Teams
Each team must have 2-4 members. The members need to match the required age corresponding to each competition group.
Each team must elect a Person in Charge: The Person in Charge is a teacher in charge of the team who is responsible for managing and guiding the team during the competition. The organizer will contact the competition team through the person in charge.
If a school has multiple teams registered to participate, teams from the same school may have the same Person in Charge.
Teams must complete registration & submit payments by Thursday, April 20th, 2023. The application must be submitted with all the required information.
Each Team needs to bring their own mobile device, such as a laptop or tablet to the match day.
B. Instructions for Teams
- Each Team should have members with diverse skill sets. For example, a team with members who are experienced in planning, design, and machine and equipment will be well-rounded and in a strong position for the contest.
- Teams should take the time to study & familiarize themselves with the basic concepts and skills of Rube Goldberg machines or Joseph automatic lines: how they work, what components are there, and what can be accomplished with these machines.
- Find out & familiarize yourself with this Earth Day, which is this year’s theme. Teams can find information at: https://www.earthday.org/.
- Learn & familiarize yourself with the materials that the contest Organizing Committee will provide. The list is HERE
- Teams may prepare materials not on the list and bring them with them on the day of the competition. A toolbox will help you best store & manage these items.
- Work in groups & discuss in advance the different ways you can combine items and materials and create a unique machine of your own. Teams must ensure that each movement in the chain system plays a role to complete the final task.
- Practice and test to make sure every move is correct.
VII. CRITERIA
The judging criteria will be communicated by the Organizing Committee to team representatives before the competition date.
VIII. CONTEST SCHEDULE
A. Important timelines
Time | Content |
| February 7th, 2023 | Launching the contest, officially accepting applications |
| March 23rd, 2023 | Online seminar for parents and students |
| April 20th, 2023 | Deadline to receive applications from Teams |
| May 13th, 2023 | Contest date, grading & award announcement |
B. Schedule
Time | Content |
07:00 - 07:30 | Arrive |
| 07:30 - 08:00 | Check-in Collect Judging Schedule |
08:00 - 08:30 | Organizing Committee Orientation & Guidelines for Teams |
| Team receiving materials from Organizers | |
08:30 - 10:30 | Competition time: Product crafting teams |
10:30 - 11:30 | Examination & Scoring of the Jury (5 minutes/round x 2 rounds/team) |
| 11:30 - 11:45 | Break & Snacks |
11:45 - 12:15 | Announcement & Awards |
12:15 - 12:30 | Teams clean up the work area |
IX. JUDGES
The contest judges include:
1. Representative of True North School
- Principal: Mr. Michael Lambert
- STEAM Director: Mr. Craig Gingerich
2. Guest judges are experts in the fields of Science - Engineering - Design
X. OTHER PROVISIONS
The results of the contest will be determined by the judges in accordance with the judging criteria announced by the Organizing Committee to the teams before the competition date. In the event of a dispute, the decision of the Organizing Committee is final.
The organizers have the right to record and take pictures of the participating members, the Jury, the Observer, or any other participant at the contest. The Organizing Committee has the right to use the image, video & information materials of the contestant in the contest to use for communication - advertising purposes.
XI. COMMUNICATIONS
Email: Rubegoldberg@truenorth.edu.vn
Facebook: Rube Goldberg Machine Contest - Vietnam
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