10 Reasons to Do the Ball Run Challenge

By Amy Cowen on January 27, 2026 8:00 AM

Thinking about the 2026 Ball Run Challenge? Here are 10 reasons this free engineering challenge is a great fit for K–12 classrooms and programs.

Example of Ball Run devices for the 2026 Engineering Challenge

The Science Buddies Engineering Challenge

The annual Science Buddies Engineering Challenge makes it fun for students to try engineering.

Each year, the Science Buddies Engineering Challenge presents an engaging engineering task that invites students in grades K–12 to use the engineering design process to brainstorm, design, build, test, and improve a solution.

The Ball Run Challenge

The 2026 Ball Run Challenge puts physics on display through hands-on engineering.

Using simple materials—paper and tape—students are challenged to design and build a ball run for a ping pong ball. The twist is that the goal is to make the run take as long as possible for the ball to move from start to finish. Students use creative thinking, engineering design, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills to design, build, and test their ball runs. Once they have a working ball run, they can continue to improve it to increase the time it takes or reduce the materials used to increase the overall score.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW16rdv2LJs

10 Reasons to Do the Science Buddies Engineering Challenge with Students

It's fun and engaging

Students will have all kinds of creative approaches to designing a ball run and to using STEM to slow the ball down. Seeing ideas turn into real, working devices keeps students engaged and motivated as they learn.

It uses simple, low-cost materials.

The Ball Run Challenge uses everyday materials you may already have on hand. By building only with paper and tape, all students start from the same place and work within the same constraints, which keeps the focus on design and problem-solving. (Check the project directions or lesson plans for details about allowed materials, quantities, and scoring.)

It's an accessible entry point to engineering.

The challenge is open to students in grades K–12 everywhere and requires no prior engineering experience. The emphasis is on trying engineering and thinking like an engineer. Sample ball runs shown in the directions and overview video can help spark ideas for building a ball run—especially for younger students—but these examples are just starting points, not templates students must follow. Your students will likely have all kinds of innovative ideas and approaches to test!

It demonstrates the engineering design process.

The Ball Run Challenge highlights key steps of the engineering design process, including brainstorming, prototyping, testing, and improving designs. Because there are many possible solutions, students experience firsthand how engineers work within constraints to design and test creative solutions that meet specific goals.

Iterate! Engineering design involves testing, making changes, and testing again. This short video introduces the idea of iteration and reinforces redesign as a valuable part of engineering.

It puts STEM concepts into action.

Engineering challenges naturally combine engineering design with science learning. As students build and refine their ball runs, they explore physics concepts such as:

Kinetic and potential energy
Conservation of energy
Forces, including friction, drag, and lift

Seeing these concepts in motion helps make abstract ideas more concrete.

Tip! For supplemental lessons, experiments, and activities, see the following STEM resource collections:

26 Science Projects and Experiments To Teach About Types of Energy

13 Activities and Lessons to Teach Potential and Kinetic Energy

It emphasizes problem-solving and perseverance.

Ball runs rarely work perfectly the first time. A structure may be unstable, the ball may get stuck, or the design may not meet clearance requirements. Students must analyze what went wrong, make adjustments, and test again. Once a run works, they can continue refining it to slow the ball down even more. This process builds confidence and reinforces that problem-solving is a fundamental part of STEM.

It scales for all grade levels.

The Ball Run Challenge is designed to work across elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. With both time and materials factoring into the final score, the challenge naturally scales in complexity based on student experience. An optional "add a loop" twist offers additional challenge for students who are ready to stretch their skills or who have done a ball run before.

It supports teamwork and flexible participation.

Students can build their ball runs individually or in teams of up to four. Team-based building encourages collaboration, communication, and shared problem-solving, while the option to work alone makes the challenge easy to adapt to meet different classroom needs.

It's doable in and out of the classroom.

The Ball Run Challenge works well in classrooms, afterschool programs, informal learning settings, and even at home. Families can choose to participate independently, making it a flexible option for extending learning beyond school.

It could win money for your school or program.

Ten $1,000 (USD) prizes are available through random drawings. All complete entries from students in eligible locations will be entered in random drawings for a chance to win money for their school or qualified organization. Prizes are not awarded based on high scores, which keeps the focus of the challenge on participation and learning.

While only students in certain locations are eligible for the random drawings, students from around the world are invited to take part in the Science Buddies Engineering Challenge and compete to get the highest score and a spot on the leaderboard at the end of the challenge.

See the Engineering Challenge page for eligibility information.)

How to Enter the 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge

Submissions for the Ball Run Challenge will be accepted through the online entry form from February 22-March 31, 2026. When the submission window opens, the form will be available on the main Engineering Challenge page.

The challenge is free to enter.