Jump to main content
All Engineering Challenges

Ball Run Challenge—2026 Engineering Challenge Results

The 2026 competition is over, but you can still try the challenge for fun! Can you build a ball run using only paper and tape? How will you slow the ball so it takes as long as possible to reach the bottom?

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

Full details, including the building, testing, and scoring procedures, can be found in these four formats:

Congratulations to All Participants

More than 14,300 students from 32 countries participated in the 2026 Science Buddies Ball Run Engineering Challenge. Using paper and tape, K-12 students built ball runs designed to maximize the time it takes a ping pong ball to reach the bottom.

From funnels and spirals to tall, multi-level runs, the range of solutions showcased creative thinking, STEM concepts, and engineering design. Students and teachers reported that teams pushed through the frustration of early setbacks and kept going until they had a working solution. Many teams continued to refine their designs to improve their scores by adding resistance, flaps, or additional turns.

Congratulations to all participating students and thank you to the educators and parents who supported them.

College of students, all grades, showing off their ball run devices
Figure 1: A few of the many teams that submitted ball runs for the 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge.
The kids had so much fun with this challenge! Watching their resilience grow and the way they supported each other through failures and redesigns was fantastic. Their understanding of the design process and the thinking behind their creations has improved throughout the whole process. This was a great activity to drive their learning and discovery about forces and motions, angles, and friction.
Harrie Blakeney, teacher

Drawing Winners

All eligible team entries were included in random prize drawings. Congratulations to the ten winning teams listed in Table 1. Each team earned $1,000 USD for their school.

Table 1. Random drawing winners of the 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge
Drawing Winners
Team Name School/Program
Diva plus One Iberville Elementary School, Plaquemine, LA, US
The Gamez 2.0 Garden Lakes Elementary School, Avondale, AZ, US
Goonies Trinity Lutheran Church School, Davenport, IA, US
The Dominican papi Kathryn P. Stoklosa Middle School, Lowell, MA, US
That One Guy Ste. Genevieve Middle School, Ste. Genevieve, MO, US
Volcano Albert J. Murphy Junior High School, Texarkana, TX, US
Slow Moe’s Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School, Waterbury, CT, US
Energetic Engineers Lena Whitmore Elementary School, Moscow, ID, US
Watt the Flux Jesus and Mary Academy, El Paso, TX, US
Amngum 3 Simpsonville Elementary School, Simpsonville, SC, US

Top Scores Overall

Ball Run Challenge submissions were scored using a formula based on the time it took the ball to complete the run and the number of sheets of paper used. Table 2 shows the highest-scoring teams across all ages. All scores were reviewed by Science Buddies staff using submission photos and challenge rules.

Table 2. 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge top scores across all ages.
Top Ball Run Challenge Scores (Overall)
Team School/Program Age (Average) Score
Logan Community Steam Academy – Xenia, Xenia, OH, US 11 579
Minions Quentin Road Christian School, Lake Zurich, IL, US 15 264
LCHS – Slow and Curious Lehman Catholic High School, Sidney, OH, US 18 228
Bobcats Basehor-Linwood Middle School, Basehor, KS, US 12 222
Mini ants BOLD-Bird Island Elementary, Olivia, MN, US 11 217
Ping-Pong-Pigs Trinity Grammar Junior School, Summer Hill, Sydney, AU 11 206
Thunder Bolt Trinity Grammar Junior School, Summer Hill, Sydney, AU 10 188
Rainbow Road Chaparral High School, Parker, CO, US 16 168
Made in the USA Faith Christian School, Randolph, WI, US 16 157.16
Snail Trail Trinity Grammar Preparatory School, Strathfield, AU 11 150

Creative Engineering

One submission reported a score far beyond all other entries. We contacted the team and educator to review the design and score. Because a working model was not available, we were unable to verify the result, and it is not included in the ranked results. We recognize Team Challenger for their creative approach.

Top Scores by Age

To recognize the work students put into designing and testing their ball runs and to help them compare results with others in their age group, the tables and graphs below show top scores and score distribution for submissions from teams with an average age of 10 and under, 11-14, and 15-18.

College of students, ages 10 and younger, showing off their ball runs
Figure 2. Teams of students ages 10 and under with their ball runs.
My absolute favorite part of the challenge was watching the students collaborate and tackle problems together—it was incredible to see! I was genuinely amazed by how they used their critical thinking skills and teamwork to come up with solutions that actually worked. You could feel their excitement as they worked side by side, determined to reach their goal—and they loved every minute of it!
Philip Jackman, teacher
Table 3. 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge top scores for teams of students ages 10 and under.
Top Ball Run Challenge Scores – Ages 10 and Under
Team School/Program Age (Average) Score
Thunder Bolt Trinity Grammar Junior School, Summer Hill, Sydney, AU 10 188
The Ball Trinity Grammar Preparatory School, Strathfield, AU 10 140
The 8Quad Trinity Grammar Junior School, Summer Hill, Sydney, AU 10 138
Bacons Trinity Grammar Junior School, Summer Hill, Sydney, AU 10 137
DaVinci Team Trinity Grammar Junior School, Summer Hill, Sydney, AU 10 122
Bob The Aura Farmers Trinity Grammar Preparatory School, Strathfield, AU 10 116
Golden Dinosaur India Swatantra Talim Foundation, Aashiana, Lucknow, IN 9 114
Baall Ruun Trinity Grammar Preparatory School, Strathfield, AU 10 106
Power Besties Sandman Consolidated School, Cape May, NJ, US 10 104.1
The Dark Systems Science and Technology Education Center – Senior High School, Lapu-Lapu City, PH 7 82.48
A histogram showing the distribution of scores for teams with students ages 10 and younger Figure 3: Score distribution for teams of students ages 10 and under.
College of students, ages 11 through 14, showing off their ball runs
Figure 4. Teams of students ages 11-14 with their ball runs.
It was incredible to see the diverse range of solutions our students built for this challenge. They learned that success isn't about getting it right the first time—it's about iteration, collaboration, and the perseverance to keep tweaking until it works. I am so proud of their outside-the-box thinking!
Christina Medino, teacher
Table 4. 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge top scores for teams of students ages 11-14.
Top Ball Run Challenge Scores – Ages 11-14
Team School/Program Age (Average) Score
Logan Community Steam Academy-Xenia, Xenia, OH, US 11 579
Bobcats Basehor-Linwood Middle School, Basehor, KS, US 12 222
Mini ants BOLD-Bird Island Elementary, Olivia, MN, US 11 217
Ping-Pong-Pigs Trinity Grammar Junior School, Summer Hill, Sydney, AU 11 206
Snail Trail Trinity Grammar Preparatory School, Strathfield, AU 11 150
Complex Complication Crew Devon Christian School, Devon, CA 12 144
Precision Lab St. Andrew’s Scots School, Olivos, AR 14 132.44
Alpha India Swatantra Talim Foundation, Aashiana, Lucknow, IN 12 130
Los Burritos Franklin Junior High School, Mesa, AZ, US 13 127
White Out Quentin Road Christian School, Lake Zurich, IL, US 14 126
A histogram showing the distribution of scores for teams with students ages 11 through 14 Figure 5: Score distribution for teams of students ages 11-14.
College of students, ages 15 and up, showing off their ball runs
Figure 6. Teams of students ages 15 and up with their ball runs.
My favorite part of the 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge was seeing students apply scientific concepts creatively while solving real engineering problems. It was exciting to watch them collaborate, test their designs, and improve their models through trial and error. The activity encouraged critical thinking, teamwork, and innovation. Students were highly engaged and proud to see their ideas come to life, which made the learning experience both meaningful and memorable.
Sherlie Franklin, teacher
Table 5. 2026 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge top scores for teams of students ages 15 and up.
Top Ball Run Challenge Scores – Ages 15 and Up
Team School/Program Age (Average) Score
Minions Quentin Road Christian School, Lake Zurich, IL, US 15 264
LCHS – Slow and Curious Lehman Catholic High School, Sidney, OH, US 18 228
Rainbow Road Chaparral High School, Parker, CO, US 16 168
Made in the USA Faith Christian School, Randolph, WI, US 16 157.16
Chalenge Door Swatantra Talim Foundation, Aashiana, Lucknow, IN 15 147
Donkey Kong Willowbrook High School, Villa Park, IL, US 17 137.19
Made in China Whitney M Young High School, Chicago, IL, US 17 136
Max_Au Cullman High School, Cullman, AL, US 16 131
2026 Engineering Team Billings Christian School, Billings, MT, US 17 128
Slip n Slide Arizona Jewish Academy, Scottsdale, AZ, US 17 126
A histogram showing the distribution of scores for teams with students ages 15 and up Figure 7: Score distribution for teams of students ages 15 and up.

Engineering Challenge Showcase

The Engineering Challenge Showcase features entries from all teams that submitted valid entries to the Ball Run Challenge. Students can browse by grade level, score, or location to see how others designed their ball runs. The showcase lets students compare ideas and discover new approaches.

Explore Our Science Videos

Quick Links X
Top
Free science fair projects.