Contest Menu
2026 Writing and Design Competition - Rules and Regulations

2026 Writing and Design Competition - Rules and Regulations

Participants will create and submit an original work that responds to the following contest prompt:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, because images often tell an entire story. Visual thinking is an important part of engineering design, so this year we are trying something new with the Writing Contest. We would like you to use art to express how engineers create a better world! Submissions should also include a written artist’s statement that explains how the artwork demonstrates that contribution. In addition to the showcase of winners, where possible, winning submissions (or portions of the winning submissions) from this competition will be featured in the background of the EngineerGirl website!

Engineering and art have much in common, and in fact engineers and artists go through a very similar process when designing. For this contest, we’d like you to use the engineering design process to create your submission.

Make sure to follow the specific guidelines explained below.

Complete Rules and Regulations:

WHAT DO I SUBMIT?

How to create your submission using the engineering design process:

  1. Ask and Research – Review all the requirements of the competition and make sure you understand what you need to do. Then ask yourself which engineering contributions you would like to feature. Create a list of at least three ways that engineers create a better world. For inspiration, try browsing through the EngineerGirl Areas of Impact Section, to discover ways that engineers are shaping the future. You might also look at the “What I Do” section in profiles within the Gallery of People in Engineering or Gallery of Women Engineers. We strongly suggest that you do not use AI for the Research or Imagine and Plan steps of this process. [Note that the use of AI is not allowed in the creation of your artwork or written responses.]
  2. Imagine and Plan – Envision a piece of art that will best showcase the theme of the contest. Your artwork should feature at least three ways that engineers create a better world. Plan how you will present the material in a way that is understandable given the following design constraints:
    • Submission format – While you can use any media you choose, the final submission must be a single two-dimensional image with a written summary and answers to questions about your art and process.
    • Image Constraints – Files submitted must be less than 3 MB. Images of artwork should also be big enough to see the work clearly. (Winners will be asked to send the actual art if a better image is required.)
    • Shape and organization – If you would like your image to be featured in the EngineerGirl website background, you’ll want to think about what might look good there. It is not required but might help if the main themes could be visible around the outside of a central panel of content. You will also want the image to be engaging without that panel of content covering the center. How will you accomplish both goals? Consider going back to the Research step to look at art that others have used for website backgrounds. Color also may be particularly important. What colors will look good with the EngineerGirl site? You may want to research the 7 elements of design and how to direct a viewer’s eye. These are elements that are used in both art and engineering.
    • Access to materials – You may wish to draw, paint, photograph, sculpt, or create your image in some other way. How will you get access to the materials you’ll need? Consider using found objects or recyclables and think about what materials you have access to via your school or other organization.
    • Audience and perspective – One of the most useful steps in any design is to consider the audience, or “end user” as it’s often called in engineering. The EngineerGirl and EngineerTeen audiences are diverse and worldwide. Your art should be engaging to as many different audiences as possible. We suggest you start by first considering a central audience of middle school (grade 6-8) girls, which is the primary audience for the EngineerGirl website, where the winning artwork will be displayed. If you are a middle school girl yourself, think about the type of artwork that others like you might most enjoy, but remember that you aren’t the only type of girl in the world. Imagine a user who is very different from you, perhaps living in another part of the country. What type of artwork might they appreciate? If you aren’t a middle school girl, consider asking some girls you know about what types of images they like best (Research) and going through the same thought process regarding girls who are different from the ones you know. Once you have thought about the perspective of middle-school girls, expand your thinking to consider girls in other age groups (elementary and high school). Then once you have a sense for what diverse girls might like, consider the other EngineerGirl audiences. EngineerGirl serves engineers, families, and educators. The contest submissions will be primarily judged by engineers. What do you think they might most appreciate about your work?
  3. Create and Test – Try making a mockup, sketch, or simple prototype of your design. Then review the design constraints to see if your idea does what you hoped. Share the prototype with others to get their feedback and comments. Reflect on whether it captures the themes you had in mind. Go back through different steps of the process as needed to settle on and create your final design. Remember that some things probably won’t turn out like you first imagined. This failure is essential to the engineering design process. Consider how best to use those failures to create a better piece.
  4. Share and Reflect – You will likely be sharing with others throughout the process, but once you have a product you feel is ready then it is time to share with us. Submit the image you create along with reflective answers to the following questions:
    • How does your artwork depict the contribution of engineers to a better world?
    • Describe how you think viewers from two different audiences might view or interpret your work.
    • Briefly describe the materials you used and the process you went through to create your piece.
    • Explain anything you learned from the process. Ideally include any failures you experienced along the way. Failure and subsequent improvement are critical to engineering design, so please tell us how you failed and how that influenced your submission.

ALL STUDENTS PLEASE NOTE: Your name, address, phone number, or any other personally identifying information should NOT appear in the text or images of your submission.

You may submit one entry in one – and only one – of the competition categories. All submissions must be the work of an individual. If more than one submission is received from a participant, only the entry submitted last will be included in the judging.

 

All submissions must be original work.
Any evidence of plagiarism will immediately disqualify an entry.
The use of AI is not allowed in the creation of your artwork or written responses.

A Submission may not contain offensive, libelous, sexually explicit, disparaging or other inappropriate content and may not defame or otherwise violate the rights, copyrights, trademarks, or rights of publicity, privacy, or reputation of any third party. A Submission may not contain any material to promote sale of a product or service.

Each entrant is solely responsible for the information, data, text, graphics, and other materials included in the Submission, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted. A Submission must be original and the entrant must (1) hold all necessary rights to all the materials and information in the Submission or (2) have permission from the holder of such rights, or (3) the materials and information in the Submission must be in the public domain. Winners will have to ensure that they have all rights necessary to permit them to transfer ownership of the essay, including transfer of any permissions and rights obtained from third parties, to the NAE.

CAN I USE AI?

Participants are not permitted to use AI to create any portion of their submitted artwork or written responses. All participants will need to attest that AI was not used before submitting their entry.

HOW DO I SUBMIT MY ENTRY?

Entrants should, whenever possible, submit their work through the online form at https://www.engineergirl.org/154451/2025-Writing-Contest-Submission-Form.

Those with unreliable or slow internet connections may request a fill-in PDF form that can be completed offline and submitted via email. Request a form by sending an email to EngineerGirl@nae.edu with the subject line “2026 Contest Form Request”. There is no penalty for using the PDF form.

To be considered, submissions must include the image of the artwork and the text responses within the submission form. Links to material saved elsewhere (such as a Google Doc) will not be followed or judged.

ALL entries, regardless of how they are submitted, are presented to the judges in the same format, which excludes all personal information.

WHAT IS THE DEADLINE?

The contest will close at 11:59 PM, February 1, 2026, U.S. Eastern Standard Time. All entries, regardless of how they are submitted, must be received prior to this date and time to be considered.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE?

The contest is open to individual students, no matter their background or identity, in the following three competition categories:

  • Elementary School Students (grades 3–5)
  • Middle School Students (grades 6–8)
  • High School Students (grades 9–12)

The category for entry is based on US grade categories. Home schooled or international students should choose an appropriate category based on where the student would be placed if attending public school in the US.

Prior winners of the EngineerGirl Writing Contest who received a cash prize may not enter again in the same age group.

Employees of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and their immediate families or those living in the same household as a National Academies employee are not eligible to enter this competition.

HOW WILL THE ENTRIES BE JUDGED?

Submissions will be judged by a slate of volunteers that include professionals from various engineering fields. In addition to checking that submissions meet all of the basic rules, they will be looking for:

  • Thematic Accuracy/Message – Does the submission articulate the theme of engineers creating a better world? Has the message been elaborated to a high degree?
  • Perspective – Does the submission demonstrate and describe consideration of multiple perspectives, including empathetic listening with understanding of other viewpoints?
  • Creativity – Does the submission demonstrate an excellent level of creativity in multiple aspects? (For the sake of this contest, creativity is defined as persistence through failure, innovation, flexible thinking, responsible risk taking, and applying past knowledge to new situations.)
  • Engineering Design Process – Does the submission demonstrate skillful use of the engineering design process to create a striking and memorable work?
  • Understanding of the Role of Engineering – Does the submission demonstrate a clear understanding of the role of engineering in society?
  • Writing and Communication – Is the artist’s statement engaging, focused, and well written? Does it reflect a commitment to the topic?

Take time to review the scoring rubric, which is available online here.

Finalists will be judged by the Pathways into Engineering Steering Committee. The decisions of the judges are final and incontestable.

WHEN WILL THE WINNERS BE ANNOUNCED?

Finalists will be notified in writing via email by May 1, 2026 and will be required to submit a signed copy of a Use License and Release giving the NAE permission to publish the entry should it be selected as a winner.

Winners will be notified in writing via email by June 1, 2026, and the winning entries will be posted on the Contest website by July 1, 2026. A list of contest winners may be obtained by submitting a request in writing to:

EngineerGirl/EngineerTeen Writing Contest
National Academy of Engineering
500 Fifth Street NW, K1011
Washington, DC 20001.

WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?

Winners in each grade category will receive the following prizes:

  • First-place winners will be awarded $1,000.
  • Second-place entries will be awarded $750.
  • Third-place entries will be awarded $500.

All winning entries will be published on the EngineerTeen website. Honorable Mention entries will not receive a cash award but will be published on the EngineerTeen website and may receive EngineerGirl or EngineerTeen swag if available.

Prize funds will be distributed to an individual winner (or the winner’s parent or guardian, if the winner is under 18 years old). Any federal, state, and local taxes, and all similar fees and assessments, are the sole responsibility of the prize recipient.

HOW DO I CREATE A WINNING ENTRY?

Take time to learn about engineers and engineering in general. The better you understand the engineering design process, the better you can work through the creation of your artwork and artist’s statement.

Choose to focus on something that you care about or that you are curious about. It is easier to do research and create something if you’re focused on something that’s important to you. Your interest in the subject will also come through in your art and writing, making your piece more powerful.

Keep notes as you go through the process. For example, why did you choose the media form and materials you did instead of others? What came to mind after creating your first mockup? This will help you create the written portion of your submission.

Additional Requirements and Disclaimers

By entering this competition, each individual entrant (for individuals under 18 years old, the individual’s parent or guardian) grants the NAE a worldwide nonexclusive, royalty-free, transferable license to use the essay, or any portion thereof, for NAE purposes, and grants NAE a world-wide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable license to use the entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or biographical information for advertising, publicity, and promotional purposes.

If selected as a winner, each individual (and for individuals under 18 years old, the individual’s parent or guardian) hereby agrees to irrevocably grant and assign exclusively to the NAE all rights, including copyright interests in the essays, under all laws, treaties and conventions throughout the world, in all forms, languages and media, now or hereafter known or developed without limitation. Use, publication, or dissemination by winners of their respective essay may be permitted at the discretion of NAE, as approved in writing in advance by the NAE. Submitting an essay to this competition does not guarantee that the Submission will be displayed or used by NAE.

Use by NAE of a Submission does not necessarily reflect the views of the NAE, and in no event shall NAE assume or have any responsibility or liability for any Submission, in whole or in part, or for any claims, damages, or losses resulting from the use and/or appearance of any Submission or the contents thereof.

NAE reserves the right to refuse any Submission in its sole discretion. NAE also reserves the right at any time during the competition to remove or disqualify any Submission when it believes in its sole discretion that the entrant has: (i) infringed any third party's copyright; (ii) failed to comply with these Terms and Conditions; or (iii) failed to obtain the necessary consents as set out in these terms and conditions.

NAE shall not be liable for any claims, costs, liabilities, damages, expenses, and losses arising out of (i) NAE's use of the Submission; (ii) the entrant's participation in the competition; (iii) technical failures of any kind including but not limited to problems or delays arising from software or equipment malfunctions or computer viruses; and (iv) any events outside NAE's reasonable control.

By entering this competition, each individual entrant, (and for individuals under 18 years old, the individual’s parent or guardian) represents and warrants that: (i) the entrant is the sole author, creator, and owner of the Submission; (ii) except for material used by permission, none of the intellectual property rights in the Submission, or any portion thereof, has been assigned or transferred to anyone other than the entrant; (iii) the Submission, through its creation and its submission as an entry, does not violate any applicable laws; and (iv) the Submission, through its creation and its submission as an entry, does not infringe upon or violate intellectual property rights held by any third person or party.

Any entrant who supplies false information, enters the NAE EngineerGirl Writing Contest by fraudulent means, or is otherwise determined to be in violation of the eligibility criteria or terms of EngineerGirl Writing Contest shall be ineligible for any prize and shall be required to forfeit any prize obtained based on such information or means.

By entering a Submission in the Contest, each individual entrant (and for individuals under 18 years old, the individual’s parent or guardian) agrees to comply with and be bound by the official rules and decisions of NAE.

All references to NAE contained herein refer to the National Academy of Sciences on behalf of the National Academy of Engineering.

This Contest is void where prohibited. The Contest shall be governed by, construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia.

Login

Recover Password?