These winning entries in the 2026 EngineerTeen Writing Contest showcase the lifecycle of everyday items and the types of engineering involved along the way. Congratulations to all winners and finalists!
Verity Truitt
4th grade at Puesta Del Sol (Medina, Washington, USA)
Engineers Power Our Past and Future
First Place
Sofía Alanis Lara
International School of Monterrey
Engineering adventure: A journey between earth and the moon
Second Place
Connor Kimbrough
5th grade at Merryhill School (Arlington, Texas, USA)
Third Place
Ira Bolli
3rd grade at Clara Barton Elementary (Redmond, Washington, USA)
My Smart Clock That Helps Me Every Day
Honorable Mention
Engineering Landscape by Joseph B.
5th grade at Valley Fellowship Christian Academy
Recorded. Heard. Seen. by Nicholas Boylen
5th grade at Merryhill School (Grand Prairie, Texas, USA)
Brooklyn Bridge by Avery Ehlert
5th grade at South Hamilton (Stanhope, Iowa, USA)
Engineering Energy by Melanie Gole
5th grade at Riverview STEM Academy (Rancho Cordova, California, USA)
Recycled Earth by Evelina Kaminska
3rd-5th grade (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
The Future Built By Engineers by Srija Kumar
5th grade at Dingeman Elementary School (San Diego, California, USA)
An Young Engineer's Mind by Aadya Pallila
5th grade at Harrison Elementary School (Livingston, New Jersey, USA)
Clean Drop: Engineering a Water Filter for a Village by Shanaya Pandey
5th grade at Limona Elementary School (Brandon, Florida, USA)
Ingenium: From Trash to Treasure by Alyah Siddique
3rd grade at Homeschool (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Chaitra Hasini Appani
8th grade at Mountain View Middle School (Bonney Lake, Washington, USA)
Engineering: The Design Behind It All
First Place
Aydina Johnson
7th grade at Takoma Park Middle School (Potomac, Maryland, USA)
Second Place
Aanya Yadav
7th grade at Canyon Hills Junior High School (Chino Hills, California, USA)
Third Place
Marisa Tantala
Saint Ignatius of Antioch School (Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA)
Honorable Mention
Yeema Liu
6th grade at Carmel Del Mar Elementary School (San Diego, California, USA)
Honorable Mention
The Architecture of the Mind by Rishika Chaganti
8th grade at Aviara Oaks Middle School (Carlsbad, California, USA)
Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday, Engineers by Emme Chan
6th grade at Wagner Middle School (New York, New York, USA)
The Street of Collaboration by Isabella Choi
6th grade at Seoul Foreign School (Seoul, South Korea)
The Beauty of Connection by Mercy Drago
8th grade at Governor Mifflin School District (Reading, Pennsylvania, USA)
A Plan for a Better World by Donald Garcia
6th-8th grade (Coconut Creek, Florida, USA)
Engineering for a Better Tomorrow by Serena Qin
7th grade at The Overlake School (Bellevue, Washington, USA)
From Imagination to Innovation by Fatima Saleem
7th grade at Texas Online Preparatory School (Coppell, Texas, USA)
Designing a Better World by Vikramaditya Vippaheli
8th grade at Crossroads Middle School North (Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, USA)
Audrey Wang
9th-12th grade at Naperville North High School (Naperville, Illinois, USA)
Engineering: Built for the Moments That Matter
Second Place
Bomin Kim
10th grade at Chadwick International (Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea)
Third Place
Sianna Walia
10th grade at Crystal Springs Uplands School (Hillsborough, California, USA)
Honorable Mention
Built So We Can Dream by Aida El-Hajjar
11th grade at University School of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
Natural Infrastructure in Our Communities by Maya Hazarika
10th grade at Wellesley High School (Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA)
Place, Peel, Progress by Harper Albrecht
11th grade at Academy of the Sacred Heart, New Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)
Collapse to Connection: The Reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge by Reshma Pahwa
11th grade at McDonogh School (Owings Mills, Maryland, USA)
Friend Request Pending by Claire Lim
10th grade at Yongsan International School of Seoul (Seoul, South Korea)
Engineering a Better Step by Reika Chakrabarti
11th grade at Tenafly High School (Tenafly, New Jersey, USA)