Rube Goldberg Bar Of Soap Video Challenge
Open To All Ages Globally
Free family entertainment during challenging times!
NEW YORK—Have you ever heard of a Rube Goldberg Machine? It’s a crazy chain-reaction contraption that accomplishes a simple task in a complicated and hilarious way using everyday objects. To alleviate boredom while people are stuck at home, Rube Goldberg, Inc. has announced a new machine contest: The Rube Goldberg Bar of Soap Video Challenge.
All ages are invited to participate in the contest which asks participants to “Drop a Bar of Soap into Someone’s Hands” using 10-20 steps. Teams can consist of any number of shelter-in-place/quarantined family groups or singles. The machine must be filmed in a single pass video that shows each step of the unedited, working run of the machine. Additionally, all team members should be introduced on the video.
Video submissions must be uploaded to YouTube, marked “Not Private” and the link emailed to rubefamilychallenge@rubegoldberg.com. The deadline for submissions is midnight May 31, 2020.
“We hope that this contest provides a fun, educational, and entertaining way to pass the time as families look for things to do during this uniquely stressful period,” said Jennifer George, Rube Goldberg’s granddaughter and the Legacy Director of Rube Goldberg, Inc. “And since Rube Goldberg Machines are made from everyday objects, there’s no need to look beyond your surroundings for inspiration and elements for your machine. The task, drop a bar of soap into someone’s hands, also sends an excellent message to keep our hands as clean as possible!”
Three winning machines will be selected, and winners will be notified and announced on the Rube Goldberg website by mid-June. Each winning team will receive a Rube Goldberg Family Swag Bag, which includes: RG backpacks, water bottles, light-up hats, books, stickers and more.
“Teamwork, problem-solving, out-of-the-box thinking and improvisation—not to mention learning through trial and error are all educational components of a Rube Goldberg Machine build,” notes George. “It takes a lot of perseverance and creativity to conceive and construct a great Rube Goldberg Machine—which is why I always say that the Rube Goldberg Machine builders of today are the problem solvers of tomorrow. And boy do we need them!”
Parents are encouraged to use rubegoldberg.com as a resource to help them provide educational, project-based learning activities for their children at home.
The annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest™ draws students ages 8 to 18 to compete in a fun and competitive forum with machines that they have designed and created. The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest™ 2020 Finals event, which was to be held on April 4 in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, was cancelled due to the coronavirus. The Finals were to bring more than 25 teams together from across the country in three divisions. More than 375 students were expected to participate at the Finals for this year’s task: “Turn Off A Light,” sponsored by ASME, Kids Discovery Factory, Dearborn County Southeast Indiana Tourism Board, LEDvance, Malark Logistics, NRG Energy, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Slinky and The Richard Blum Foundation.
In addition, the annual International Online Rube Goldberg Machine Contest™ for 2020 has been canceled as schools may remain closed for the balance of the school year and teams will not have access to their machines.
Sponsor
At NRG Energy, we’re bringing the power of energy to people and organizations by putting customers at the center of everything we do. We generate electricity and provide energy solutions and natural gas to more than 3.7 million residential, small business, and commercial and industrial customers through our diverse portfolio of retail brands. A Fortune 500 company, operating in the United States and Canada, NRG delivers innovative solutions while advocating for competitive energy markets and customer choice, and by working towards a sustainable energy future. More information is available at www.nrg.com. Connect with NRG on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Rube Goldberg, Inc.
Rube Goldberg, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 whose focus is on STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) education as seen through the lens and art of Rube Goldberg (1883-1970). The Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist is best known for his hilariously over-complex “invention cartons,” which were syndicated in hundreds of newspapers nationwide for much of the last century. It is estimated that he created a staggering 50,000 cartoons in his lifetime. Rube Goldberg is the only person ever to be listed in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as an adjective. Annual competitions, traveling museum exhibitions, books, licensing, merchandising, and entertainment opportunities continue to grow and enhance the brand. Follow Rube Goldberg on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Use hashtags #rubegoldbergmachine and #rubetothetrescue2020.