PEWAUKEE, Wis. (Tuesday, May 6, 2025) – Feeding a pet is a simple, daily task that involves nothing more than pouring food in a dish and setting it out for Fido. But to do so in eight or more steps – and create a machine to complete the task – involves engineering, creativity, teamwork and other skills. Enter, STEM Forward’s Contrapt Wisconsin contraption competition.
Waukesha County Technical College is looking forward to welcoming Contrapt Wisconsin for middle school students to campus on Friday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the College’s Anthony J. Natalizio Center.
A total of 45 teams – consisting of three to five students each – from 14 different schools will join in the fun.
As part of the competition, students must build a machine to accomplish a straightforward task in a whimsical complex way, following a strict set of parameters. The contest encourages students to build skills in engineering, simple machines, trial and error, project planning and more. It also encourages them to consider pursuing careers in STEM-related fields.
Teams are required to give a verbal presentation of their contraption and run their machines multiple times for judges. Awards will be given to the top five teams, and in addition, special awards will be presented for categories such as Most Innovative Step, Best Construction and Most Unique Machine.
Judging and viewing of machines will take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon, with an awards ceremony from 1:15 to 1:30 p.m.
Members of WCTC’s faculty will be among the professional engineer volunteer judges who will provide valuable feedback to students, and WCTC staff will lead campus tours to give participants a glimpse of the many STEM programs available at the College. Additional judges include representatives from local companies such as Generac, Faith Technologies, Sentry Equipment, CentroMotion, Kapco and more.
Learn more about the contraption machine contests.