EnergyWhiz

EnergyWhiz – April 26, 2025

EnergyWhiz is all about clean energy and creative kids. Hosted in Cocoa FL at FSEC, EnergyWhiz is a hybrid event with online and in-person elements designed to celebrate student learning through project-based competitions that showcase renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate science and resiliency.
Categories and rules for each of the EnergyWhiz competitions are listed in the table below. Check out the timeline that follows for important due dates.

Register as many teams as you want for $10 each (in the store). See the competition rules for information regarding awards and team limits.

Download a Flyer

If registration fees are a hardship, please contact Susan@fsec.ucf.edu

					JSS Green	JSS Blue
Competitions	K-2	3-5	6-8	9-12	4-6	7-8	Team Size	Rules
Junior Solar Sprint					✅	✅	2-4	PDF
Critter Comfort Cottage		✅	✅				2-6	PDF
Energy Inspired Art	✅	✅	✅	✅			1-6	PDF
Energy Transfer Machine		✅	✅	✅			1-6	PDF
Solar Energy Cook-Off		✅	✅	✅			2-6	PDF
		SECO Yellow	SECO Orange	SECO Red

September 1, 2024

Enrollment Opens

$10 per team

April 4, 2025, 6:00 PM

6:00 PM
Project Webpage Due
& Fees Paid

Your project webpages must be finished by 6PM on this day.
Enrollment fees must be paid by 6PM.

April 11, 2025

Design Judging Begins

Using the completed project websites, Judges grade projects based on design criteria.

April 17, 2025

Project Feedback to Teachers & Coaches

Based on the design judges, feedback is provided to teachers and coaches, allowing students to improve their physical projects and help to decide which teams should compete at EnergyWhiz.

April 23, 2025, 3:00 PM

3:00 PM
Teachers & Coaches Confirm Which Teams Will Compete at EnergyWhiz

By 3PM the teams that will be competing at EnergyWhiz must be confirmed.

April 26, 2025

8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
FSEC
1679 Clearlake Road
Cocoa, FL 32922

Critter Comfort Cottage

The Critter Comfort Cottage (CCC) competition is a real-world engineering and communications challenge. Students use green building design and construction techniques to create an energy-efficient, cost-effective, comfortable “home” for a critter. Teams must also create a marketing plan that describes the features and benefits of their comfort cottage for the critter they have selected.

Energy Inspired Art

Energy Inspired Art (EIA) is a competition where the objective is to create a work of art that is inspired by an aspect of renewable energy, energy efficiency and/or climate science. Any art media, technique, visual, performance, musical or literary art may be submitted.

Energy Transfer Machine

In the Energy Transfer Machine (ETM) competition students are challenged to transform everyday materials into a wacky, innovative machine that performs a variety of energy transfers within a specified time. The machine must accomplish a team-specified task at the one-minute mark. Teams don’t bring their machines to EnergyWhiz.

Junior Solar Sprint

In the Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) competition, students build a model size solar electric car. This event challenges students to use their science, creative thinking, and teamwork skills.

More info:
JSS video
AEOP JSS
NREL JSS
TSA JSS

Supplemental classroom/team activities to aid team design decisions:
Student activities
JSS Teacher/coach pages

Solar Car kits, which include a 3V solar panel and an electric motor, can be bought from:
Solar Made
Pitsco

Solar Energy Cook-Off

Students design and building a solar thermal “oven” to cook their own tasty creations. These are then presented to a panel of judges. Students compete for best solar cooker design, as well as a culinary award.