“Life is like a Rube Goldberg Machine, you never know what comes next.”

The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is where creativity and chaos collide! Students of all ages unleash their imaginations to dream up and build complex machines that tackle ridiculously simple tasks. Using all kinds of wacky, found, or recycled materials, they create epic chain reactions in a lively, competitive showdown full of laughter, surprises, and engineering genius.

2026 Rube Goldberg Machine Contest Winners:

Division I

1st Place: St. Louis School (SLS Gamesters)

2nd Place: St. Louis School (SLS Pirates)

3rd Place: Batesville Middle School (Goldburgers Bowling)

Division II

1st Place: Oldenburg Academy (Koopa Troopas)

2nd Place: Anderson High School (The Plank Walkers)

3rd Place: Jac-Cen-Del High School (This Machine Sucks)

Specialty Awards

Creativity Award: St. Louis School (SLS Pirates)

Best Dressed Award: Anderson High School (The Plank Walkers)

Most Rube Goldbergian Award: Oldenburg Academy (Koopa Troopas)