EngineerGirl / EngineerTeen Writing Contest

The EngineerGirl Writing Contest began in 2003 and has used many different topics and formats. EngineerTeen now carries that programme forward through the National Academy of Engineering, building on more than 25 years of work by engineers and scholars to support young people interested in engineering. This institutional background matters because the contest is designed as an introduction to how engineers think and communicate, not as a literary exercise with engineering terminology added at the end. The 2026 contest combined visual art, engineering design, and written reflection. The task required research into how engineers create a better world, planning for different audiences, testing a visual idea, and explaining what changed after failure or feedback. Submissions were judged by volunteers including professionals from several engineering fields, with finalists judged by the Pathways into Engineering Steering Committee. The judging criteria therefore rewarded thematic accuracy, perspective, creativity, use of the design process, understanding of engineering's role, and clear communication as one integrated piece of work. CompeteMap's view is that the contest is especially good for a student who is curious about engineering but does not want a conventional technical paper. Its distinctive strength is the demand to make an idea visible and then account for the decisions behind it. That also creates the main workload: a persuasive entry needs genuine research, several prototypes, audience testing, and concise reflection. A polished picture without evidence of process is unlikely to be enough, while an honest account of revision can become part of the submission's substance.