UK-RAS launches creative competitions to spur early interest in robotics

For this year’s UK Robotics Week, UK-RAS has launched two creative competitions based around drawing and story-writing. The contests are open to key stage 1 & 2 children respectively, and prizes including programmable robot kits and experiment kits are up for grabs.

For the “Draw a robot” competition, children in key stage 1 (five to seven years old) are asked to draw a robot they’d like to see in the future.

It can be designed for any task or job, and should include five key features labelled on the drawing. A 200 word description is also required alongside the drawing.

The “Once upon a robot” writing competition is open to all key stage 2 children (7-11 years old), and challenges entrants to write an 800-word story featuring any kind of robot their imagination can conjure.

The competitions will be judged by representatives from the organising UK-RAS network, in addition to two literary and art & design judges, Zoë Smith, producer at Tate Kids and A.F. Harrold, author of the Greta Zargo series.

Prizes on offer include the Makeblock programmable robot kit, courtesy of Pipebots, and a Thames Komos robotics experiment kit provided by Brains on Board. The guest judges are also providing prizes of their own.

Both competitions are open now and will close for entry on 8 May 2020. Winners will be announced on 20th June 2020.

UK-RAS network chair Robert Richardson says “Robotics and science is often aimed at children with a focus on technology skills, so the aim of these two new competitions is to open up the fascinating world of robotics to younger children from a creative angle. We absolutely cannot wait to see what wonderful stories and designs our talented competition entrants come up with.”

These competitions have been launched to complement the established school robot challenge.