Get able to robotic! Robot drawing and story competitions for major schoolchildren now formally open for entries

The EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems (UK-RAS) Network is happy to announce the official launch of its 2023 competitions, inviting the UK’s major schoolchildren to share their inventive robotic designs and imaginative tales with a panel of consultants, for an opportunity to win some distinctive prizes. These annual competitions, which have proved massively in style with budding authors and illustrators nationwide, are actually returning for the fourth 12 months.

The “Draw A Robot” competitors challenges youngsters in Key Stage 1 (aged 5-7 years outdated) to design a robotic that they’d prefer to see sooner or later. Children can use whichever drawing supplies they like — paper, pens, pencils, paints, crayons, and even pure supplies — to create their ultimate robotic design, and the robotic may be designed to carry out any process or job. Competition contributors will be capable to clarify their robotic’s features by labelling devices and options on the drawing and writing a brief design spec.

For the “Once Upon A Robot” writing competitors, Key Stage 2 youngsters (aged 7-11 years outdated), are invited to write down an imaginative quick story that includes any type of robotic – or robots – their creativeness can conjure! Children could have as much as 800 phrases to inform their inventive robotic tales and so they can select any literary style they like. It may very well be a spine-tingling horror, an action-packed journey, or perhaps a light-hearted comedy.

ZOOG by Matilde Facchini, age 7 (Draw a Robot 2022 Winner)

Plan-o-bot by Tehmina Walker, age 6 (Draw a Robot 2021 Winner)

The two competitions shall be judged by robotics consultants from the organising ESPRC UK-RAS Network, plus two very particular invited judges. The writing competitors shall be judged this 12 months by award-winning writer Sharna Jackson, whose inspiring and mystifying books embrace High-Rise Mystery and The Good Turn. The drawing competitors shall be judged by internationally acclaimed Anglo/American writer, illustrator and artist Ted Dewan, creator of the Emmy-Award-winning animated tv collection Bing.

This 12 months’s unique prize packages embrace:

Draw A Robot Competition winner

• Thames & Kosmos Coding and Robotics equipment – contributed by competitors associate the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)
• A tour of the AMRC’s Factory 2050 in Sheffield, the UK’s first state-of-the-art manufacturing facility devoted to conducting collaborative analysis into reconfigurable digitally assisted meeting, element manufacturing and machining applied sciences
• A duplicate of the ebook “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, signed by competitors choose Ted Dewan

Draw A Robot Competition runner-up

• 4M Green Science Solar Hybrid Power Aqua Robot – contributed by competitors associate the UKRI Trust Worthy Autonomous Systems (TAS) hub
• A duplicate of the ebook “Top Secret”, signed by competitors choose Ted Dewan

Once Upon A Robot Competition winner

• Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor equipment – contributed by competitors associate Birmingham Extreme Robotics Lab
• A tour of the Extreme Robotics Lab in Birmingham and a robotics masterclass from RobotCoders for the winner and a buddy
• Printed copy of the successful story with bespoke illustrations by illustrator and science communicator Hana Ayoob
• A duplicate of the books “The Good Turn” and “Black Artists Shaping the World”, signed by competitors choose Sharna Jackson

Once Upon A Robot Competition runner-up

• Maqueen Lite – micro:bit – contributed by competitors associate The National Robotarium
• A duplicate of the ebook “High-Rise Mystery”, signed by competitors choose Sharna Jackson

For extra data, particulars of prizes, judging standards and to submit an entry, please go to https://www.ukras.org.uk/school-robot-competition/.

Both competitions are open for entry from the tenth January and can shut for submissions on the twenty third April. The winners shall be introduced at a particular digital award ceremony resulting from be held on twenty second June 2023.

EPSRC UK-RAS Network Chair Prof. Robert Richardson says: “We are absolutely delighted to be launching these two fantastic competitions for primary schoolchildren for the fourth year running, which offer the next generation a creative way to engage with the exciting world of robotics and automation. We can’t wait to see the imagination and ingenuity that the nation’s young authors and artists bring to these challenges, and we look forward to the very enjoyable task of judging this year’s entries.”

The two inventive competitions for younger youngsters have been first launched in 2020 for UK Robotics Week, now the UK Festival of Robotics – a 7-day celebration of robotics and clever programs held on the finish of June. This annual celebration is hosted by the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems (UK-RAS) Network, which offers educational management in robotics and coordinates actions at 35 associate universities throughout the UK.

tags: c-Events, Competition-Challenge