Think you have what it takes to pour a box of Nerds in 10 to 20 difficult steps?

Rube Goldberg was best known for his Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoons of complicated inventions that made simple tasks not so simple. The contest in his honor aims to find the kids who are masters at making easy things become difficult. Participants use household and found materials to invent machines that turn seemingly one-step solutions into something with much (much) more steps — and much more fun.

Next year’s contest asks kids to shake and pour a box of Nerds in the most convoluted way imaginable. In previous years, kids had to turn off a light and put money into a piggy bank. Students and families at school and at home have until March 3 to submit their inventions. The first-place team will receive a sweet trophy, some Rube Goldberg swag, and a $250 award, plus a matching amount for a favorite charity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CRESRuBAxM&feature=youtu.be

Parents and teachers can register for three divisions: Division Apprentice (ages 8-11), Division I (ages 11-14), and Division II (ages 14-18). Families working together can sign up for the new Family Division. With the code NERDS2021 the first 100 teams will receive free entry courtesy of Nerds! Find more info here!

About the author

Nicole Savas

Nicole Savas

As a kid, Nicole either wanted to be a professional toy player-wither or a writer. Somehow, as social media editor for The Toy Insider, The Toy Book, and The Pop Insider, she’s found a career as both. She's grateful to work somewhere that she can fully embrace both her love of teddy bears and her admiration for the Oxford comma. When she's not playing with toys at work, she's playing with her baby girl at home.

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