On 18 September 2026, the Aravinda High School CBSE Campus became a space for curiosity, creativity and hands-on problem solving as The STEM Makers hosted the 3rd edition of the Engineering Design Challenge Competition (EDCC).
With 83 teams participating across three categories, EDCC 2026 brought together students who were ready to do more than simply learn concepts—they were ready to apply, experiment, build, test and rethink.
83 Teams. Three Challenges. One Different Way of Learning.
This year, EDCC at Aravinda High School brought together:
- 46 teams in the High School Category
- 32 teams in the Primary School Category
- 5 teams in the Young Researcher Challenge
Each category presented students with a different kind of challenge, but the underlying learning experience remained the same:
Think. Build. Test. Learn. Improve.
High School Category: Build a Rubber Band Glider
For the High School Category, students were challenged to design and build a rubber band-powered glider.
What may appear to be a simple flying model quickly becomes an engineering problem.
Students had to think about weight, balance, aerodynamics, propulsion, structure and stability. They had to make design decisions, build their gliders, test them and understand why one design performed differently from another.
There was no single design that everyone could simply copy.
Students had to ask:
How can we make it fly farther?
What happens if we change the wing design?
How does weight affect the flight?
Why did our glider behave differently this time?
And most importantly:
What can we change and test next?
This is the essence of the Engineering Design Process—moving from an idea to a prototype, from testing to failure, and from failure to improvement.
Primary School Category: Build a Balloon Car
The Primary School Category brought the same spirit of engineering to younger learners through a balloon car challenge.
Using simple materials, teams had to create a vehicle powered by the air released from a balloon.
For young children, this became an opportunity to discover concepts such as motion, force, friction, balance, wheels and propulsion through direct experience.
Instead of simply being told what friction is, students could see what happened when their wheels did not move smoothly.
Instead of memorising that air can create a force, they could experience it when their balloon-powered car moved across the floor.
The activity turned an abstract concept into something children could see, touch, test and understand.
Young Researcher Challenge: Looking at the Societal Impact of AI
EDCC 2026 also expanded beyond building physical models with the Young Researcher Challenge.
Five teams explored a question that is increasingly relevant to all of us:
What are the societal impacts of Artificial Intelligence?
Rather than immediately jumping to solutions, students were encouraged to explore the issue through research, discussion and critical thinking.
AI is not simply a technology question. Its impact reaches education, employment, communication, creativity, privacy, decision-making and society.
The challenge encouraged students to think beyond “What can AI do?” and consider questions such as:
How does AI affect people?
What opportunities does it create?
What challenges can it create?
How should we use it responsibly?
This represents an important evolution in EDCC—from simply building solutions to understanding problems and their wider impact.
Why EDCC Is Different
At The STEM Makers, we believe that some of the most powerful learning happens when children are given the opportunity to experience a problem rather than simply read about it.
In a traditional learning environment, a child may first learn a concept and then be asked to apply it.
In experiential learning, the process can work differently.
The problem creates the need to learn.
A child building a glider may discover the need to understand balance and aerodynamics.
A child building a balloon car may discover the role of friction and force.
A young researcher exploring AI may discover the need to collect information, analyse perspectives and distinguish between opportunities and concerns.
The learning happens because the child has a reason to learn.
And often, children don’t even realise how much they are learning.
They are simply trying to answer:
“Why didn’t this work?”
“What if we try this?”
“Can we make it better?”
That is where curiosity becomes learning.
Beyond Rote Learning
EDCC is built around a simple shift:
From knowing the answer → to figuring out the answer.
A single challenge can bring together science, mathematics, engineering, technology, design, communication, collaboration and decision-making.
Real-world problems don’t arrive neatly divided into school subjects.
They require us to think across boundaries.
That is the kind of multidimensional thinking EDCC aims to encourage.
A Day of Building, Testing and Learning
The 18 September event at Aravinda High School CBSE Campus was more than a competition.
It was a day filled with ideas taking shape, prototypes being tested, designs being questioned, failures becoming learning opportunities and students discovering that there can be many ways to approach a problem.
For The STEM Makers, every EDCC edition is an opportunity to expand this learning experience further.
This year’s Young Researcher Challenge was one such step—from building what we can imagine to understanding what is worth building.
The Journey Continues
The 3rd edition of EDCC 2026 continues with the next event at Kadapa Public School on 26 September 2026.
As EDCC grows, the objective remains the same:
To create spaces where children can question, explore, experiment, build, fail, rethink and learn through experience.
Because the future doesn’t just need children who can remember the right answers.
It needs children who are confident enough to say:
“I don’t know yet—but I can find out.”
EDCC 2026
Building Future Innovators. Unlocking Creativity. Igniting Curiosity.
The STEM Makers