South Carolina 4-H Engineering Challenge 2026

The South Carolina 4-H Engineering Challenge began in 2012 and has grown to over 400 youth competitors annually! Youth that participate in this competition report increased confidence and knowledge in science skills. The 2026 Engineering Challenge will be held at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, SC on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, from 9 AM to 3:30 PM. We have several hands-on challenges available for youth 9-18 years old, and youth ages 5-8 are invited to participate in the Visual Arts Challenge. In addition to STEM-based challenges for youth competition, there will be an interactive STEAM Expo with multiple vendors, free to any participant or family member.

We have limited space in each challenge; so sign up early! Registration deadline is Friday, January 30, 2026. Full payment is due upon registration. No refunds will be issued within three weeks of the event.

2026 Challenges

Team Challenges (2-4 youth per team) include:
Bridge Building, Lego Robotics, Rocketry, and Mystery (It's a mystery...teams will receive their engineering challenge and materials on site.)

Individual Challenges (1 youth only) include:
Coding, Agriscience (Youth may also participate in pairs for this challenge.), and Visual Arts (Youth do not have to be present to participate. This challenge is open to youth ages 5-18.)

Event Resources

Helpful resources can be found on the SC 4-H STEM website:
Event Overview, Event Schedule, and Large Group Registration Worksheet (All groups must register online for the 2026 event. However, you may collect your team's information in preparation to complete the online registration using the registration worksheet.)

New for 2026

Junior and Senior Mystery and Bridge Building Challenges will be held at separate times. Age division is determined by the age of the oldest member of the team. Junior aged youth may participate on a Senior team, but Senior aged youth may not participate on a Junior team. Age determined as of January 1, 2026.

We will not sell lunch tickets for the 2026 Event. Lunch will only be available for volunteers and STEAM Expo exhibitors.

Event shirts are included with participant registration, but we will not be selling additional shirts this year. We do have a few shirts left from previous years that we will sell for cash payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is lunch included?
  No. We will not sell lunch tickets for the 2026 Event. Lunch will only be available for volunteers and STEAM Expo exhibitors. Participants may bring their own lunch to the event and make use of the designated lunch space.

• Is 4-H Membership required?
  No. 4-H membership is not required for participation in this event. This event does not assume custodial care of youth in attendance. Parents, guardians, teachers, or other chaperones must be present for the supervision of participants.

• Can youth participate in multiple events?
  Yes. Youth are encouraged to participate in multiple challenges if the timelines do not overlap. Please view the Event Overview and Event Schedule documents for a timeline in preparation to register. These documents can be found on the SC 4-H STEM website.

• Can I pay by check?
  Yes. All groups must register through this Eventbrite page. However, you may still pay by check. During registration, please note that you prefer to pay by check. Checks should written to Clemson University with 4-H Engineering Challenge in the memo line. They must be postmarked by January 30th and mailed to Clemson Extension 4-H Youth Development, 267 Lehotsky Hall, Clemson, SC 29634 in order to complete your registration and save your team's spot(s).

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Please note that this event and its coordinators do not assume custodial care of youth in attendance. Adults (parents, guardians, volunteers, teachers, coaches, or chaperones) must be present for the supervision of youth participants.

Registration for this event grants permission to Clemson University, its employees or representatives, to take and use: photographs, video, and/or digital images for use in promotional or educational materials as follows: printed publications or materials, electronic publications or presentations, websites. All negatives, positives, prints, digital reproductions, and video shall be the property of Clemson University. No address information will be used or shared.

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