Open for children aged five to 11, entrants to the Draw a Robot challenge are asked to draw a robot that they would like to see in the future.
The robot could be designed to accomplish any task or job. The children can use pencils, pens, paints, or even natural materials and they can explain its functions by labelling key features and special gadgets on the drawing and writing a short design spec.
Meanwhile, the writing challenge – entitled Once Upon A Robot and open to children aged seven to 11 – asks pupils to write a creative short story featuring any kind of robot or robots. The story could be an action-packed thriller, a compelling mystery, or even a light-hearted comedy. Entrants will have 800-words.
The annual challenge is run by the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems (UK-RAS) Network and will be judged by robotics experts from the network as well as two invited judges.
Prizes are on offer in both competitions including a coding and robotics kit, a bespoke animation of the winning drawing, a MakeBlock Codey Rocky Educational Coding Robot, and a printed copy of the winning story with bespoke illustrations
Both competitions will close for submissions on April 24. The winners will be announced at a virtual award ceremony in June. UK-RAS exists to support robotics innovation across the UK.