Regional KidWind Challenge Winners advance to State Finals
The winners of the 2024 Kansas KidWind Regional Challenges are headed to the State Finals scheduled for April 13 in Salina. The field of contenders includes 12 teams in the 4th- 8th grade division and 10 teams from the 9-12th grade division. Each team was either a first or second place winner in their age group at their regional challenge. The State Finals will determine which teams qualify to represent Kansas at the National KidWind Challenge in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The State Finals competition will be held at the Temple, 336 S. Santa Fe Ave in Salina beginning at 8 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.
| 4th-8th Grade Division Winners | 9th-12th Grade Division Winners |
| Hutch STEM Blue – STEM Magnet School | Cru Winds – Buhler High School |
| Black Bears – Sterling Jr./Sr. High School | White Chicks & Deryn – Sterling Jr./Sr. High School |
| Beloit Breeze Club – Beloit Junior High School | Burlington Wind Co. – Burlington High School |
| 4 Wind Guys – Beloit Junior High School | D.I. Wires – Paola High School |
| Team Sky Wings – McPherson Middle School | The Rising Sun – Ulysses High School |
| Burlington Middle School – Burlington Middle School | Big Blue Sky – Dighton High School |
| Wind Warriors – Kepley Middle School | W2 – Oakley High School |
| Men in Black – Kepley Middle School | Gentle Breeze – Oakley High School |
| Neon Ninjas – Oakley Middle School | Wind Warriors Cordelius – Olathe West High School |
| Power Winders – Oakley Middle School | Olathe West – Olathe West High School |
| Voyagers – Clear Creek Middle School | |
| Seriously Speedy Spinners – Mize Elementary School |
About KidWind
The KidWind Challenge is a fun way for students to explore the power of wind by building and testing wind turbines and then competing in a supportive environment. However, KidWind isn’t just about wind energy. It’s also about STEM and all the life skills that derive from the practical application of STEM in our lives – problem solving, teamwork, and scientific measurement, to name a few.
The KidWind Challenge takes place each spring and is open to students in grades 4-12. Teams comprised of 3-5 students and an adult coach build a turbine before attending a regional KidWind Challenge event where they compete against other teams. Teams are judged on a number of factors, including turbine speed, design, and knowledge of wind dynamics. The regional winners advance to the KidWind state competition where the top teams are selected to represent Kansas at the National KidWind Challenge. Teams can come from public schools, private schools, home schools, after-school clubs, etc. Check out the video below to learn more.
Costs and Equipment
The KidWind Challenge has no registration fee. The only costs are for supplies to build a turbine. A KidWind Generator from Vernier ($7.00) is required and can be purchased online or you can call the Kansas Energy Program (KEP). They will supply one per team.
To help your team prepare for competition, KEP will loan out wind tunnels upon request for teams to test and experiment with their turbines. Email
Congratulations to the 2023 Kansas KidWind National winners!
Congratulations to the 2023 Kansas KidWind State winners!
Useful Links
- Kansas Energy Program
- Instructional videos for wind tunnel setup/takedown
- 2023 National KidWind Challenge Winners
- 2023 Kansas KidWind Challenge Winners
- 2022 Kansas KidWind Challenge Winners
- 2022 National KidWind Challenge Winners