Calendar
Junk Drawer Races
Welcome to Skills Ontario’s Junk Drawer Races!
An information session took place on Friday, September 15, 2023. If you were unable to attend the information session, here is all the information you missed.
Here is a PDF version of the Info Session.
For all questions asked during the information session, please click here.
If you have any additional questions, please contact awilkins@skillsontario.com.
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Design Document |
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This Employment Ontario program is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.
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Overview
This program is inclusive for all students to participate from across the province, as it can be completed from a classroom directly tied to the curriculum or at home for virtual classrooms. Submission is completely virtual. This program promotes sustainability of re-using common items found at home or in a classroom, along with recyclables or low costing materials of $10 or under. These challenges endorse teamwork along with safety, and teams have the chance to win medals at the regional level, and the opportunity to continue to the Championship level!
The contests under this program are open to students from Grades 2 - 12 within Ontario. Please refer to the table below for these competitions and the associated curriculum.
| Competition | Grades | Related Topics from Curriculum |
| Robot Walker Race | 2-3 |
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| Cardboard Car Race | 4-5 |
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| Paper Glider Competition | 6-7 |
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| Hydraulic Crane Challenge | 8 |
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| Air Pressure Rocket Challenge | 9-12 |
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Number of Teams and Size of Teams:
Teams of 4 students can participate in the challenges.
Virtual schools/hubs, as well as hybrid virtual classes, can register just like in-person schools. This competition is also open to private schools.
The competitions are open to everyone who would like to participate, as long as they are participating at the appropriate grade level.
Note: If your class is a split class, (i.e., 7/8) – you have two options:
- Have the grade 7s participate in the grade 6-7 challenge and the 8s participate in the grade 8 challenge, or
- Have the entire class participate in the higher-grade contest (e.g., in this case, the entire class would participate in the grade 8 challenge).
There is no cap on the number of teams each class, school, or school board can register.
Team members do not need to be chosen at the time of registration! Team members can be chosen afterward, and their names can be submitted when the challenges are being submitted on their due date.
If you have any questions or concerns about registration spaces for your school board, please contact the Competition Coordinator at awilkins@skillsontario.com.
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
| Regional Round Scopes Released on Website | September 1, 2023 |
| Registration for Regional Competitions Opens | September 1, 2023 |
| Junk Drawer Races 2023-24 Announcement | September 8, 2023 |
| Submissions for Regional Competitions Due | December 1, 2023, by 11:59 PM |
| Championship Round Scopes Released on Website | January 8, 2024 |
| Regional Competitions Winners Announced | January 12, 2024 (via virtual ceremony) |
| Championship Round Challenge Announced | January 12, 2024 |
| Championship Round Registration Opens | January 12, 2024 |
| Championship Round Submissions Due | March 22, 2024, by 11:59 PM |
| Championship Round Winners Announced | April 19, 2024 (via virtual ceremony) |
Design Document
It is important that this document is filled out and submitted with your final submission.
You can:
- Print the document, fill it out with pen or pencil, scan it, and submit it with your final submission.
- Download the PDF, fill in the PDF on your device, and submit it with your final submission.
Registration
Registration for the Junk Drawer Races is mandatory.
The challenges are open to all who would like to participate. There is no cap on the number of teams each class, school, or school board can register.
Team members do not need to be chosen at the time of registration! Team members can be chosen afterward and their names can be submitted when the challenges are being submitted on their due date.
Registration for the Regional Round is open.
Regional Divisions
For this competition, Skills Ontario has divided the 76 public school boards across Ontario into regional divisions as per their geographic location. Similar to the regional divisions of the Qualifying Competition that leads to the Skills Ontario Provincial Competition. There are 7 regional divisions.
A team must place within the top 3 of their regional division during the Regional Competition to be eligible for the Provincial Championships.
Refer to the table below to review which Regional Division your School Board belongs to. This is the division your team will compete within during the Regional Competition.
If your school board is not listed, or if you notice an error, please contact the Competitions Coordinator at awilkins@skillsontario.com.
How to Submit
This year’s submission process is easier than it has been in the past.
Please visit the submission site (see below) and fill out all the required information. You can submit all your projects at the same time into the “File Upload”. You may browse for the files on your device, or you may drag and drop your files.
Please ensure each of your teams have put all parts of their submission into ONE zipped folder (one folder per team).
Ensure that each team labels their folder with their TEAM NUMBER (e.g., Team 1). This will ensure that we can tell their projects apart.
Submit Your Project
Submissions for Regional Competitions Due: December 1, 2023, by 11:59 PM.
Scopes
| Competition | Grades | Scope |
| Gravity Powered Robot Walker Race | 2-3 | 2023-24 Regional Scope |
| Cardboard Car Race | 4-5 | 2023-24 Regional Scope |
| Paper Glider Competition | 6-7 | 2023-24 Regional Scope |
| Hydraulic Crane Challenge | 8 | |
| Air Pressure Rocket Challenge | 9-12 | 2023-24 Regional Scope |
Resources
The following links are for reference only. You may learn from these. Your submission should not be identical, but it can be very similar. We encourage you to use your imagination and be creative!
| Competition | Grades | Document(s) |
| Gravity Powered Robot Walker Race | 2-3 | |
| Cardboard Car Race | 4-5 | |
| Paper Glider Competition | 6-7 | |
| Hydraulic Crane Challenge | 8 | |
| Air Pressure Rocket Challenge | 9-12 |
Results
[To be added when results are available.]
Medal Ceremonies
After submissions have been judged for the junk drawer races, winners will be announced during the regional ceremony. The ceremony will be virtual for the 2023-24 school year.
The regional ceremony will take place on January 12, 2024. Please find the link to the virtual ceremony here on January 12th.
The championship ceremony will take place on April 19, 2024. Please find the link to the virtual ceremony here on April 19th.
Medals will be shipped from Skills Ontario to the schools of the challenge winners.
Check here the day of the ceremony for the link to attend.
FAQs
Junk Drawer Races - Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
Should you have any questions regarding this competition, please do not hesitate in contacting the Competitions Coordinator at awilkins@skillsontario.com.
