The Rube Goldberg Unreal Engine Challenge®

About the Competition

The Rube Goldberg Institute, in partnership with Epic Games, announces the Rube Goldberg Unreal Engine Challenge®. This interactive 3D competition invites students to use their creativity to animate a virtual Rube Goldberg Machine in the digital world.

Create, record, and submit a video of your Rube Goldberg Unreal Engine Machine that accomplishes the annual task. Prizes are outlined in the rulebook.

The 2024-25 competition is closed.

How to Enter

FORM A TEAM: Teams consist of up to two members who must be within the same division. The Senior Division is ages 18 & older, and the Junior Division is ages 17 & under.
DESIGN & BUILD: Designs must incorporate a minimum of 12 steps, include each of the six simple machines at least once, and successfully complete the annual task.
SUBMIT: Upload your video to YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Please ensure the viewing privileges are set appropriately so that the judges can watch your entry.

Scoring Criteria

Entries are judged subjectively by a panel of Rube Goldberg and Unreal Engine experts. They are looking for a recognizable theme, entertaining presentation, utilization of Learning Kit assets, additional effects, use of simple machines, humor, and more.

The Build a Virtual Rube Goldberg Machine in Unreal Engine Learning Kit provides a student guide, lesson plans, and project files. Additionally, a catalog of live tutorials from the 2023 competition are available to help guide participants through each learning activity. Rewatch the 2023 livestreams here.

Subscribe to Event Emails

May 28, 2025- Unreal Winners Announced @7pm EST

2025 Official Rulebook

Winners Livestream