Challenge Overview

In this challenge, your team will create a short-form video adopting a viral social media trend of your choice to reflect on your experiences collaborating, practicing, and competing as a team. Students are encouraged to express their unique sense of humor and team personality by showcasing experiences in robotics and/or drones. This challenge is all about team bonding, sparking creativity, and showing off your team spirit!

Project Requirements & Components

Your submission consists of two required parts: a short video presentation and a short written report. To complete this challenge and be eligible for the prizes and awards you need to successfully submit both parts.

Short Video Presentation

• Maximum Video Length: 1 minute 15 seconds
• Beginning: Video should have a 5-second beginning that includes:
  • Challenge name and season year
  • Your program (e.g., RECF Achieve)
  • Your team number (e.g., Team 111B)
• Ending: Video should have 10-second ending credits that include:
  • Challenge name 
  • Team name and number 
  • Sources (if any are used) 
• Video Submission: Submit a link to your video.
  • The video must be publicly accessible through the submitted link and viewable by judges without requiring a password or sign-in
  • Teams should test the submitted link before submitting

Short written report

• Title Page: Required. The title page does not count toward the 1-page report limit and must include:
  • Challenge name and season year
  • Your program (e.g., RECF Achieve)
  • Your team number (e.g., Team 111B)
• Report Length: 1 page long maximum, not including the title page
  • Font: Arial 11 point
  • Pictures: May be included, but the report must still fit within the 1-page limit and follow the font requirement
  • Maximum Total Report Length: 2 pages, including the title page
• Report Submission
  • Submit the completed report as a .pdf.

Part 1: Reflect on your team’s experiences and personality

Think about the ways your team works together, the challenges and triumphs you have experienced, and how your team approaches the competition. 

Consider:

• What funny moments have you shared with your team?
• When has everything gone according to plan? 
• When has everything not gone according to plan?
• What is unique about your team?
• How do you approach a challenge or a success? 
• What situation taught you the most about yourselves, your teammates, the engineering design process, or any other valuable lesson? 

Part 2: Identify a social media trend to use in your video submission

Consider what trends are currently “viral,” and whether any of those trends could apply to your team. 

Abide by the terms of service (such as age limits and parental permission) of any social or video platform used in researching the trend chosen for your submission. 

Ensure that the trend you select is SAFE and APPROPRIATE, and that it does not include profanity or inappropriate themes. Do not engage in unsafe behavior in order to match a trend. 

Part 3: Complete your video submission

Create a short video, up to 1 minute 15 seconds, adopting your selected viral social media trend. 

Part 4: Write a Short Team Report

Submit a 1 page report describing your experience, following the requirements in the project requirements and components section. 

Your report should include the following sections:

1. What experience, team dynamic, or other topic does your video portray?
2. Why did you choose the trend used in your video submission?
3. Share what you learned from the experience(s) or topic(s) portrayed.

Final Reminders Before Submitting

• Abide by the terms of service (such as age limits and parental permission) of any social or video platform used in researching the trend chosen for your submission. 
• Ensure that the trend you select is appropriate and that it does not include profanity or inappropriate themes. 
• Check for formatting, grammar, spelling, and clarity throughout your report.
• Make sure you saved your final written report as a PDF for easy submission.
• Double-check that you created a short video following the instructions and uploaded it to a public site for easy submission and viewing. 
• Double-check that all media (PDF, video) is properly named and organized for submission.
• By submitting a video to this challenge, you confirm that you and your parent(s)/guardian(s) consent to your submission being posted, shared, or otherwise displayed by RECF on social media, web pages, or events, including during the ceremonies in the dome during the RECF World Championship. 

Challenge Success

Your team will be successful if you can appropriately adopt a viral social media trend and apply it to your experiences as a team. The strongest projects will showcase your team’s unique personality through trend selection, video editing, and content. Your submission will demonstrate an understanding of how the experience(s) or topic(s) portrayed impacted your team and what you learned in the process. 

Have a fun and successful season!