Senior Solar Sprint
Description
In the Senior Solar Sprint (SSS) competition, students apply scientific understanding, creativity, experimentation, and teamwork to design, build, and race a model solar vehicle that carries a payload; documentation of the process is required.
2025-26 Payload
2 ping pong balls
Lynnwood HS, Team 1, 2025 1st Place
Event Deadlines
January 23, 2025 - updated 10/28/24
Students will need their Participant ID number, and password, from their advisor. Only the team captain will be able to upload the file.
Students submit a video of a working solar sprint car traveling the full 20 meters. Members also submit the Project Log (pdf) from their portfolio.
April 2025
Students will submit portfolio, sign up for a time trial slot, and set up display and car for judging.
TIME TRIALS
All cars MUST be able to connect to the guide wire without disconnecting the wire! Otherwise they do not run!
All cars MUST have handmade connection devices.
All cars MUST be able to carry payload.
All cars will run twice for time, as long as they can connect to the wire correctly. Both times will be recorded.
Students must come to the start line when their team is called. If they do not, they will be disqualified.
Teams may have one 5 minute "repair time" if necessary between runs.
All cars who have a verified time will move to the semifinal round immediately following prelims
SEMIFINAL ROUND
Semifinal teams will race in a single elimination bracket. All times will be recorded
Fastest time will be used for judging
Teams will be interviewed after elimination
Washington TSA Rules
To compete, students must:
Belong to a currently affiliated TSA chapter
Be registered (by their TSA advisor) for competition by December 19, 2025 ($35)
Compete in the January 22, 2026 virtual competition (see individual event pages for details)
Be selected as a top competitor in their event(s) and invited to participate at State
Number of competitors is dependent on specific event
Qualifying competitor lists will be published by February 8, 2026
State Conference registration week February 23-27, 2026 (see state conference page for details)
At the state level, 3 teams per chapter may compete.
Additional Information
Event Coordinator: Kristen Schlegel, Kristen.Schlegel@bellinghamschools.org
Event Manager: Kari Potter, kpotter@washingtontsa.org
