Regional winners advance to 2025 KidWind Challenge State Finals
The 2025 Kansas KidWind Regional Challenges are complete and 35 teams have earned a chance to compete in the State Finals on Saturday, April 5 in Salina. The event will be held at Tony's Pizza Events Center (800 The Midway) beginning at 8 a.m. Teams compete by age groups: 4th-5th grade, 6th-8th grade and 9th-12th grade. The event is open to the public and free to attend. Come and see what KidWind is all about and cheer on your favorite team! Winners at the State competition are invited to participate in the World KidWind Challenge in Phoenix, AZ. Click here for the list of teams competing in the State Finals.
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 2024 Kansas KidWind State Finals winners!
Regional KidWind Challenge Winners compete in 2024 State Finals
The winners of the 2024 Kansas KidWind Regional Challenges headed to the State Finals on April 13 in Salina. The field of contenders included 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 determine which teams qualify to represent Kansas at the World KidWind Challenge in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
| 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 |
Useful Links
- Kansas Energy Program
- Instructional videos for wind tunnel setup/takedown
- 2024 Kansas KidWind Challenge Winners
- 2023 National KidWind Challenge Winners
- 2023 Kansas KidWind Challenge Winners
- 2022 Kansas KidWind Challenge Winners
- 2022 National KidWind Challenge Winners