Competitions

current competitions

Fling It to Wing It

The idea is simple: build a plane, release it from your catapult, and compete to see who can fly the longest. It can't be too big, it can't be too expensive, and it can't be too dangerous - the rest is up to you and your imagination! Catapult struggling? You can hand launch your plane for distance and accuracy. Engineering can take on many forms and our prizes reflect those challenges. Cash prizes include distance flown, creative engineering, creative design for both plane and catapult.

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completed competitions

Da Vinci’s Designs Scale Model Competition & Exhibition

Leonardo da Vinci did much more than paint the Mona Lisa. He drew designs for inventions well ahead of his time, especially on the subject of flight. While Leonardo built a few models of his designs, most probably stayed on paper. For the da Vinci's Designs Scale Model Competition & Exhibition we asked our model builders to take his designs off the paper and build them.

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6th Annual Amateur Photography Exhibition: Through da Vinci’s Eyes

Leonardo da Vinci's ideas can be seen in the world all around you - from helicopters to hang gliders. For 6th Annual Amateur Photography Exhibition: Through da Vinci's Eyes, presented by the Museum of Photographic Arts and the museum, we asked photographers to photograph the world of flight as if through da Vinci's eyes. Then in a few sentences to explain how their photo relates to one of da Vinci's flight related designs. Below are the winning photographs and their explinations.

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Green Ideas for Life Scholarship

The San Diego Air & Space Museum along with Ford Motor Company Fund asked San Diego County students to create a piece of art and a written piece describing how they can green the place where they live. Below are the images of the pieces of art and written pieces from our four winners and one grand prize winner.

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2009 Regional Youth Aviation Art Competition

Not only did Leonardo da Vinci design futuristic flying machines for his time, he designed them without the idea of using fossil fuels for an energy source. The San Diego Air & Space Museum and the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority asked students to paint or draw a futuristic flying machine that uses alternative energy sources, not petroleum or fossil-based fuels. The winners have been selected and their work is now on display at the Airport for thousands of travelers to see.

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2010 Regional Youth Aviation Art Competition - What if?

This year's theme, Aviation in the Global Marketplace, challenged young artists to imagine how they would use their own airplane to connect people, places, and things from around the world. How would they use their airplanes to change the world?

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Fly Your Ride Flying Car Competition 2016

Build a flying car! Sound complicated? It’s not. Along with SDG&E and the Best Buy Foundation, we’re looking for students who want to build a vehicle no larger than a shoebox, launch it down a ramp, and see if it can jump a gap. It’s fun, it’s creative, and you don’t have to be a science fair genius to come up with a winning entry. We’ll give you feedback, create opportunities to talk to experts, and give away great prizes. Students from 6th through 12th grade in San Diego County are encouraged to take part. Blueprints are due January 27, 2016 and competition day is April 23, 2016!

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Fly Your Ride Flying Car Competition 2017

​Build a flying car! Sounds complicated? It’s not. Along with SDG&E and the Best Buy Foundation, we’re looking for students who want to build a vehicle no larger than a shoebox, launch it down a ramp, and see if it can jump a gap. It’s fun, it’s creative, and you don’t have to be a science fair genius to come up with a winning entry. We’ll give you feedback, create opportunities to talk to experts, and give away great prizes. Students from 6th through 12th grade in Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties are encouraged to take part. Blueprints are due Tuesday, January 31, 2017 and competition day is Saturday, April 22, 2017 --- check below for more details!

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Fly Your Ride Flying Car Competition 2018

Build a flying car! Sounds complicated? It’s not.

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Fly Your Ride Flying Car Competition 2019

New categories, more prizes, still tons of fun: our flying car competition is back and better than ever!

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