2026 Writing Contest: The Art of Engineering

Ask and Research

Review all the requirements of the competition and make sure you understand what you need to do. Then ask yourself which engineering contributions you would like to feature. Create a list of at least three ways that engineers create a better world. For inspiration, try browsing through the EngineerGirl Areas of Impact Section, to discover ways that engineers are shaping the future. You might also look at the “What I Do” section in profiles within the Gallery of People in Engineering or Gallery of Women Engineers. We strongly suggest that you do not use AI for the Research or Imagine and Plan steps of this process. [Note that the use of AI is not allowed in the creation of your artwork or written responses.]

Imagine and Plan

Envision a piece of art that will best showcase the theme of the contest. Your artwork should feature at least three ways that engineers create a better world. Plan how you will present the material in a way that is understandable given the following design constraints:

• Submission format – While you can use any media you choose, the final submission must be a single two-dimensional image with a written summary and answers to questions about your art and process.
• Image Constraints – Files submitted must be less than 3 MB. Images of artwork should also be big enough to see the work clearly. (Winners will be asked to send the actual art if a better image is required.)
• Shape and organization – If you would like your image to be featured in the EngineerGirl website background, you’ll want to think about what might look good there. It is not required but might help if the main themes could be visible around the outside of a central panel of content. You will also want the image to be engaging without that panel of content covering the center. How will you accomplish both goals? Consider going back to the Research step to look at art that others have used for website backgrounds. Color also may be particularly important. What colors will look good with the EngineerGirl site? You may want to research the 7 elements of design and how to direct a viewer’s eye. These are elements that are used in both art and engineering.
• Access to materials – You may wish to draw, paint, photograph, sculpt, or create your image in some other way. How will you get access to the materials you’ll need? Consider using found objects or recyclables and think about what materials you have access to via your school or other organization.
• Audience and perspective – One of the most useful steps in any design is to consider the audience, or “end user” as it’s often called in engineering. The EngineerGirl and EngineerTeen audiences are diverse and worldwide. Your art should be engaging to as many different audiences as possible. We suggest you start by first considering a central audience of middle school (grade 6-8) girls, which is the primary audience for the EngineerGirl website, where the winning artwork will be displayed. If you are a middle school girl yourself, think about the type of artwork that others like you might most enjoy, but remember that you aren’t the only type of girl in the world. Imagine a user who is very different from you, perhaps living in another part of the country. What type of artwork might they appreciate? If you aren’t a middle school girl, consider asking some girls you know about what types of images they like best (Research) and going through the same thought process regarding girls who are different from the ones you know. Once you have thought about the perspective of middle-school girls, expand your thinking to consider girls in other age groups (elementary and high school). Then once you have a sense for what diverse girls might like, consider the other EngineerGirl audiences. EngineerGirl serves engineers, families, and educators. The contest submissions will be primarily judged by engineers. What do you think they might most appreciate about your work?

Create and Test

Try making a mockup, sketch, or simple prototype of your design. Then review the design constraints to see if your idea does what you hoped. Share the prototype with others to get their feedback and comments. Reflect on whether it captures the themes you had in mind. Go back through different steps of the process as needed to settle on and create your final design. Remember that some things probably won’t turn out like you first imagined. This failure is essential to the engineering design process. Consider how best to use those failures to create a better piece.

Share and Reflect

You will likely be sharing with others throughout the process, but once you have a product you feel is ready then it is time to share with us. Submit the image you create along with reflective answers to the following questions:

• How does your artwork depict the contribution of engineers to a better world?
• Describe how you think viewers from two different audiences might view or interpret your work.
• Briefly describe the materials you used and the process you went through to create your piece.
• Explain anything you learned from the process. Ideally include any failures you experienced along the way. Failure and subsequent improvement are critical to engineering design, so please tell us how you failed and how that influenced your submission.