Trebuchet Team Challenge Guide
Ready, Aim… Launch! Join the Oxbow Trebuchet Team Challenge 2025
Make apples fly this fall at Oxbow’s annual Oxtober Festival!
Gather your team, dream up your design, and let your imagination fly (literally). At the Oxbow Trebuchet Team Challenge, students of all ages come together to build medieval-style catapults, test ideas, and launch apples across the fields in front of a cheering crowd. It’s a joyful blend of hands-on engineering, teamwork, and creativity.
Whether you’re in it for the science, the spectacle, or just good old-fashioned fun, you’re invited to make something unforgettable.
Key Dates
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Registration Deadline: Wednesday, October 8 (open until filled—we have space for 10 teams total)
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Trebuchet Build Day at Oxbow (optional): Friday, October 10
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Load-In & Safety Check: Friday, October 17
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Display Days: Oxtober Fall Festival, Saturday and Sunday, October 18–19 & 25–26
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Public Contest: Sunday, October 26 at 2:00 PM, awards ceremony to follow
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Load-Out: Monday, October 27
Why We’re Launching this Challenge
At Oxbow Education, we believe that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is most powerful when it leaps off the page and into the real world.
The Trebuchet Team Challenge is more than a contest—it’s a joyful invitation for students to practice physics, engineering, and problem-solving in a hands-on, playful way. It’s a chance to turn wild ideas into real machines while working together and having fun outdoors.
What excites us most is not just how far the apples fly, but how far students’ curiosity, teamwork, and creativity can take them when they’re given a space to try, to test, to fail, and to try again.
Our own team lives this spirit of creativity every day. Take Casey, our Site Operations Manager, who led the all electric conversion of an Alice Chalmers Model G tractor—replacing its combustion engine with an electric motor. The result? A compact, efficient machine perfectly suited for cultivating Oxbow’s narrow farm rows. Casey’s inventive streak doesn’t stop there! After years of working in the wet PNW, he even designed a better way to stay dry. Check out his invention at wornoutumbrella.com.
This challenge is rooted in that same spirit of ingenuity and play. Join us in dreaming big and having fun as we showcase STEM in a new way at the farm.
General Rules & Guidelines
- Team Composition: Up to 5 student members (ages 4–21) with 1 adult sponsor (21+).
- Trebuchet Type: Only fixed-arm trebuchets allowed—no “walking arm” designs.
- Size Limits: Max footprint of 5 ft × 3 ft; maximum height of 10 ft.
- Counterweight: Provided by teams, must not exceed 100 lbs and must be compact and safely contained (e.g., in a bucket or strapped box).
- Storage: Trebuchets will remain outdoors during Oxtober; bring a tarp or cover to protect your build.
- Launch Safety: A safety perimeter will be enforced. Only team members and judges allowed within the launch zone.
- Waivers: Required for all participants.
Team Support
- Free Registration: No cost to enter (limited to 10 teams in 2025, we hope to expand in future years)
- Festival Admission: Free entry to Oxtober on Sunday, October 26th for all team members and adult sponsors.
- Projectiles Provided: Apples will be supplied on-site. (Please do NOT bring your own.)
- Materials Grant: Supply support available for Title I schools and clubs. Email tony@oxbow.org for details.
- Optional Build Day: Join us at Oxbow on Friday, October 10th to get hands-on and prep your trebuchet before contest day.
Helpful Resources
Engineering Design Process
Teachengineering.org
Start with this simple overview of the engineering design process, perfect for planning your build.
Trebuchet Design & Build Challenge Lesson Plan
Teachengineering.org
A full classroom-ready guide for building and testing trebuchets, ideal for teachers and homeschool groups.
Mini Trebuchet Guide (PDF)
Historic Environment Scotland
Learn the mechanics on a small scale! A fun, printable activity for mini trebuchet builds.
Free Trebuchet Plan
Murray Hill, 22AD Ancient and Medieval Artillery
Includes historical context and diagrams (great for older students). Plans use metric units and should be scaled.
How to Build a Trebuchet Step-by-Step
Co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA via wikiHow.com
Easy-to-follow instructions using standard lumber from any hardware store. Sized to meet competition specs.
Judging & Awards
The Trebuchet Team Challenge contest takes place during Oxtober on Sunday, October 26 at 2:00 PM, with awards presented immediately after. Teams will be scored across five fun and fair categories—from farthest launch to team spirit—and every group goes home with a certificate of achievement!
Scoring Rubric
Each team will be evaluated in five categories, with a maximum of 10 points per category (50 total). Every category is weighted equally.
1. Distance Champion
Teams are ranked based on the distance of their longest successful apple launch.
- Farthest launch = 10 points
- 2nd farthest = 9 points
- 3rd farthest = 8 points
- …and so on, down to 10th place = 1 point
- Unsuccessful launches that never release an apple = 0 points
2. Accuracy Ace
Teams are ranked by closest proximity to the stationary target (50ft).
- Most accurate = 10 points
- 2nd most accurate = 9 points
- 3rd most accurate = 8 points
- …and so on, down to 10th place = 1 point
- No valid shot toward target = 0 points
3. Design & Engineering
Judged on construction quality, stability, creativity, and functionality.
- 10 pts: Exceptional – highly stable, innovative, and consistent
- 8–9 pts: Strong – safe, reliable, well-engineered
- 5–7 pts: Solid – stable with some creativity
- 2–4 pts: Basic – limited creativity or function
- 0–1 pt: Unsafe or nonfunctional design
4. Team Spirit
Judged on enthusiasm, presentation, decoration, and collaboration.
- 10 pts: Outstanding – coordinated theme, high energy
- 8–9 pts: Strong – team unity, decorations, spirit
- 5–7 pts: Clear effort in presentation
- 2–4 pts: Some enthusiasm, minimal presentation
- 0–1 pt: Minimal engagement
5. Crowd Favorite Award
Based on Oxtober visitor voting ballots over four festival days
- Most votes = 10 points
- 2nd most = 9 points
- …down to 10th place = 1 point
Awards
- Category Winners: Top score in each category.
- Grand Champion: Highest cumulative score across all five categories (50-point max).
- All Teams: Certificate of participation and achievement.
Sign Up Today
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