Be an energy expert and put your engineering skills to the test!
How can we generate enough power for Earth’s growing population and changing technology while protecting our environment? We can harness energy from the natural flow of water and transform it into energy we can use. And humans have been doing just that for thousands of years! In fact, over 60% of Canada’s electricity is generated by waterpower.
Your challenge: Create a water wheel that lifts the most coins!
The specs: Use everyday materials to build a working water wheel! Then, put your hydropower to the test and see how many coins you can lift!
- You can use a maximum of 500 ml of water to power your wheel.
- You MUST be able to lift your coins at least 15 cm (string length).
- The “body” or “scaffolding” of your water wheel should be a 2-litre carton (milk, orange juice, etc.).
- You can only use Canadian dimes, quarters, loonies, and toonies as weight.
Watch the video below as a starting point! You can follow that design or you can be an engineer to revise it or create a new design!
Want to work together on this STEM Challenge? Join our CAGIS Virtual session on Saturday, October 24th to learn all about clean energy with OPG!
Need some inspiration?
Watch the video below to help you get started on your STEM Challenge!
Try different materials within your design. What materials work best for your water wheel blades? How can you balance the weight of the coins? Does your wheel rotate smoothly?
How to Enter
Submit your work: Submit a short video showing your water wheel in action (maximum 1 minute).
Your video must visibly show:
- The 500 ml of water you are using to power your water wheel. We recommend holding up a clear measuring cup to show the volume.
- The water wheel in action, lifting coins at least 15 cm (pour 500 ml of water onto the water wheel to show it lifting coins).
- You dumping the coins that were lifted onto a flat surface, then spreading them out. Make sure we can clearly see how many coins of each type your water wheel lifted.
Your video also needs to be:
- less than 1 minute in length
- filmed in a single take (meaning you did not pause the video recording or make any cuts to the video).
Judging: Energy experts from Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will be judging the videos! They will be looking for the entry that lifts the heaviest weight (in coins). If more than one entry lifts the same weight, they will break the tie by choosing the entry that uses the fewest different design materials.
Deadline: Entries must be submitted by November 24, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET.
Eligibility: This STEM Challenge is for girls and gender-diverse youth aged 7-17 (as of the session date), residing in Canada.
Winners: The judges will select two winners: one aged 7-12 and another aged 13-17.
Prizes: Winners will each receive a WattNext STEM prize pack ($65 value) with swag and a solar flower kit, generously donated by OPG. Winners will also be featured on the CAGIS website, social media, and other communication channels.
More: Explore the WattNext website to learn more about future of energy and discover exciting energy careers 
Note: The form will ask you a question. You can find the answer to this question on the WattNext website.
