1. Home
2. 2025 Challenges
3. Drone Career Readiness Challenge - High School

Drones are used as a tool in industries around the globe. Entries for this challenge will explore the way professionals in a specific career or company use drones.

Aerial Drone Competition competitors are uniquely positioned to pursue careers that will use drones as a resource and tool. Many of the skills developed—including drone piloting, programming, teamwork, and communication—will directly transfer to future professions. We want you to explore a possible future career and discover how drones are used in that industry. There are many paths that you can take to becoming a STEM leader. Which will you choose?

Visit this link for a printable summary of this challenge.

 

Prizes

One (1) Winner will be selected from each of the following regions, and will receive an invitation to their Regional Championship and paid season team registration for Mission 2026:

• Northeast United States
• Southeast United States
• South Central United States
• North Central United States
• West United States

Winners will be selected at each of the following grade levels, for a total of two (2) prize packages:

• Middle School
• High School

Eligibility

Teams must be part of a registered Aerial Drone Competition team for the current season.

This page is for High School entries only - if you are any other program or grade level, please refer to the Online Challenge listings to find the correct page for your program and grade level.

• Only one entry per team is permitted. However, each team in a multi-team school or club program may submit one entry. For example, teams 123A and 123B could each submit an entry, but team 123A could not submit two entries. Entries must vary in content and presentation to be considered separate entries. 

• Entries submitted in previous years’ Online Challenges are not eligible for submission this year.

By uploading a submission to an REC Foundation Online Challenge, you agree to follow the Submission Guidelines and certify that you understand the Intellectual Property Rights held by you and the REC Foundation regarding your submission. Please review the Submission Guidelines and Intellectual Property Rights information at this link before uploading your submission.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

The following outlines the minimum requirements and upload instructions for each Online Challenge. Please note that only the primary contact for your team is authorized to upload your submission.

How are drones used in companies and careers? As drone technology increases, more and more industries are finding ways to use drones in the field. Your submission will use a combination of text and images to identify a specific career or company and explore how drones are used in the tasks of their job.  

Things to keep in mind for a successful submission:

• Which career or company did you select and why?

• How are drones used in this career or company?

• What resources did you use to learn about this company and use of drones?

• How has participation in the Aerial Drone Competitions prepared you for a future career?

A PDF submission must meet these minimum requirements in order to be judged.

1. Entry is created and produced solely by student team members.

2. Format: One PDF file (up to 20MB) that includes all content, including images. A submission created in any other format must be converted or printed to a PDF file for upload. Submissions in other formats will not be reviewed. 

3. Title Page:  Each entry must include a title page that includes:

   • Title of submission

   • Names of students who participated (using first names only is acceptable)

   • Team number 

   • Location of school/organization

Intellectual Property Rights

Your submissions help the REC Foundation further our mission. You will retain all rights to any material you submit, including ownership if applicable. The REC Foundation will endeavor to credit all submissions with the appropriate team number when used in part or in whole.

By submitting entry for an REC Foundation Online Challenge, you grant the REC Foundation and its related entities such as existing and/or potential sponsors and partners a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive right in perpetuity to use any part of the submission for any purpose, including but not limited to:

• Display of all or part of the submission on REC Foundation websites.

• Allowing third parties, including but not limited to REC Foundation partners, sponsors, and individuals, to share all or part of the submission on social media.

• Use of all or part of the submission on the Internet and in social media in support of the REC Foundation mission.

• Use of all or part of the submission in the REC Foundation’s and related entities’ internal and external communications and marketing materials including but not limited to web sites and web publications, fact sheets, fundraising publications, advertising, multimedia, displays, presentation and membership services, annual report, and newsletters.

• Providing all or part of the submission to other individuals and organizations for REC Foundation- and related entities’-related use in news stories, social media, newsletters, reports, slide shows, displays, web pages, videos, and the like.

Upload Instructions

Note: Beginning with the 2023-24 season, challenge entries must be uploaded by the primary contact for a registered team. This individual should ensure that the submission meets all requirements and criteria before uploading.

1. Click the green Submit an Entry button on the right side of the screen.

2. Fill out the submission form and add an optional description of the entry to the Short Description field.

3. Ensure you are entering the correct team number and letter, with no spaces.

4. Click Save.

5. Click the blue Files /Images button in the upper right of the screen.

6. Drag/drop your PDF file into the Upload a File box, then refresh if needed to view file details below the Upload a File box.

7. Edit the Display Name and file information to include your entry title and your team number; for example, "Career Readiness Challenge entry, team 007x."

8. Click on Save to record your edits.

Judging Information

Enhanced Judging Information (Up to 5 Points for each Criterion)

• Up to 5 points for a submission that identifies a career or company and describes why it was chosen

• Up to 5 points for a description of how the chosen profession or company utilizes drones, and and an explanation of why and how drone are used

• Up to 5 points for describing how participation in the Aerial Drone Competition prepares students for a future career

• Up to 5 points for clear presentation of findings and organization of content

• Up to 5 points for the quality and readability of the writing, including spelling, grammar, and sentence structure

• Up to 5 points for the quality and thoroughness of images used to document the project

Current time:
Fri, Dec 6, 2024 8:10 AM CST

Opens:

Wed, Nov 6, 2024 12:00 AM CST

Closes:

Wed, Jan 29, 2025 4:00 PM CST

All Entries
Enter Challenge