Combining engineering, design, and live entertainment

The Stage Machine Design Competition brings together theatre technology students from colleges and universities to share the excitement of designing and building the machines that bring stage effects to life. The competition celebrates the design journey that leads from inception to prototype, and seeks to inspire the next generation of mechanical designers and engineers who will invent new experiences for live entertainment.

2020 Design Challenge


2019 saw over 25 students on six teams from five universities compete to design the best flower petal drop effect. What will 2020 bring? Learn more about the design challenge for the 2020 Competition.

Past Competitions


See the challenges from past competitions. Explore the proposals submitted by the teams and individuals from previous years, and see photos and video of previous competitions.

Compete


Think you’ve got what it takes to design an amazing mechanical solution to this year’s design challenge? Read the complete rules, see a list of award categories, and complete a registration form for the competition.

Support


Solving a design challenge in the Stage Machine Design Competition provides students with valuable experiences, portfolio artifacts, and video evidence of their work. Be a part of that by supporting the Competition.