Competitions 2021
A Festival highlight each year is the Molecule Hunt through the windows of shops in the centre of Kirkwall. It is organised by Sandy and Lorna Smith with energy and flair, and takes place in partnership with Kirkwall BID who provide much kind support, including hosting the competition details on their website.
The Molecule Hunt went online for 2020 and in 2021 it was joined online by several new competitions aimed at schools and families. There is the challenge to build a wind turbine or design a bridge, to find a new way to depict the Kirkwall Mart prices, to survey Orkney seaweed or to make some creative use of traditional Orkney words for wildlife.
The Blyth Challenge
Design and build a small wind machine out of scrap material – and win a prize. That’s the challenge that’s been set for families and friends in Orkney and elsewhere. Two Orkney organisations have joined forces to bring it forward in a year when climate change and renewable energy are coming increasingly to the fore.
Mart Price Challenge
Cattle and Sheep are important for the economy of Orkney. Farmers need to understand the market: to judge when to buy and sell, and to decide what to stock for next year. Can you improve on the traditional ‘Mart Report’? We want to see a range of ideas. You can submit one visualisation, or a few - try a few different approaches. All you need is a pencil and paper!
Bridge Building Challenge
You and your team are working for Scotland’s top bridge design company BigginBrig and have been tasked with designing a new bridge to replace the outdated ferry at Corran.
Orkney Seaweed Survey (Family Challenge)
Join us in the Orkney Seaweed Survey! How much seaweed is there around Orkney’s shorelines? Find out and let us know! Prize for the best entry! Then you can use your information to complete the Natural History Museum and the Marine Conservation Society Big Seaweed Survey. They have no records from Orkney yet - can you help by recording the seaweeds on an Orkney shore?
Native Wildlife Competition
Orkney Native Wildlife Project has come together with Orkney International Science Festival to challenge schools to put their creative hats on and pen to paper. But there’s a twist, you must use Orkney dialect within the piece. Taking inspiration from Robert Macfarlane’s project, The lost words, this year’s competition will celebrate some commonly used and ‘lost’ Orkney words. This is the challenge that has been set to schools across Orkney, and further afield!
