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Can Your Pumpkin Survive the Drop?
Get ready for a high-flying STEAM challenge! Student teams will design, build, and put their engineering skills to the test as their pumpkins take the plunge at GoMart Ballpark. Keep your pumpkin intact, land as close to the bull's-eye as possible, and compete for cash prizes and championship bragging rights.
| REGISTER A TEAM | BECOME A SPONSOR | VOLUNTEER |
EVENT DETAILS
Thursday, October 15, 2026
GoMart Ballpark
601 Morris Street, Charleston, WV 25301
School & Volunteer Registration Deadline: Friday, September 25, 2026
| 8:00 AM | School Check-In/Registration |
| 8:30 AM | Open Ceremonies |
| 9:00 AM | Competition Begins |
| 1:00 PM | Awards Ceremony (approximately) |
THE CHALLENGE
Think you can engineer the perfect pumpkin protector? Student teams design and build an enclosure capable of protecting a pumpkin during a dramatic drop from high above the field. Surviving the fall is only part of the challenge. Teams are competing for accuracy, too. The goal is to keep the pumpkin intact and land as close to the bull's-eye as possible.
It's engineering, problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork in action. And when gravity takes over, anything can happen.
Cash Prizes & Championship Bragging Rights
Teams compete in elementary, middle school, and high school divisions.
- 1st Place in each division: $100
- 2nd Place in each division: $50
- 3rd Place in each division: $25
- Grand Slam Winner: $200
Champions also earn a permanent place on the Capital City Pumpkin Drop Championship Belt, created in 2025 thanks to the support of Stephen New & Associates and US Methanol.
GET INVOLVED
SCHOOLS & STUDENTS
Design it. Build it. Drop it. Register your school or team for the 2026 competition. School registration closes Friday, September 25, 2026.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Help make hands-on STEAM learning possible for students across the region. Sponsorships support the event and connect your organization with students, educators, families, and the community.
VOLUNTEERS
Help bring one of the region's most unique student competitions to life. Volunteers support school check-in, competition activities, hospitality, awards, and more. Volunteer registration closes Friday, September 25, 2026.
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER
A Capital City Tradition Since 1998
The Education Alliance launched the Capital City Pumpkin Drop in 1998 as a creative way to bring math and science out of the classroom and into a hands-on challenge. The tradition gives students an opportunity to apply science, technology, engineering, arts, and math concepts through brainstorming, designing, building, testing, and competing.
For students, it is a chance to see whether their ideas work in the real world. For everyone watching, it is also a chance to see some spectacular pumpkin drops.
Sponsors
Interested in supporting the 2026 Capital City Pumpkin Drop?