The preliminary round of the '2026 KidWind Challenge in Thailand' was successfully held from June 23 to 24, 2026, at the Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL). The two-day event attracted young wind energy enthusiasts from across Thailand to compete, creating an enthusiastic and continuously exciting atmosphere.

This year's competition saw an unprecedentedly enthusiastic response to registration, with a total of 183 submissionspoured in from across Thailand, fully demonstrating the fruitful results of wind energy science education taking root in local schools. After a rigorous document review, only 70 teams secured a spot in the preliminary round—in other words, over 60% of the teams were eliminated in the first stage, highlighting the fierce competition.

The competition on-site during the preliminary round was even more intense. The 70 strong teams underwent multiple tests, including wind tunnel performance, presentation Q&A, and judges' questions, with only 20 teamsbreaking through the challenges and successfully advancing to the final round. The overall advancement rate was only about 10%, making it arguably the most challenging edition to date.

This year's participating teams demonstrated thorough preparation, abundant creativity, and ingenious wind turbine designs—from clever blade airfoil designs and optimized transmission structures to pushing the limits of power generation efficiency, the students' dedicated efforts were evident everywhere, leaving a deep impression on the judges.

Regardless of victory or defeat, each team, in the process of designing, building, testing, and iteratively improving their wind turbines, personally experienced the complete process of engineering thinking and scientific inquiry, accumulating invaluable hands-on experience beyond textbooks. This effort and growth are something every participant should be proud of.