The Rube Goldberg Institute and Miracle Recreation Reveal Playground Design Contest Winners

Winning entrants from Arcadia, California, and Westport, Massachusetts, will help bring new playground to life in yet-to-be chosen community

/EIN News/ -- NEW YORK and MONETT, Mo., April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Rube Goldberg Institute, a family-run nonprofit that uses the artist's invention cartoons as a springboard for its work in STEM and STEAM education, and Miracle^® Recreation, a pioneer in manufacturing thrilling playgrounds for nearly a century, today announced the two winning entries for the Rube Goldberg Playground Contest: “Simple Worlds,” created by high school freshman Anika Jha of Arcadia, California; and “The Idea Generator,” designed by 8-year-old Gryffin Moses and his father, Brian, of Westport, Massachusetts.

Chosen from hundreds of contest entrants, Jha and the Moses family will travel in June to the Miracle Design Studio, and work with professional playground designers to brainstorm a buildable outdoor play space inspired by their creativity. For the second phase of the contest, a worthy community will win the Rube Goldberg Playground, selected by a juried committee of industry professionals. Finally, phase three will see the construction of this one-of-a-kind playground.

Jha and the Moses family will each receive a $500 cash prize and trophy, in addition to social media coverage on the Rube Goldberg and Miracle Recreation sites and acknowledgement on the physical structure once complete.

"The creativity and ingenuity of these designs prove that play and learning go hand in hand," said Jennifer George, Rube's granddaughter and Creative Director at the Rube Goldberg Institute. "Both winning entries stay true to my grandfather’s legacy of chain-reaction silliness and deliver marvelous ideas where kids become part of the simple machines they study in school. Our groundbreaking Rube Goldberg Playground will usher in a new way to teach STEM through outdoor, interactive play."

Meet the winners
A freshman at Arcadia High School and self-described learning enthusiast and philomath, Jha created “Simple Worlds” as a playground of discovery, transporting users to different parts of the universe, including but not limited to the deep ocean and space.

Her junior division winning design features:

• A “Fisics” Fun zone, where kids can swing, manipulate prisms to create rainbows, and create water tornadoes
• Beyond the Sky, a section with a bouncy, pulley system see-saw, a rock-climbing challenge and thermochromic sun display that changes color when touched
• Underwater Adventure, a play area with glow-in-the-dark elements, a sand pit, sounds, and opportunities to slide, climb, hang, and dance
  

The Moses family’s “Idea Generator,” which won the senior division, is a collaborative play structure centered around six classic simple machines – lever, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, screw, and wheel and axle. It reflects the inventiveness and humor of Rube Goldberg’s work while encouraging problem-solving, movement and teamwork.

The concept was built on the idea that “collaboration is a celebration,” allowing kids to play individually or team up to generate a chain reaction. When all six machines are activated at once, a giant “BIG IDEA” lightbulb at the top of the structure illuminates, rewarding cooperative play. Brian Moses thought it would be funny to incorporate the classic image of a light bulb turning on overhead to illustrate having a good idea, like in old cartoons.

“We were blown away by the creativity offered in the hundreds of contest submissions we received,” said Mike Sutton, vice president of global sales for Miracle Recreation. “The winning designs challenge how we think about play and we can’t wait to work with Anika, Gryffin, and Brian to bring their creations to life.”

The Rube Goldberg Institute, a “museum without walls” encouraging global interest in arts and sciences, and Miracle Recreation, based in Monett, Missouri, began their partnership in 2021 with the Rube Goldberg Miracle Machines: three oversized, double-sided playground panels that allow children to create constant motion using mechanisms such as levers, gears, pegs, balls, and spinners. The equipment is available to purchase for community and school playgrounds everywhere.

“In reviewing Playground Contest submissions, some made me laugh, others made me smile, and they all helped deepen my appreciation for our successful partnership with the Rube Goldberg Institute,” said Sutton. “We thank everyone who offered ideas and are excited to welcome the winners to Miracle Recreation’s design studio this summer. We cannot wait to eventually build a complete Rube Goldberg playground in one lucky community.”
  
About Miracle^® Recreation
Founded nearly a century ago, Miracle Recreation inspires communities to develop kids with the character to lead tomorrow through its high-quality playgrounds. A division of PlayPower^®, Inc., Miracle Recreation, pioneers the world of thrilling, commercial outdoor play equipment with the belief that a lifetime of self-discovery, independence, and leadership begins on a playground. That’s where children take perceived risks, which challenge and transform them, opening their minds to new perspectives. To learn more, visit Miracle-Recreation.com.

About The Rube Goldberg^® Institute for Innovation & Creativity
The Rube Goldberg Institute stands as a “museum without walls,” offering experiences designed for the 21st Century that span the virtual and physical and introduce people to the rewards of engaging in the arts and sciences. Rube’s legacy reminds us of the crucial importance of informed observation, creative thinking, artistic response, problem-solving, curiosity, and inventiveness. The Institute was founded by Rube’s son, George W. George, in 1988, and today is run by Rube’s granddaughter, Jennifer George. The Institute proudly works with educators, organizations, and commercial brands to present the world and work of Rube Goldberg around the world. For more information, go to RubeGoldberg.org.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: 

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/23b0fe46-f3c3-44a4-ba0f-8c4669081430

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/077f1389-c98d-4ce8-b4bd-ce5395390f55

Media contact:
                    Jennifer Leckstrom
                    RoseComm for Miracle Recreation
                    jleckstrom@rosecomm.com
                    215-681-0770

Anika Jha

A freshman at Arcadia High School and self-described learning enthusiast and philomath, Jha created “Simple Worlds” as a playground of discovery, transporting users to different parts of the universe, including but not limited to the deep ocean and space.

The Moses Family

The Moses family’s “Idea Generator,” is a collaborative play structure centered around six classic simple machines – lever, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, screw, and wheel and axle.