The Utah STEM Action Center and UMAKE held a 3D coin design contest titled Celebrating America's Story. The competition invited participants to create unique 3D printable coins that captured the essence of one of Utah's 29 counties, highlighting their landscapes, symbols, or history.
In honor of the United States' 250th anniversary, the contest allowed designers to showcase the diverse stories of each county through digital modeling.
The contest was open to Utah residents of all ages, with submissions organized into five age-based brackets. These included Kindergarten through 2nd Grade, 3rd through 5th Grade, 6th through 8th Grade, 9th through 12th Grade, and an Adult category for those 18 and older.
Winners were selected from across the state. In the K-2 category, Eden took first place, followed by Marin in second and Jack Bowes in third. For grades 3-5, Alyena Bowes won first, with Lorraine Steurer in second and Wriglee Benson in third. The 6-8 grade winners included Lexi Holman in first, Jayden Jiang in second, and Neel Parlapalli in third. In the 9-12 grade bracket, Sabella Holman placed first, Ian Petersen placed second, and Samuel placed third. The adult division saw Addie Holman take first place, Jenalee Marshall in second, and Chance Holman in third.
A total of 15 prizes were awarded, with first-place prizes valued at $500, second-place prizes at $250, and third-place prizes at $100.
Winning designs were featured in a digital gallery and milled for exhibition. There was also the potential for selected designs to be included in museum displays throughout Utah.
Participants utilized various 3D modeling software, such as Tinkercad, Blender, or Fusion 360, to complete their entries. For educators, lesson plans were made available to integrate the contest into school curricula.
