Gathering of Goblins 2012 Prize Citations

Prize Citations

Best Presented Team

Harwell Primary School entered two cars, but it was noticeable that the children supported whichever car needed attention at any instant, working as a single team rather than two.  They were appropriately and smartly turned-out in matching overalls with their appointment embroidered on the back and appeared equally proud to be “Pit Crew” or “Driver”.  The judges noted in particular, and in contrast with some other teams, that there were always members of the team available to move their cars between events on the track.  They worked well as a team.

Best Bodywork

The standard of bodywork has now become so good that the judges noted with approval that many of the cars were extremely neat and well-made.  A short-list of potential prizewinners was very difficult to achieve.  The judges decided that the tie-breaker in this category would be the imaginative content, tempered by practicality.  Tulip the Pig, from Egloskerry Primary School, not only showed imagination in construction and artwork, but also in the derivation of the name from the business of its main sponsor!

Greenest Bodywork

It was extremely good to see the efforts put in by many teams to use recycled materials.  There were several cars with bodies made of old plastic carrier bags, for instance, glued on to cardboard or woven into construction-site netting.  The judges eventually decided that The Hendreds School’s car, with old plastic bottles tied on with string, was demonstrably green and very imaginative.

Portfolio Award

The range of portfolios presented was encouraging evidence of the construction of the cars by the children.  Many were of an extremely high standard of presentation and it is hoped that all will provide a useful record of the construction of this year’s Goblin.  The judges would like to stress the basic requirement of the Portfolio, to demonstrate what the children have achieved in the construction of the car.  To that end, records of the teams’ achievements at the race tracks are seen as additional, but not core, information. 

The Portfolios presented by Cumnor House School may not have been the tidiest on show, but the information content was outstanding.  In particular, they showed that the elements of the Goblin construction had been used in many lessons throughout the curriculum, including writing letters to potential sponsors, mathematical calculations of the car’s speed, and taking readings from measuring instruments.  There were many drawings and sketches, including some attempts at isometrics and formal projections.  Photographs of the construction showed the children handling the tools and were annotated with explanatory text on the activity or the problem being tackled.  The judges hope that other entrants will have had the opportunity to see these Portfolios as examples of what can be done.