The Problem Types

This is a general description of the type of problems available. Each year problems are published with specific description and limitations. Synopses Flyer for current year problems can be found here.
Click here for a preview of the current year problems.

Problem 1 - Mechanical/Vehicle

Traveling through creative courses, hitting targets, delivering parts, and carrying teammates “across the sky” or “under the seas” are some of the tasks completed by original team-made vehicles. Teams use unusual sources of energy and original engineering to create vehicles that often don’t look or move like a vehicle. Teams perform an original skit that usually includes characters and special effects but the emphasis is on the running and testing of the vehicle.

Problem 2 - Technical Performance

Creating a robotic pet, a Not-So-Haunted “pop-up” House, and devices powered by rubber bands are technical problems our teams have solved. The level of technology is up to the team and ranges from basic engineering and electronics to more advanced robotics. Technical devices have served purposes that include producing special effects, delivering mail, and improving the lives of people in need. OMers test their devices in performances that are often hilarious.

Problem 3 - Classics

Imagine turning the story of Pandora’s Box into a video game or creating an original Lost Labor of Heracles! In our Classics problem, teams write and perform original theatrical performances based on a work from classical literature, artwork, music, culture, or history. Subjects range from bringing the past to life to revisiting and rewriting history, all while OMers learn about world history. Solutions often reflect upon the majesty and sophistication of humanity’s most impactful and enduring creations.

Problem 4 - Structure

Picture a 15-gram (½ ounce) structure made of balsa wood holding and balancing a stack of weights while getting hit, twisted, or even broken apart. Each year a new problem requires an original structure to withstand a new test of strength as it holds weight until it breaks. It’s not uncommon for experienced teams to hold over 1,000 pounds. OMers create and present performances ranging from comical to extravagant where testing their structures is part of the action.

Problem 5 - Performance

Whether it is showing the world from the point of view of an animal, acting out a Food Court where all of the characters in a courtroom are food, or showing social outcasts saving the planet, you can be sure that our performance problem will be fun and unexpected. In their solutions teams integrate stage and drama elements from lighting effects to puppetry to elaborate set changes. Original characters and unusual situations give OMers plenty of opportunity to show off their creativity.

Problem 6 - Primary

Teams might present their very own prehistoric art festival or a skit where a character keeps waking up in a different place and time. Teams present their solutions at tournaments in a non-competitive showcase where they interact with judges who provide feedback. Primary problems are designed to provide younger OMers with a comprehensive, fun, and instructional experience that helps introduce them to Odyssey of the Mind.