Worlds Pages

NAVIGATING WORLDS

Learn about what to expect at Worlds & find important details about the schedule, lodging, meals, parking, and necessary forms for attendees!

The 2026 Worlds events will take place in the Nicholas Recreation Center on the UW-Madison campus.

797 W Dayton St, Madison, WI 53706

Worlds FAQ

Schedule By Day

Saturday, May 16th

Arrival Day!

We encourage teams that have difficult travel routes to arrive on Saturday.

Sunday, May 17th

Check-In & Testing Day! 12pm - 5pm

12:00pm - 5:00pm Check-In at the University of Madison-Wisconsin campus in the Nicholas Recreation Center.

1:00pm - 4:00pm Open Wind Tunnel & Solar Testing

Run your turbine through any of the wind tunnels and test your solar home under our competition solar testing rig.

Teams can leave their turbines and solar homes at their team tables overnight.

Here's what you can expect at check-in:

Coaches will check-in with our KidWind Team to let us know you arrived. Woohoo!
Find your team's assigned table & get started assembling/constructing your wind turbine and/or solar home.
Check out the goodies and materials related to the competition on your team table.
Run your turbine through any of the wind tunnels for pre-competition tunnel testing.
Test your solar home under our competition solar testing rig.

Pro tip: The earlier you arrive, the faster you'll get your turbine set-up, and the more tests you'll get in before the competition begins on Monday!

Monday, May 18th

Competition Day 1! 8am - 6pm

8:00am Doors Open

9:00am - 10:00am World KidWind Challenge Kick-Off

10:00am - 6:00pm Competition Elements

All Day
- Wind Tunnel Testing
- Solar Home Testing
Scheduled
- Knowledge Test
- Judges Presentations
- Instant Challenges

Tuesday, May 19th

Competition Day 2! 8am - 6pm

8:00am Doors Open

10:00am - 6:00pm Competition Elements

All Day
- Wind Tunnel Testing
- Solar Home Testing
Scheduled
- Judges Presentations
- Instant Challenges

Wednesday, May 20th

Closing Day! 8am - 3pm

OPTIONAL: 8:00am-12:00pm Sign up for a tour or check out one of the other cool spots on the UW-Madison campus on this list!

8:00am Doors Open

9:00am - 11:30am Judges Callbacks (for top teams in the MS and HS divisions) & Final Tunnel Testing

1:30pm- 2:30pm Awards Ceremony

2:30pm - 3:00pm Breakdown & Pack Up

We suggest you book lodging close to the University of Wisconsin - Madison. KidWind has reserved room blocks in two hotels near the UW-Madison campus at discounted rates.

All hotel & dorm blocks are closed. If you haven't booked lodging for Worlds and need help, please email Meghan at Meghan@KidWind.org for assistance. Please note that there is no hotel availability in Madison for Saturday, 5/16.

Please note: Non-Wisconsin public schools do not qualify for Wisconsin state tax exemption.

HOTELS

Hilton Garden Inn Madison Downtown

770 Regent Street Madison, WI 53715
(608) 720-1623

1 King & 2 Queen Rooms
$179/night, available Sat. 5/16
$139/night, available Sun. 5/17-Wed. 5/20

Parking: $15/night per vehicle

Hampton Inn & Suites Madison Downtown

440 W. Johnson St. Madison, WI 53703
(608) 467-5016

2 Queen Rooms
$139/night, available Sat. 5/16-Wed. 5/20

Parking: $15/night per vehicle

Other Hotel Options

We do not have hotel blocks in the following hotels, but they are affordable & close to the competition venue.

Best Western Premier Park Hotel
- 22 S Carroll Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Hyatt Place Madison/Downtown
- 333 W Washington Avenue Madison, Wisconsin, 53703

DORMS

PLEASE NOTE: All students staying in the dorms MUST have an adult staying with them.

Ogg Residence Hall

W Dayton St, Madison, WI 53706 - Across the street from the competition in the Nick!

KidWind’s room block on the UW Madison campus is in the Ogg Hall dormitory, directly across the street from the Nicholas Recreation Center (The Nick), where our event will take place. Rooms are configured for single or double occupancy and are charged at a per person rate. Breakfast at Rheta’s Market is included Sunday-Wednesday morning from 7:30am-9:30am with the dorm cost (not included on Thursday for Wednesday night reservations).

Please keep in mind that these are college dorm rooms with shared single-gender bathrooms on each floor. Bathrooms will be designated by gender for students use and others designated for adult chaperone and family member use.

Ogg Hall reservations include the following amenities:

Bedding
Mini fridge in each room
Staffed front desk in the building 6:30am-10:30pm
Complimentary laundry in the building
Shared lounges and game room
Free bus around campus - learn more here

Reservations do not include towels or shower toiletries.

Important Details

KidWind will be the only group in the building
Learn more about staying in the dorms here!
Floor layouts:

DORMS	Single Occupancy	Double Occupancy
Saturday 5/16 w/ breakfast	$60	$48 per person
Sunday 5/17 w/ breakfast	$60	$48 per person
Monday 5/18 w/ breakfast	$60	$48 per person
Tuesday 5/19 w/ breakfast	$60	$48 per person
Wednesday 5/20	$46	$34 per person

Rheta’s Market - Lunch Plan Add-On

This year we are able to offer a lunch plan for those staying in the dorms at the UW campus dining hall, Rheta’s Market which is about a 5 minute walk 3 blocks north of the event venue at 420 N. Park Street. Rheta’s Market is an all you can eat dining hall and is able to accommodate all allergy and dietary restrictions. You can preview the menu here.

The dining hall will be open for lunch from 11am-1:30pm on Monday through Wednesday. We promise to ensure that teams will not be scheduled for competition events during this lunch window.

While you can pay by credit card at the dining hall, there is a discount for pre-ordering a lunch meal plan. The two-day plan includes lunch on Monday and Tuesday and the three-day plan includes lunch on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Rheta’s will be open for dinner Sunday-Wednesday for teams attending Worlds to purchase dinner with a credit card. Dinner is not included in the meal plans for purchase ahead of the event.

LUNCH PLANS

Cost per Person

2-Day:

Monday 5/17 & Tuesday 5/18

$24.50

3-Day:

Monday 5/17, Tuesday 5/18,

& Wednesday 5/19

$35.87

BREAKFAST

Breakfast is included for teams staying in Ogg Hall on campus.

LUNCH

There is no scheduled lunch break for Worlds. Coaches can work with their teams to find the time that works best based on their individual team schedule. We’ll make sure that you have at least a 1 hour break midday each day for lunch. Teams may also head to nearby restaurants, eat at Rheta’s Marketplace dining hall across the street (credit card or voucher only), or bring in outside food on-site.

Rheta’s Market

Anyone coming to Worlds has the option to purchase lunch (and dinner) using a credit card at Rheta’s Market on campus, which is about a 5 minute walk 3 blocks north of the event venue at 420 N. Park Street. Rheta’s Market is an all you can eat dining hall and is able to accommodate all allergy and dietary restrictions. You can preview the menu here.

The dining hall will be open for lunch from 11am-1:30pm on Sunday through Wednesday. We promise to ensure that teams will not be scheduled for competition events during this lunch window.

DINNER

Rheta's Market on campus is also open to teams attending Worlds for dinner Sunday through Wednesday from 4pm-7pm!

Please note: All meals purchsed directly at Rheta's Market are credit card only - cash is not accepted.

Be sure you complete the following before coming to Worlds!

Place at an In-Person KidWind Challenge or Online Challenge and receive an official invitation from KidWind.
Register your team! See your official invitation email for the Team Registration link.
Log-in to your Team Dashboard. Ask your coach for log-in details.
- Complete Attendee Forms.
- Complete Liability & Media Release Forms.
- Each person attending Worlds including student team members, coaches/chaperones, teachers, parents, siblings, friends, grandparents, etc. MUST complete these two forms in order to attend.
Watch the 2026 Info Session recording here!
Start a fundraising campaign. Learn how to fundraise on the KW website on the FAQ.
Book your travel to Madison, WI. PLEASE NOTE: REAL ID or another accepted form of identification are required for all U.S. travelers 18 years and older to board domestic flights. This includes a passport, passport card, or military ID.
Book lodging in Madison, WI.
Refine your turbine or solar home.
Plan how you'll get your turbine(s) or solar home(s) to Madison, WI (teams must bring a COMPLETE device - we will only have tools and limited supplied to make repairs).
WIND TEAMS ONLY: Prepare your team's Executive Summary. Please note: We will share team numbers on each Team Profile closer to the event. Feel free to write on the number after printing your Executive Summary.
- MS & HS Executive Summary Guidelines
- ES Executive Summary Template
SOLAR TEAMS ONLY: Prepare your team's Required documents.
- See the Rules Page.
Bonus Points: Complete your Team Profile with a working video (1 point) & submit ALL Attendee Forms for people joining your team for Worlds (students, coaches, and chaperones) with Liability & Media Release Forms (2 points). These must be completed by May 2nd in order to receive the extra points.

Each person planning on attending Worlds must complete the Attendee Form (student team members, coaches/chaperones, teachers, parents, siblings, friends, grandparents, etc.). After completing an Attendee Form, attendees must complete a Liability and Media Release Form by logging into their Team Dashboard. Ask your coach for Team Dashboard login instructions!

Students under 18 will not be able to complete the form on their own. They will need to complete the form in the company of a guardian.

Please Note: To guarantee parking, UW-Madison recommends reserving parking permits as early as possible, and at the latest 2 weeks prior to the event because there are other events happening on campus alongside Worlds.

There are several parking options available on the UW - Madison campus including hourly garage parking and daily parking permits. You can find the parking options and prices here.

The best option is to reserve daily parking permits in Lot 46 or Lot 83, which allow re-entry, for $15/day. Reserve these daily parking permits here ASAP!