The Kitchen of the Future Contest

WIN PRIZE MONEY FOR STUDENTS & SCHOOLS!

The National Kitchen & Bath Association’s (NKBA) “Kitchen of the Future Contest” is open to students in 8th and 9th grade to develop their ideas around kitchen design. This may include a complete redesign, a problem they see that can be solved, or a new product or innovation.

This program also allows NKBA Chapters throughout the US and Canada to start developing relationships with schools in their geographic areas. The earlier industry professionals get involved with students the higher the possibility we have of engaging them in this lucrative industry.

Winning projects from each NKBA Chapter
will earn $250 for the student and $250 for the school!

Contest Runs October 1-31, 2022

Click below for more information.

For Students

For Teachers

For Chapters

How Do I Enter the Contest?

Your teacher will provide you with an information sheet and a submission form that must be filled out and submitted with your project no later than Oct. 31, 2022.

You can present your idea/concept in a digital PowerPoint presentation or a materials board. The project must speak for itself as you will not be able to present the concept physically.


What Do I Present?

Students will be tasked with thinking of an issue that occurs in the kitchen and creating a solution to that issue. They can use a wide range of idea-creation techniques to generate new and worthwhile ideas.

  • Develop multiple solutions to a problem and evaluate short- and long-term effects to determine the most plausible option
  • Examine challenges that may exist in the adoption of new ideas and identify the steps in the design process that could be used to solve a problem.

Think of a problem that occurs in the kitchen. Examples: cabinets getting marked up or gouged where people grab the handles, belt buckles scraping the front of sinks, never knowing when the dishwasher is empty, microwaves always dirty, waiting a long time for water to boil, or having to get up for seconds and not having the food delivered to your plate. What would you change or how would you make things better?


Additional Guidelines
  • All work must be done by an individual student – no group projects permitted.
  • Each student and parent will need to fill out the submission form and attach it to their project. Parents/guardians need to grant permission for their student to participate.
  • The project should not have any content promoting violence, discriminating against any protected class, violating intellectual property rights of third parties, invading the privacy of any person, etc.
  • Students are not permitted to communicate directly with NKBA chapter officers and must go through their teachers for questions.
Project Must Include
  • The title of the innovation or product
  • Defining the problem/need for innovation/product
  • Solution to the problem
  • Prototype picture/drawing

Project Can Also Include
  • Scale drawing
  • Data collected and research
  • Prototype trials and variables
  • Anything else that was important to the student’s innovation

All material boards and PowerPoint presentations must be provided to your teacher no later than October 31, 2022, to be eligible.

How Does Your School Get Involved?

An NKBA chapter* member will provide the school/teacher with an information detail sheet. To find a chapter in your area to contact, click here. Students will have the month of October 2022 to develop a submission around the topic of “Kitchen of the Future”. Submissions need to be presented on a materials board with a written description of their concept – or – a digital PowerPoint presentation explaining their concept.

  • Entries can be a new product that the student feels could make an impact in the kitchen
  • A new design concept or layout that would help functionality
  • Innovation for the kitchen

Students are to provide their teacher or guidance counselor with their presentation for submission no later than October 31!


Ways to Help Your Students

Students will be tasked with thinking of an issue that occurs in the kitchen and creating a solution to that issue. They should develop multiple solutions to a problem and evaluate short- and long-term effects to determine the most plausible option.

  • Examine challenges that may exist in the adoption of new ideas
  • Identify the steps in the design process that could be used to solve a problem.

Examples: knives getting dull, kitchen cabinets slamming, fridge doors not closing fully, microwaves always dirty, waiting a long time for water to boil, having to get up for seconds and not having the food delivered to your plate, smelly sinks, too many steps to the fridge from the cooktop, etc.

Each student will need to fill out a submission form and attach it to their project. Parents/guardians need to grant permission for their student to participate. Teachers should keep a list of the students who take part in the contest. The chapters will coordinate a pick up time for the submissions with the school, however all projects are to be submitted to the teacher no later than October 31. Each project will be reviewed against a rubric and evaluated by a committee created by the chapter.  Winners will be notified mid-November.

Students need to communicate with their teacher only for this project, they are not permitted to communicate with the chapter members.

What Problems Occur in the Kitchen?
  • Think about the older generation and the issues they have in the kitchen.
  • What about a disabled person?
  • What is the problem?
  • Why does this problem occur?
  • Why is it an annoying problem to have?
  • What are some possible solutions?
  • Is there already a solution to the problem?
  • If you are changing the way of doing something, will people find it difficult to adapt to a new way of doing the task?

The problem does not have to be a problem the student encounters.

Encourage students to create lists, diagrams, drawings, or anything else to get creativity flowing.

How to Get Involved

This is a voluntary program for NKBA Chapters to make connections with their local schools.

Chapters are to identify the schools in their chapter regions who have 8th and 9th grade programs and email or drop off Kitchen of the Future information sheets to the schools that will direct them to the website for more information.  The schools then need to let you know if they will be participating (school form needs to be completed).

The one-page information sheet that chapters will deliver to the schools will direct the teachers and students to the this landing page where they can get the detailed information they need regarding the contest.

The chapters should be familiar with what is being asked of the schools and be willing to fund the prize money of $250 for the winning student and $250 for the school that student attends.

NKBA Chapters will pick up the projects from the schools after the October 31, 2022 submission date at a mutually agreed upon with the school/teacher.  The contest runs through the month of October.  Projects can be materials/presentation boards or PowerPoint presentations which can be on a thumb drive or emailed directly to the chapter program coordinator.

 
Chapter Requirements
  • Email or drop off flyers and internet form to the local schools
  • Gather projects from the schools
  • Decide whether to form a committee for judging or use their officer board to score and review the submissions.
  • Each project will be reviewed against the rubric supplied by NKBA National
  • Chapters are to notify the winning school and student in November and send the winner information to NKBA National
  • Chapters will also send the winning school and student their prize money early December along with a certificate of achievement (preferred option is presentation at an awards program or assembly).
  • Chapters expected to participate in a post contest survey that will be distributed by national after November.
How to Get Involved

This is a voluntary program for NKBA Chapters to make connections with their local schools.

Chapters are to identify the schools in their chapter regions who have 8th and 9th grade programs and email or drop off Kitchen of the Future information sheets to the schools that will direct them to the website for more information.  The schools then need to let you know if they will be participating (school form needs to be completed).

The one-page information sheet that chapters will deliver to the schools will direct the teachers and students to the this landing page where they can get the detailed information they need regarding the contest.

The chapters should be familiar with what is being asked of the schools and be willing to fund the prize money of $250 for the winning student and $250 for the school that student attends.

NKBA Chapters will pick up the projects from the schools after the October 31, 2022 submission date at a mutually agreed upon with the school/teacher.  The contest runs through the month of October.  Projects can be materials/presentation boards or PowerPoint presentations which can be on a thumb drive or emailed directly to the chapter program coordinator.

 
Chapter Requirements
  • Email or drop off flyers and internet form to the local schools
  • Gather projects from the schools
  • Decide whether to form a committee for judging or use their officer board to score and review the submissions.
  • Each project will be reviewed against the rubric supplied by NKBA National
  • Chapters are to notify the winning school and student in November and send the winner information to NKBA National
  • Chapters will also send the winning school and student their prize money early December along with a certificate of achievement (preferred option is presentation at an awards program or assembly).
  • Chapters expected to participate in a post contest survey that will be distributed by national after November.

Guidelines

Due to the age range of this contest, NKBA Chapters need to follow the guidelines listed below in order to maintain student privacy information. No information can be kept regarding the students who participated other than the name of the winning student/school.

  • Chapter Officers are to work with the schools – teachers and guidance counselors directly and have NO student interaction.
  • Chapter officers are to provide their email address to the teachers/school with the caveat that only the teachers or counselors are to interact with the officers – officer emails are not to be shared with students.
  • Chapters should check and see if the school has received a form that allows photo and information of student to be released to the press. If the school does not have this, a separate form can be sent to the chapters from NKBA, after the student is selected for obtaining their permission to use their name or photo in a press release.
  • Chapters should not solicit entries for the Contest via their websites or another online method, nor should they solicit or allow the online submission of contact information or other personal information from potential participants. Doing so could implicate the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and similar statutes regarding data collection and privacy for minors.
  • If, for some reason, any Chapter Officers receive identifying information regarding actual or potential student participants beyond the information requested in the Student Participation form for the Contest, that information should be deleted and should not be disclosed to anyone else. Under no circumstances should Chapters be collecting, retaining, using, sharing, selling, or disclosing personal student information such as direct contact information (like email addresses or phone numbers), home addresses, screen or user names, social security numbers, or photo, video, or audio files containing a student’s image or voice.
Important Dates
  • Program distributed to schools – first week in October
  • Schools release project to students – early October
  • Schools collect projects and provide to NKBA chapter representative after the contest has closed on October 31.
  • Chapter committee to meet and review student submissions – November
  • Chapters to send winner selection to national – end of November
  • Chapter to send letter of recognition and prize money to winner and school – late November/early December.
To view additional information regarding this contest, please log in to NKBA.org.
Important Dates
  • Program distributed to schools – first week in October
  • Schools release project to students – early October
  • Schools collect projects and provide to NKBA chapter representative after the contest has closed on October 31.
  • Chapter committee to meet and review student submissions – November
  • Chapters to send winner selection to national – end of November
  • Chapter to send letter of recognition and prize money to winner and school – late November/early December.

Resources

Certificates for students will be emailed to the chapters who participate in the contest.

Frequently Asked Questions

The NKBA is the world’s leading trade association for the kitchen and bath industry providing tools, research, certification, and events to professionals. As the leading trade association, we are at the forefront of addressing the big questions and concerns facing our industry. One such concern is the shortage of skilled labor.

Thousands of kitchen and bath industry jobs go unfilled each month. Yet many teens and their parents aren’t even aware that these lucrative and fulfilling career opportunities exist. That’s where NKBA’s NextUp program comes in. NKBA seeks to raise awareness about careers in designing, building and remodeling beautiful and functional kitchens and baths. For more information – visit www.nkba.org/nextup.

High job demand and job openings – Through 2028, 705,000 jobs are expected to open up in the design and construction industry.*

Good starting pay and beyond – 2021 Median salary for electricians was $60,040 according to the US. Labor of Bureau & Statistics**  

Less expensive than a traditional 4- year degree – cost of an entire trade school education typically equates to one year or less of the expense for one year of a four-year college or university.

*NKBA.org

****bls.gov – US Bureau of Labor & Statistics Occupational Handbook

The NKBA has 71 chapters across 10 regions in the United States and Canada, providing an integral link between the local and national levels of the Association. Chapters are a group of industry professionals who work at the grassroots level and provide educational and networking opportunities to members in their regional area. They work with their communities on various projects and build strong connections, encouraging awareness and involvement in the kitchen and bath industry.