May 25th, 2026

I. Introduction

The 2026 World KidWind Challenge was grandly held from May 17 to 20 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States. This year's event attracted 125 top teams and nearly 550 students from around the world to compete. Participating countries and regions included 21 U.S. states, Estonia, Thailand, and Taiwan.

As the sole officially recognized organizing body for the KidWind Challenge in the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia-Pacific Energy Science Education Association (AESEA) saw its Secretary-General, Tien-Tuo Yang, lead five teams from Taiwan and one team from Thailand on the expedition to Madison this year, writing a new chapter in wind energy education for the Asia-Pacific region.

II. Opening Ceremony: Chairman Chou Invited to Deliver a Speech

At the opening ceremony of this year's world championship, AESEA Chairman Professor Chien-Heng Chou (Vanung University) was invited by the organizing committee to deliver a speech on behalf of the Asia-Pacific region. With the core message "Energy Education Knows No Borders, Hands-On Action Changes the Future," Chairman Chou shared the seven-year journey of promoting the KidWind Challenge in the Asia-Pacific region since 2019 with teachers and students worldwide. He also elaborated on the policy implications of wind energy education in the region, receiving an enthusiastic response from all attendees.

During his speech, Chairman Chou expressed special gratitude to KidWind founder Mr. Michael Arquin for his years of support for the event's development in the Asia-Pacific. He also announced to the assembly that the Asia-Pacific region will continue to expand the scale of the competition, assisting more emerging countries in joining this global green energy education movement.

III. Taiwan Team Results: All 5 Teams Win Awards

The Taiwan delegation performed exceptionally well in this year's world championship. Despite sending only five teams, they won four world championships and three special awards (Judges' Award, KidWind Spirit Award, and Blade Engineering Award), accounting for nearly one-third of the 13 world championships globally and setting the best record for Taiwan since it began participating.

• The Wind Nexus (Elementary School Division World Champion & Judges' Award): Composed of students from the junior high division of Tainan City's Kang-Ming Senior High School and Lian-Tan Elementary and Junior High School, the team stood out in the fierce competition thanks to their stable and precise wind turbine design.

• Taiwan WINd POWer (Middle School KidWind Turbine Division World Champion & KidWind Spirit Award): Formed by students from Tainan's Bo-Ai Elementary School, Wen-Yuan Elementary School, the elementary division of the NNKIEH, Taichung's Guo-An Elementary School, Viator Catholic High School, Da-De Elementary School, and Chung-Kang Senior High School. Instructed by Professor Wei-Ching Hung from the Department of Physics at the ROC Military Academy (Ministry of National Defense), the team demonstrated immense perseverance and an innovative spirit.

• SL Angel Wings (Middle School Open Turbine Division World Champion): A cross-county team comprised of students from Nantou County's She-Liao Junior High School and Ying-Pei Junior High School, Tainan's Kun-Shan Senior High School (junior high division) and Jian-Sing Junior High School, and Kaohsiung American School. Co-instructed by teacher Shang-Fu Chi from STAR English and teacher Yu-Hao Chang from She-Liao Junior High School, the team showcased the incredible potential of rural education.

• Taiwan HUNTERS (High School Division World Champion): Made up of cross-school students from Taichung Municipal Taichung First Senior High School, Taichung Second Senior High School, and Taichung Industrial High School. Instructed by teachers Chung-Yi Tsai and Ti-Chen Yang from Puli Junior High School. Notably, in their first-ever competition, this team won consecutively from the Central Regional Competition and the Asian League to the World Finals, achieving a rare "Triple Crown" record in KidWind history.

• Taiwan WinDog (Blade Engineering Award): Composed of students from Tainan's Ying-Hai High School, St. Kung Girls' High School, and Taichung First Senior High School. Co-instructed by teacher Hsiao-Yuan Li from Little Stark Lab and teacher Chung-Yi Tsai from Puli Junior High School. The team was highly recognized by international judges for their wind turbine blade design and engineering applications.

IV. Thailand Team Impresses in Debut: A New Milestone in Asia-Pacific Energy Education

Another highlight of this year's event was the Thai team advancing to the world championship for the first time through the AESEA system, symbolizing the official expansion of the Asia-Pacific wind energy education landscape into Southeast Asia.

Although the Thailand delegation did not win an award at this world championship, the innovative design thinking, teamwork spirit, and fluent English presentation skills demonstrated by their students on the competition floor earned high praise from the judges and teams from other countries. Some of their works integrated local Thai materials and cultural elements, standing out in turbine aesthetics and design concepts. They also engaged in deep interactions with Taiwanese team members during participant exchanges, becoming an important seed for international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Thai team's brave participation marks a crucial step in AESEA's energy education strategy of "Expanding from Taiwan to the Asia-Pacific." The association will continue to support the Thai team's advancement and actively engage with Asia-Pacific countries such as Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines to join this green energy education platform.

V. Post-Event Highlights: Local Warmth and International Reach

After the participants returned triumphantly to Taiwan, when the Nantou team SL Angel Wings arrived back in She-Liao, the Zhushan Zinan Temple specially awarded them a bonus. Local residents lined the streets to welcome the world champions home with firecrackers. PTS Taigi and the Taiwan Daily Network fully documented this moving scene.

Within five days of the competition, these achievements garnered over 35 news reports from mainstream media outlets, including the Central News Agency (CNA), United Daily News (UDN), Economic Daily News, Liberty Times, Yahoo News, CTS News, PTS Taigi, and the Hakka Public Communication Foundation (Hakka Radio, HakkaNews). At the central government level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Overseas Community Affairs Council, Energy Administration (Ministry of Economic Affairs), and Ministry of National Defense all provided formal endorsements. At the local government level, the Nantou County Government and the Education Bureau of the Taichung City Government issued simultaneous press releases in support. Additionally, the international KidWind global website officially published the award-winning information of the Taiwan delegation.

VI. Future Outlook

Building on the brilliant achievements of this world championship, the Asia-Pacific Energy Science Education Association will continue to advance the following initiatives:

• Deepen International Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region: Expand invitations to Asia-Pacific countries such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam to join the KidWind Challenge system.

• Promote KidWind Student Green Energy Technology Certification: Align with the Ministry of Economic Affairs' iPAS (Industry Professional Assessment System) to establish a comprehensive energy talent cultivation chain.

• Strengthen Dual-Standard Teaching Material Development (108 Curriculum Guidelines and NGSS): Release the "Wind Tycoon" board game along with accompanying teaching resources.

• Foster Industry Talent Integration: With the support of industry partners like Hengs Technology, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), and Ørsted, continue to channel young talent into the green energy industry.

Special thanks go to AESEA Supervisor, Chin-Hsiang Yuan, for personally dedicating his time to the training, as well as to KidWind founder Mr. Michael Arquin for his longstanding support of the Asia-Pacific region.