--- title: Home | Battle of the Brains description: The Battle of the Brains is a STEM education competition where one student team wins the opportunity to see its exhibit concept come to life at Science City. image: https://botbkc.com/hubfs/BATTLE%20OF%20THE%20BRAINS/Home/2024_BOTB7_Award_Ceremony_069-scaled.jpg --- [X (Twitter)](https://x.com/burnsmacstem) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/BurnsMacSTEM) [![Battle of the Brains logo](https://1936845.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1936845/Battle%20of%20the%20Brains%20Microsite/botb-logo2018.png)](https://botbkc.com) - [The Competition](https://botbkc.com/the-competition?hsLang=en) - [Resources](https://botbkc.com/resources?hsLang=en) - [Exhibits](https://botbkc.com/exhibits?hsLang=en) - [About Us](https://botbkc.com/about-us?hsLang=en) - [THE COMPETITION](https://botbkc.com/the-competition?hsLang=en) - [RESOURCES](https://botbkc.com/resources?hsLang=en) - [EXHIBITS](https://botbkc.com/exhibits?hsLang=en) - [ABOUT US](https://botbkc.com/about-us?hsLang=en) Congrats to the Grand Prize Winner Out of 710 innovative ideas submitted for the next Science City exhibit, congratulations to the student team from Tonganoxie Middle School! Their proposal, “Mechanical Madness: The Science of Cars,” was selected as the 2025–26 Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains grand prize winner. The school will receive a $50,000 grant to support STEM initiatives, along with the opportunity to collaborate with Burns & McDonnell and Science City professionals to bring their winning exhibit to life. [Learn More](https://www.burnsmcd.com/news/tonganoxie-middle-school-wins-botb-2026) × WHAT IS BATTLE OF THE BRAINS? **Inspired by kids, built by Burns & McDonnell.** It’s Kansas City’s most exciting K-12 STEM competition — Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains. Metro area schools can earn a grant for STEM education by dreaming up an exhibit concept for Science City — and one student team sees its idea come to life in a big way! It’s a fantastic, no-cost experience for students and teachers — thinking big, exploring new things, collaborating and having fun. So far, more than 38,000 students have benefited from this immersive educational opportunity. Battle of the Brains operates on a two-year cycle: one for competition and one for exhibit build-out. Now Open: Light Lab @ Science City Waves within the electromagnetic spectrum are used for all sorts of things, from listening to music to taking X-ray pictures and more. These invisible waves sparked the idea for Light Lab from Delta Woods Middle School students, winner of the grand prize in the 2023-24 Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains competition. Their exhibit is now open at Science City. [Learn More](https://botbkc.com/exhibits/light-lab?hsLang=en) × About Us Burns & McDonnell Foundation The drive to strengthen communities is the heartbeat of Burns & McDonnell, in our work and with the Burns & McDonnell Foundation. We’ve invested more than $10 million in STEM grant programs because, for us, the opportunity to light a spark for STEM in a kid’s life is pretty amazing. Battle of the Brains is the biggest part of that. [Learn More](https://botbkc.com/about-us?hsLang=en) × The Partnership For the employee-owners of Burns & McDonnell and Science City, it’s in our DNA to inspire a passion for STEM in the next generation. Our vision and mission is to encourage these future leaders to push beyond their expectations — to dream big, plan smart and take initiative. [Learn More](https://botbkc.com/about-us?hsLang=en)     [About Us](https://www.botbkc.com/about-us?hsLang=en) [Get More Info](https://www.botbkc.com/get-more-info?hsLang=en) [![Burns & McDonnell Foundation logo](https://1936845.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1936845/Battle%20of%20the%20Brains%20Microsite/burnsmc-logo-lrg.png)](https://www.burnsmcd.com/about/social-responsibility/stem-commitment) [![Kansas City Science City logo](https://1936845.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1936845/Battle%20of%20the%20Brains%20Microsite/sccity-logo.png)](https://sciencecity.unionstation.org/) [![Union Station logo](https://1936845.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1936845/Battle%20of%20the%20Brains%20Microsite/us-logo-lrg.png)](https://unionstation.org/) There is no cost to participate in the competition and no purchase is necessary. © 2025 BOTBKC. All rights reserved.