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1. Introduction
The 2026 World KidWind Challenge was held in grand style from May 17 to 20 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States. This year's event brought together 125 top teams and nearly 550 students from around the world, with participants representing 21 U.S. states, Estonia, Thailand, and Taiwan.
As the sole officially recognized organization promoting KidWind competitions in the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia-Pacific Energy & Science Education Association (AESEA) — led by Secretary-General Yang Tien-To — brought five Taiwanese teams and one Thai team to Madison, writing a new chapter in wind-energy education for the Asia-Pacific.
2. Opening Ceremony: Chairman Chou Invited to Speak
At the opening ceremony, AESEA Chairman Professor Chou Chien-Heng (Vanung University) was invited to take the stage and address the audience on behalf of the Asia-Pacific region. Centering his remarks on the message that "energy education knows no borders, and hands-on learning changes the future," Professor Chou shared the region's seven-year journey of promoting KidWind competitions since 2019 and discussed the policy significance of wind-energy education across the Asia-Pacific, drawing an enthusiastic response from delegates worldwide.
He also gave special thanks to KidWind founder Michael Arquin for his long-standing support of the Asia-Pacific competitions, and announced that the region will continue to expand its events and help more emerging countries join this global green-energy education movement.
3. Taiwan's Results: All Five Teams Take Home Awards
Taiwan's delegation delivered an outstanding performance. Fielding only five teams, Taiwan captured 4 world championships and 3 special awards (Judges' Choice Award, KidWind Spirit Award, and Blade Engineering Award) — nearly one third of the 13 world titles awarded — the best result in Taiwan's history at the event.
🥇 The Wind Nexus (Elementary Division World Champion + Judges' Choice Award): formed by students from the junior high division of Kang Ming High School and Liantan Junior High and Elementary School in Tainan, whose stable, precise turbine design stood out amid fierce competition.
🥇 Taiwan WINd POWer (Middle School KidWind Turbine Division World Champion + KidWind Spirit Award): composed of students from Bo'ai Elementary School, Wenyuan Elementary School, and the elementary division of Nanke International Experimental High School in Tainan, together with Guo'an Elementary School, Viator High School, Dade Elementary School, and Zhonggang Senior High School in Taichung, coached by Professor Hung Wei-Ching of the Department of Physics at the ROC Military Academy — a showcase of perseverance and innovation.
🥇 SL Angel Wings (Middle School Open Turbine Division World Champion): a cross-county team from Sheliao Junior High School and Yingbei Junior High School in Nantou, the junior high division of Kun Shan High School and Jianxing Junior High School in Tainan, and Kaohsiung American School, jointly coached by Mr. Chi Shang-Fu of STAR English and Mr. Chang Yu-Hao of Sheliao Junior High School — a testament to the strength of rural education.
🥇 Taiwan HUNTERS (High School Division World Champion): a cross-school team of students from Taichung First Senior High School, Taichung Second Senior High School, and Taichung Industrial High School, coached by Mr. Tsai Chung-Yi and Ms. Yang Ti-Chen of Puli Junior High School. Remarkably, in its very first season the team won every stage — from the Central Taiwan regional, through the Asia League, to the world finals — achieving a rare "triple crown" in KidWind history.
🏅 Taiwan WinDog (Blade Engineering Award): formed by students from Yinghai High School and Catholic Sheng Kung Girls' High School in Tainan together with Taichung First Senior High School, jointly coached by Ms. Lee Hsiao-Yuan of Little Stark Laboratory and Mr. Tsai Chung-Yi of Puli Junior High School, earning high praise from the international judges for its blade design and engineering.
4. Thailand's Stunning Debut: A New Milestone for Asia-Pacific Energy Education
Another highlight of this year's event was Thailand's first-ever advancement to the world championship through the AESEA system, marking the formal expansion of Asia-Pacific wind-energy education into Southeast Asia.
Although the Thai team did not take home an award this year, the students' innovative design thinking, teamwork, and polished English presentations won high praise from judges and fellow competitors alike. Several of their creations incorporated local Thai materials and cultural elements, giving their turbines a distinctive aesthetic and design identity. Their deep exchanges with Taiwanese team members at networking events made them important seeds for international cooperation across the region.
Thailand's bold debut marks a key step forward in AESEA's "from Taiwan to the Asia-Pacific" energy-education strategy. The Association will continue to support the Thai teams and is actively reaching out to Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other Asia-Pacific countries to join this green-energy education platform.
5. Postscript: Hometown Warmth and International Recognition
Upon the competitors' triumphant return, Nantou's SL Angel Wings were welcomed home to Sheliao with prize money presented by Zhushan's Zinan Temple and firecrackers set off by local residents lining the streets to greet the world champions; PTS Taigi and the Taiwan Daily Network documented the moving scene in full.
Within five days of the competition, the results had generated more than 35 reports across major media outlets, including the Central News Agency, United Daily News, Economic Daily News, Liberty Times, Yahoo News, CTS News, PTS Taigi, and the Hakka Public Communication Foundation (Hakka Radio and HakkaNews). At the central-government level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Energy Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Ministry of National Defense all offered public endorsements, while the Nantou County Government and the Education Bureau of the Taichung City Government issued simultaneous press releases in support. The official KidWind global website has also formally recorded the delegation's awards.
6. Looking Ahead
Building on this remarkable success, AESEA will continue to pursue the following initiatives:
Special thanks go to AESEA Supervisor and Chief Technology Officer Yuan Chin-Hsiang (Hanko Energy) for his hands-on involvement in training, and to KidWind founder Michael Arquin for his years of support for the Asia-Pacific region.
