Around 90 Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) teams traveled near and far to race their uniquely crafted solar-powered cars at the 2025 National Technology Student Association Conference in Nashville, Tenn., from June 27-July 1. JSS invites students in grades 5-8 to work in teams of two to four to research, design and build the fastest solar-powered possible. Working together, students apply engineering skills and principles of math and science–plus their creativity–to create their car. After advancing through regional competitions, winning teams are invited to race their cars at the national competition at the National TSA Conference each June.

This year, nine AEOP teams competed in the national competition, hailing from Cocoa, Florida; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Vicksburg, Mississippi; Picatinny, New Jersey; the Northern Ohio Rural STEM Collaborative, Ohio; Ft. Campbell, Tennessee; and El Paso, Texas.

The atmosphere in the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center was abuzz as JSS teams prepped their solar cars for the indoor track. The cloudy weather in Nashville forced the competition indoors, and teams had to pivot to use the battery-powered option for their cars. The repair tables were packed full of teams putting the last-minute adjustments on their cars before racing.

On Sunday, June 29, all participating teams completed the time trials, where they had two opportunities to race their car for the fastest time. The 16 teams with the quickest time then advanced to the next round on Monday, June 30, for a double elimination bracket. But before race time on Monday, each team completed  interviews where they answered questions from the judges about their choices in design and build of their car. JSS final scoring combines race time, interview and portfolio scores.

On Monday, teams eagerly lined up for the final opportunity to prove that their car was the fastest in the competition. The solar cars raced down the 20-yard track, with several races coming down to a photo finish. At the end of the day, AEOP Team Triple Threat from Picatinny, NJ, a group of three sisters, took first place in the races.

After scoring concluded, three AEOP teams placed in the top 10 for National TSA finalists: 

• In 5th place, Team Triple Threat from the Blunt Family School of Math and Technology (Home school) in Evesham Township, N.J.;
• In 8th place, Team Solar Rays from Rodgers Middle School in Hillsborough County/Tampa, Fla.; and
• In 9th place, Team The Preppy Bears from New London Elementary School in New London / Ashland, Ohio.

Thank you to all the teams and supporting team advisors who participated in JSS 2025! You can learn more about JSS here.