National youth vehicle model championship roars into Taizhou

A participant guides a model vehicle through the competition course. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfabu]

The national finals of the 2026 National Youth Vehicle Model Competition opened in Taizhou on July 18, bringing together more than 3,000 young competitors from 51 teams across China. The six-day event is scheduled to run through July 23.

A young competitor watches his model vehicle during the competition. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfabu]

Open to participants aged 6 to 18, the competition combines science and technology practice, engineering innovation, national defense education and sports competition, providing children and teenagers with a platform to develop hands-on skills, creativity and scientific literacy.

Contestants steer model vehicles through the competition course. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfabu]

Throughout the event, contestants compete in a variety of vehicle model challenges that test both technical knowledge and practical ability. In the competition arena, some applied the finishing touches to their model cars with precision painting — each stroke measured, each line deliberate — while others crouched over rubber-band-powered vehicles, fine-tuning steering angles and performance before taking to the track.

As one of China's premier youth science and technology competitions, the championship has turned Taizhou into a vibrant hub of creativity and learning.