AY Honors/Great Ball Contraption

Great Ball Contraption

Skill Level

1

Year

2026

Version

04.06.2026

Approval authority

North American Division

Overview

The Great Ball Contraption (GBC) is a popular collaborative LEGO building theme. A GBC is essentially a Rube Goldberg-style machine made from LEGO (primarily Technic elements) that continuously moves small LEGO balls (soccer/basketball style) from one module to the next in a chain, like a bucket brigade. Modules connect seamlessly when built to official GBC standards, allowing large group displays at events and shows.

The Great Ball Contraption Honor teaches engineering principles, mechanical design, problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity through fun LEGO building. It emphasizes reliability, testing, and teamwork while creating entertaining, chainable modules that can be combined into impressive group displays. It’s a hands-on way to explore mechanics, physics, and innovation in a playful, community-oriented format. This honor works well for LEGO enthusiasts and encourages both individual builds and group participation in real GBC events or club activities.

The Challenging Part

The most challenging requirement of this honor is probably this:

13. In a group, put together a connected collection of at least five modules, which must use at least three different lift mechanisms. Successfully transfer 27 out of 30 balls through the entire collection of individual modules.