12 secondary schools compete in 2025 Guyana Monaco Mousetrap Car Grand Prix

The 2025 edition of the Guyana Monaco Mousetrap Car Grand Prix was held on Friday, February 7, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, and students of 12 secondary schools that competed in this thrilling engineering and creativity challenge were tasked with designing and building their own model cars powered by a mousetrap engine.

Organized by SBM Offshore with support of the Education Ministry and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the event provided students with opportunity to showcase their engineering, creativity, and innovation skills in competition in three categories: Acceleration, Advanced, and Innovation and Creativity.
Each team battled for the prestigious first prize on offer in their respective categories, among which were a cash award of $350,000 to support the development of their school’s science laboratory, and a trip to Monaco to compete in the international meet.

Abram Zuil Secondary on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) were adjudged winners in the Acceleration category. Their car was driven the farthest in the shortest amount of time, their innovative design thus outranking the competition and demonstrating their engineering prowess.
St. Roses High claimed top spot in the Advanced category with their impressive car not only racing along the track, but autonomously reversing to the starting line after completing the course. Their success highlighted students’ advanced engineering and programming skills.
Paramakatoi Secondary, a first-time competitor and the only hinterland school in the competition, were adjudged winners in the Innovation and Creativity category. Their car was built with an indigenous material that is traditionally used to craft arrows for hunting and fishing. With the plant material being both lightweight and strong, the car had a unique advantage in showcasing those students’ creativity and resourcefulness.
This year’s event marked the third edition of the Guyana Monaco Mousetrap Car Grand Prix, which continues to grow in both popularity and participation. With the competition being open to all secondary schools in Guyana and with registration being conducted online, an accessible platform was created for young minds to engage in practical science and engineering projects.
The competition highlighted the importance of fostering creativity, problem-solving and teamwork among students, and underscored the role of corporate and governmental partnerships in providing valuable learning opportunities for the next generation of innovators and engineers.