2025 Official Kinetic Awards

The Very Competitive Non-Competitive Category of Awards

The Golden Dinosaur Award: #10 PINBALL WIZARDS

Awarded to either the first Sculpture to “breakdown” or the “most memorable breakdown.”

Worst Honorable Mention: #4 Sorry For Party Socking

Lowest Award known to Humankind. This is given to the Sculpture whose half-baked theoretical “engineering” did not deter its Pilot from the challenge of the race.

The Next to the Last Award: #5 Rainbow Road Rage

Awarded to the Sculpture and Pilot finishing, well, next to last. That way the end of the race can get pretty exciting.

Golden Flipper Award: #14 Bear Necessities

Awarded to the Sculpture with the most “interesting” water entry.

Best Pit Crew: #11 Friendship

Awarded and judged by the Pit Crew “Spy Crew,” who observe patience, ingenuity and resourcefulness, and quick thinking in the face of a kinetic disaster.

Best Costume: #9 Thing-A-Ma-Rig

Awarded by The Fashion Police who keep the criteria a closely closeted secret.

Best Bribes Award: #19 Kinetic Cruiser

Awarded to the Vehicle and Pilot whose standing in the race depended heavily on the quality of bribes given out.

Sock Creature of the Universe Award: #24 Loose Bushings

Awarded to the Homemade Sock Creature and its creator for its universal and timeless beauty.

The Judges’ Fill-in-the-Gap Award (Ed, Diamond & Luke Award): #27 Safe Space

Awarded by the Judges who always complain about the award they want to give, but can’t. So this is the spontaneously-awarded, on a whim, needed-to-be-recognized-fill-in-the-gap award. Like a donut hole reunited with the donut!!!

This year we honor the late Kinetic Judge Kim Domanski with this award who brought her creativity, kindness and loving spirit to the Kinetic Sculpture Race, Baltimore, and beyond. We hope to carry on her legacy and put our heart into everything we do, just like Kim did.

2025 Play AWARD: #1 1987 AMF Fire Truck Pedal

This category celebrates the team who really got this year’s theme. The 2025 Play Award goes to the vehicle and team tapped into the playground of the imagination to wow us and make us smile. This award takes the cake!

The Spirit of the Glorious Founder Award: #15 MPH: BLT

Granted in honor of the Glorious Founder of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, Hobart Brown, who in his infinite wisdom knew it was a good thing to reward a team or volunteer whose heart was in the right place and embodied the spirit of the race as Hobart meant it to be.

**This year we have the privilege of gifting a trophy for this award and a special handmade medallion created by the Soda Quackers Kinetic Team - a special gift on our 25th anniversary race to highlight Hobart Brown’s legacy**

The GoodFellow Award: #28 Play2-Pu5

For the kindest, most helpful, all-around good-est fellow on the racecourse! Some Kinetic racers build for speed. Some for art. Some for the sheer joy of glorious kinetic mayhem. But then there are those special few who make the race better for everyone - the ones who lend a helping hand, cheer on a struggling competitor, offer up a spare bolt (or an entire wheel) to anyone despairing with questionable engineering choices.

This award honors Bobby Goodfellow. A Kinetic Sculpture Race veteran who embodied the true spirit of kinetic camaraderie: being helpful, sportsmanlike, and an all-around Goodfellow.

The Very Very Competitive Competitive Category of Awards

Ace Pilots Awards: #20 Brick Mobile & #19 Kinetic Cruiser

The ACE Award is the most prestigious individual honor a racer can garner. This prize is a special miniscule, machine-made medal all the way from China (think Congressional Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, and Einstein Genius Knights of the Round Table Award). Many of the machines and pilots that race in other parts of the world do so only for this award and eschew any other glory or honors. A pilot who obtains this medal has conquered not only a race course, but his/her machine, and him/herself.

The People’s Choice: #26 Tick Tock the Croc

Awarded to the Bush League or Official Kinetic Sculpture and Pilots with the most popular vehicle. This prize is scientifically determined by our Flock of Chickens who canvas all of Baltimore during the course of this endless race. This year’s People’s Choice Award is dedicated to Mike Oh, of the always crowd-favorited Tick Tock The Croc Team- Mike’s positive energy, dedication to keeping the magic of the croc alive, and zest for life will always be remembered.

The Speed Award: #17 Gael Force

Awarded to the Sculpture and Pilot with the fastest elapsed course time after any time-penalty infractions have been added.

Engineering Award: #12 Proud Mary’s Return

Awarded by Judges who know a good working machine when they see it. This prize takes into consideration the genius involved in conquering the course obstacles through Sculpture design, as well as any ingenious facet of the design that functions in a truly unique or Glorious Manner.

The Art Award: #2 Image Man

Awarded by the Art Judges. Category includes consideration of color, costumes, two and three dimensional “artistic designs,” kinetic motion, humor, theatrical appeal, and mass crowd- and media glory-seeking.

And finally, the one we've all been waiting for...

The 2025 Grand East Coast National Mediocre Champion:

#3 Wheel Horse

Awarded to the Sculpture and pilot finishing in the middle. At The World Championship in Ferndale, California, you would win a very mediocre classic car, like a 1957 Rambler, which is, in fact, a really nice mediocre prize. But in the Baltimore East Coast National Championships you are guaranteed to win a really mediocre prize and you can compete in California in the World Championship Race, if you want to.