Kansas City, MO – October 15, 2026 – The 10th season of Make48 has officially wrapped, and what a way to celebrate a decade of making and innovation! We invite you to get an inside look at the Season 10 National Championship as it unfolded at the community-centered Operation Breakthrough Ignition Lab in Kansas City, Missouri. Seven qualifying teams from across the country gathered to take on a challenge centered on community impact, working alongside Veterans Community Projec

When The Dream Makers, now known as The Dreamers, stepped up to compete in Season 9’s National Championship, they did more than present a winning concept. They captured first place, stole our hearts, and sparked a light from beneath. Today, this talented team from the Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) is ready to share their journey on one of the nation's most influential stages. On October 27th, just one block from the White House, the team will take the main stage at

Kansas City, MO – October 1, 2026 – The 10th Make48 National Competition was one for the books, marking a full decade of high-stakes, 48-hour innovation marathons and countless breakthrough prototypes. Over the past ten years, Make48 has tackled some of society’s most pressing challenges alongside iconic brands like Stanley Black & Decker, Corteva, Harley-Davidson, and Sporting KC – spanning issues from scalable sustainability and food scarcity to interactive games and stadi

There are educators who follow a curriculum, and then there are educators who fundamentally reshape the way students view what they are capable of achieving. For 31 remarkable years in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), Tina Gleason has been that guiding light. As a beloved teacher at Golda Meir School – and a nominee for America’s Favorite Teacher – Tina has spent decades fostering curiosity and hands-on innovation. While August 29th marked her official retirement from MPS, one

Kansas City, MO – September 24, 2026 – Operation Breakthrough’s Ignition Lab recently served as the ultimate host for the Make48 Season 10 National Championship. Seven powerhouse regional winning teams gathered in Kansas City, bringing their creativity, grind, and team spirit together to tackle a meaningful, real-world challenge in partnership with Veterans Community Project (VCP). The Mission: Empowering Veterans Community Project Founded in Kansas City, the Veterans Communi

Wichita, KS – [September 23, 2026] –Make48 is officially back on screen for a milestone 10th season, premiering Wednesday, October 7, 2026, on Roku’s This Old House Makers Channel at 8:00 PM CST. In a two-episode special, viewers get an all-access pass to the floor at Wichita State University’s GoCreate makerspace. In a city world-renowned for its aviation legacy, seven student teams took on Fastenal’s “Altitude Upgrade” challenge—a high-pressure mission tasked with reinventi

“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” Abraham Lincoln In an 1863 letter, President Abraham Lincoln eloquently captured our shared responsibility to those who serve. More than 160 years later, the sentiment behind our 16th President’s words continues to ring true. This weekend, Make48 carries that spirit forward into the

Kansas City, MO – September 17, 2026 – The 10th National Make48 Competition is set to bring together some of the brightest minds from classrooms around the country, channeling their creativity toward a very good cause: Kansas City’s Veterans Community Project (VCP). Building for Dignity: The Veterans Community Project Photo Credit: VCP To better understand the heart behind this year’s challenge beneficiary, I sat down with Chris Admire, Executive Director of VCP Kansas C

Menomonie, WI – September 3, 2026 – Last month, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University played host to our largest regional competition of the season, and the energy inside the UW-Stout Polytechnic FabLab was immediate from the moment the clock started. Teams took on "The Future of Fast Food Innovation," tackling real-world industry pain points with rapid prototyping and ingenuity. From initial sketching and ideation to hands-on fabrication with power tools, 3D printers, and expe

This September 18–20, seven teams take center stage in Kansas City for the 10th national competition for Make48. There is no venue better suited than the Ignition Lab at Operation Breakthrough. Make48 CEO Tom Gray noted, "Operation Breakthrough and Make48 both have assets we want to maximize. Operation Breakthrough has a fully developed makerspace, and Make48 has an event, documentary, and Makers who can make unique projects." Yet the state-of-the-art tools of the Ignition L