Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) helps show the reality of modern manufacturing careers by encouraging thousands of companies and educational institutions around the nation to open their doors to students, parents, teachers and community leaders.
As manufacturers seek to fill 4 million high-skill, high-tech and high-paying jobs over the next decade, MFG Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.
To inspire West Virginia students to learn more about careers in manufacturing, we have once again partnered with the Blenko Glass Company, located in Milton, WV for the 3rd Annual Student Design Challenge. Students from around the state can submit an original design in hopes their design will be chosen and made into a Blenko Glass piece of art.
Good luck to all of the participants!
How to enter
- Create a clear drawing of your design. Tell us about your design... what inspired you?
- Students may submit one design.
- Be sure to choose a color from the list below.
- Include your name, age, phone number, grade & the school you attend.
- This is also open to students who are home-schooled.
- Submit design by April 30th, 2024.
- Send us your design via email to tracy.straub@mail.wvu.edu.
- Students will receive a confirmation email when their design has been received.
Remember: the winning design will serve as inspiration for an original Blenko creation and may not be an exact replica.
Be sure to tell us what color(s) your design should be with your entry. Color choices:
- Crystal - clear
- Cobalt -dark blue
- Olive - light green
- Tangerine - a striking yellow/red
- Turquoise - light blue
For additional information, contact Tracy Straub, Strategic Marketing Manager, at tracy.straub@mail.wvu.edu.
2022 Student Design Challenge Winner
To inspire WV students to learn more about careers in manufacturing, the WVU Industrial Extension partnered with the Blenko Glass Company, located in Milton, WV, and created the Student Design Challenge.
Students from around the state sent in their designs and we spent the day with the 2022 Student Design Challenge winner, Julia McCloy, and her family, and watched her winning design come to life.
Blenko's skilled artisans turned Julia's watercolor painting into a chicken suncatcher and a cup. With the help of her dad, Julia even made a few suncatchers herself. These products will be available for purchase soon at blenko.com.
2021 Student Design Challenge Winner
Seventh grade student, Charlie Gaull, won the inaugural competition with his Blue Crayfish design.
“One of my favorite parts of homeschooling is being able to observe nature and sketch it out in a nature journal. Crayfish are one of my favorite animals and I’ve never seen a blue one, I’d really like to. My mom assigned this as the art project for the week and seeing my design come to life was amazing,”
- Charlie Gaull
