2026 RecycleBot Challenge Celebrates Young Innovators

Rutherford County, NC - The anticipation is over, and the winners for the 2026 RecycleBot Challenge are ready to be revealed! Embracing the spirit of "Earth Month'' this April, Keep Rutherford County Beautiful (KRCB) and the Rutherford County Library invited third graders across Rutherford County to unleash their creativity by crafting robots from recycled materials, all in a bid to assist mascots Roxi and Rocki the Raccoon in their mission to upcycle and preserve the environment.

The RecycleBot Challenge was hosted in-person this year at the Rutherford County Library, welcoming community members across the county to view and vote for their favorite creations. "Hosting the Recyclebots at the County Library has been a fun and heartwarming experience. Having them out for display in-person has added an extra sense of community to the Recyclebot Challenge. I’ve loved watching people come in, be delighted by seeing all the colorful creations, and really take their time going through the bots to read the stories," says Amber Saint Clair with the Rutherford County Library.

This year, Keep Rutherford County Beautiful was delighted to receive 88 entries, showcasing a wealth of creative talent from across the county. The competition entries came from Pinnacle Elementary, Cliffside Elementary, Trinity Christian School, Lake Lure Classical Academy, and the Homeschool Association of Rutherford County. The impressive submissions made the judging process challenging for the panel of judges, including Mandi Williams with KidSenses Museum, Amber Saint Clair with Rutherford County Library System, Dr. Brock Hefflin with Keep Rutherford County Beautiful, Lindy Abrams with the Town of Rutherfordton, Elizabeth Toney with Tourism Authority of Rutherford County, Lacie Larsen with Chimney Rock State Park, and Jerry Stensland with Rutherford Outdoor Coalition.

The diversity and creativity of the RecycleBots prompted the committee to award students in nine categories including Best Overall, Most Unique, Most Creative, Best Use of Materials, Best Group Submission, Rocki's Pick, Roxi's Pick, and Fan Favorite, showcasing the exceptional talent and dedication of Rutherford County's budding environmental stewards.

Keep Rutherford County Beautiful extends its heartfelt appreciation to all participants, supporters, and volunteers who contributed to making the 2026 RecycleBot Challenge a success. Together, we celebrate the power of creativity and environmental stewardship in shaping a brighter, greener future for Rutherford County and beyond.

Winners for Best Overall (Bot and Story) are:

1st Place / Emersyn Mitchell with “Chef Recycle” at Pinnacle Elementary!

Chef Recycle lives in Botsville. Chef Recycle makes the best meals out of leftovers and scraps, reducing the use of plastic packaging and waste. He also makes sure no food is going to waste.

2nd Place / Dean Conner, Issac Hucks, and Malaiki Whiteside with "Bob 2.0" at Pinnacle Elementary

3rd Place / Harper Wilson with "Sally May" at Trinity Christian School

Winners for Fan Favorite (based on Facebook album votes) are:

1st Place / Lincoln Scarlette with "Experiment 1188" at Lake Lure Classical Academy!

Experiment 1188 lives in a creepy factory. Our robot helps the earth by collecting trash and recycling. Even though he only stops littering a little, he will make a difference. It can build shark homes because sharks are in danger. The real owner is Leafpaire but the robot is ours now. But not much is known…

2nd Place / Landyn Owenby and Grayson Lynch with "JimBob" at Cliffside Elementary

3rd Place / Brielie Mcwhirter with "Robotta" at Cliffside Elementary

Winners for Most Creative (good imagination or original ideas) are:

1st Place / Judah Wilson with "Rex" at Roots & Shoots Homeschool!

Rex lives next to the dumpster at Mooneyham Library. He eats trash and collets it for recycling. He is modelled after an ankylosaurus. He uses his head to ram into trash to break it up. If his head can't smash it or it's too hard, he makes the trash flat by stomping on it with his feet, and then he smashes it into little pieces with his tail so it's easier for his sticky tongue to grab the trash and eat it. He is programmed to scan the trash with his eyes to make sure it is recyclable material. If it is not recyclable material, he picks it up with his tongue and puts it in the dumpster near where he lives. There is a hatch on the side of him with a handle so you can get to the trash and recycle it properly. 

2nd Place / Sydney and Vinnie with "Bob" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

3rd Place / Wyatt with "Jimmybobbillybob the 37th" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

Winners for Most Unique are:

1st Place / Willy Flack with "ORES" at Trinity Christian School!

ORES (Our Recycle Express Services) lives in garages or on construction sites. It has a magnet on the undercarriage that picks up any metal objects left behind on workshop/garage floors or at construction sites.

2nd Place / Bonnie Katherine Roper with "Nike the Recycle Bot" at Trinity Christian School

3rd Place / Mark George Jensenfish with "Robot Godzilla" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

Winners for Best Use of Plastic and/or Styrofoam are:

1st Place / Colton Huffine with "Phil" at Trinity Christian School!

Phil lives at the international space station. Phil recycles the trash that orbits Earth’s atmosphere. He also collects small particles from meteors. By collecting this trash, Phil is able to help protect satellites from being destroyed.

2nd Place / Egan Wall with "B.A.R.K." at Pinnacle Elementary

3rd Place / Abigail Snipes with "Princessa" at Trinity Christian School

Winners for Best Use of Paper and/or Textiles are:

1st Place / Keenan Lynch with "Dr. Recycle Sawyer" at Pinnacle Elementary!

Dr. Recycle Sawyer lives in an abandoned toy factory. He scans with his eye and his stomach tells him to put it up and then he concentrates and uses powers to teleport the recyclables to the recycle trash box.

2nd Place / Meredith Powell with "Roby" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

3rd Place / Marlowe Kulak and Willow Jonsen with "Kitty Bot Bed" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

Winners for Roxi’s Picks are:

1st Place / Aurora Francisco with "Rose" at Cliffside Elementary!

Rose lives in the forest. Rose cleans the forest so that animals are safe and people too. And she feeds the animals too. Rose makes sure the animals have homes in the forest.

2nd Place / Mathias Cisneros with "Boxy" at Cliffside Elementary

3rd Place / Braedyn Kallay with "Jase" at Cliffside Elementary

Winners for Rocki’s Picks are:

1st Place / Emmerson Lovell with "Firn" at Cliffside Elementary!

Firn lives in the country in the Firn Tree Meadow. She collects trash to help the earth and then she takes it to the dump and once the trash has been crushed up she uses it to build things for the animals or other things. She makes birdhouses and a lot of other things.

2nd Place / John Owens with "Alexia" at Cliffside Elementary

3rd Place / Emerson Lankfort with "Alex" at Cliffside Elementary

Winners for Best Group Submission are:

1st Place / Ava Bassin and Remy Christensen with "Spring Trap Bonnie" at Lake Lure Classical Academy!

Spring Trap Bonnie lives in the city. It takes recyclable trash and turns it into educational materials. Be careful of the push pins and nails! I wouldn’t creep you out, just put your hand in. It can help little critters. It can save trees. It can take care of the earth.

2nd Place / Amierabelle Littlejohn and Reagan Hensley and Ivory Romero with "Leah" at Cliffside Elementary

3rd Place / Blakely and Chloe with "Trash Bot" at Lake Lure Classical Academy

Winners receive passes to Kidsenses Museum, passes to Chimney Rock State Park, or coupons for free ice cream from Scoop. Every third-grader who submitted a RecycleBot in the challenge receives a participation prize including a RecycleBot sticker and a seed packet.  We would like to acknowledge all the third-graders who entered the 2026 RecycleBot Challenge by listing them below by school.

Homeschool Association of Rutherford County

Judah Wilson

Cliffside Elementary School

Scotty, Mathias Cisneros, Landyn Owenby, Grayson Lynch, Aurora Billings, Daniel Zavala, Aurora Francisco, Emberlee Hannon, Zephyr Edwards, Ruby Buckner, Grace Evans, Zaydon Hayes, Jessa Terry, Brielie Mcwhirter, Braedyn Kallay, Summer Beaver, Chase Robbins, Traisen Mosley, Parker Reid, Amierabelle Littlejohn, Reagan Hensley, Ivory Romero, Emmerson Lovell, Ayla Whiteside, Emerson Lankfort, Aria Blanton, John Owens, Yarey

Morales-Smith, Journey Jackson, Makailynn Dunn, Sebastian Morrow

Lake Lure Classical Academy

Arianna Fuentes, Saoirse McNamara, Adelyn, Isabella, Jordan, Blakely, Chloe, Ava Bassin, Remy Christensen, Sydney, Vinnie, Wyatt, Meredith, Powell, Skylar Oliver, Gracie Montandon, Mark George Jensenfish, Ruthie Newton, Lillian Braddy, Marlowe Kulak, Willow Jonsen, Roman Easley, Trenton Vente, Liam Lawrence, Charlee, Noah, Brianna Chapman, Kelly Flynn, Stella Nowell

Pinnacle Elementary School

Dean Conner, Isaac Hucks, Malaiki Whiteside, Jacob Arrowood, Hank Pruett, Maci Padgett, Rylie Dunn, Egan Wall, Will Snyder, Daphne Perez-Villalobos, Leah Parker, Ella Hendrix, Tony

Rogers, Elora Alderman, Howard, Morgan Wells, Ember Gibson, Caroline Fleming, Luke Lucas, Wyatt Rogers, Emersyn Mitchell, Alexander Mozo, Knox Mason, Mitchell Wood, Braxton Graybill, Cole Brandle, Logan Haynes, Liam Millwood, Layla Escobar-Lopez, Tucker Land, Jonah Roche, Killian Siefken, Keenan Lynch, Zander Mallory, Addie Brigman, Della Dupree, Charlie Weston

Trinity Christian School

CJ Brackin, Tobias, Sully Greene, Bonnie Katherine Roper, Maisy Suttle, Aiden Tate, Carter Grief, Daisy Hull, Kora, Harper Wilson, Zaylee Arwood, Abigail Snipes, Madelynn, Willie Flack, Colton Huffine, Cassie

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all involved. This would not be possible without the support of the KRCB Committee, the participation from our public and private school systems, their teachers, the student's parents, and the donations from our prize sponsors. Special thank you to the Rutherford County Library, KidSenses Museum, Chimney Rock State Park, and Scoop Ice Cream! To see all 88 submissions as well as the winner's announcement, head to the KRCB Facebook page @KeepRCNCBeautiful. Keep up-to-date on other initiatives in the county spearheaded by KRCB to make a cleaner, more sustainable future. 

About Keep Rutherford County Beautiful:

Keep Rutherford County Beautiful (KRCB) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship, sustainability, and community beautification in Rutherford County, North Carolina. As an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, KRCB leads various initiatives, including litter cleanups, recycling programs, and educational outreach efforts, to foster a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable environment for all residents.

Follow KRCB on Social Media:

Facebook: @KeepRCNCBeautiful

Instagram: @keeprcncbeautiful