Chicago, IL – Now, more than ever, families are looking for fun, educational activities to keep kids entertained at home with schools, social life and communities looking unexpectedly different this year. To champion nerdy talents at home and provide students with engaging ways to be creative together, today NERDS® – the popular candy brand that celebrates being better together  – announces a first-time partnership with Rube Goldberg, known for the famously complex “machines” that perform the simplest of tasks in the most creative and fun way possible. As families continue to adjust to financial concerns in today’s economy while seeking ways to spark creativity, NERDS has committed to sponsoring 100 teams, up to 1,400 students/family groups, in the virtual 2021 Rube Goldberg Machine Contest®: “Shake & Pour a Box of NERDS.”

With new 2020 research showing that 73 percent of families are taking advantage of time at home and looking for ways to connect1, it comes as no surprise that Rube Goldberg Machines™ serve as a fun and interactive way for students to continue learning and developing critical skills during an unconventional time for educational and extracurricular activities. The Rube Goldberg Machine Contest® channels the NERDS spirit of perfectly imperfect by honoring students who design the relatively simple task in the most complex way possible.

“With the ‘Shake & Pour a Box of NERDS’ challenge, NERDS aims to fuel the innovative spirit in all of us by bringing student inventors together with an exciting, STEM-inspired activity,” said Kelly Peyser, NERDS Senior Brand Manager. “We’re thrilled to partner with Rube Goldberg and encourage students nationwide to embrace and celebrate their nerdiness together while building the next generation of iconic Rube Goldberg Machines.”

Shake & Pour a Box of NERDS: How It Works

Every year a new task is assigned for the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest and participants create complex machines that perform the same simple “end” task. Machine inventors are encouraged to use readily available, found materials and give each machine a narrative and sense of humor. For this year’s task, contestants will build a Rube Goldberg Machine, per contest rules, with the final step having the machine “Shake & Pour a Box of NERDS.” Each eligible submission will be judged, and individual feedback will be provided by a panel of experts. The winning teams will be notified and announced on the Rube Goldberg website.

“We are so excited to partner with Nerds candy as the task sponsor for this year’s Rube Goldberg Machine Contest,” said Jennifer George, the Legacy Director of Rube Goldberg, Inc., the not-for-profit that bears her grandfather’s name. “The task for 2021 to ‘Shake & Pour a Box of Nerds’ is perhaps the most fun, colorful, kid-centric, and tasty task we’ve had in our 33 years of competition.  We can’t wait to see what student and family builders come up with!”

Registration is now open for teams to enter the competition, which will culminate in the International finals taking place virtually in spring of 2021. The Team Leader (18 or over) can sign up on behalf of the student team by entering campaign promotional code, ‘NERDS2021’, when registering to be one of the first 100 teams that receive free entry admission from NERDS. Specifically, students can register for one of the three divisions: Division Apprentice (ages 8-11), Division I (ages 11-14) and Division II (ages 14-18), and families can enter the new Family Division.

Parents and teachers can visit RubeGoldberg.com to learn more about the partnership and student enrollment details, or read the 2021 Rule Book. The deadline for the “Shake & Pour a Box of NERDS” contest is March 3, 2021. Winners will be announced on April 17, 2021. The first place team will win a team trophy and a $250 award plus a matching amount for a favorite charity as well as Rube Goldberg swag.

These great brands were brought together by Rube Goldberg’s licensing agency, Brand Central.

Click here for the fun launch video!

The Power of Teamwork: Proving NERDS are Better Together
NERDS, one of Ferrara’s fastest growing brands, is committed to celebrating nerds and bringing people together. The brand stories feature six different colors of NERDS characters who each represent a unique personality, including Curiosity, Creativity, Spontaneity, Deep Thinking, Logic and Humor. The six personalities are better together – much like how a Rube Goldberg machine is better when designed by teammates that bring their unique talents together to take on the challenge

About Rube Goldberg

Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was a Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist best known for his comical chain reaction “invention cartoons,” which were published in the weekly comics in hundreds of newspapers. The overwhelming popularity of these drawings made him and his cartoons a cultural icon, an adjective in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and a term which is invoked daily in American media and by thousands of individuals. The concept behind all Rube Goldberg invention cartoons – complicated and funny ways to accomplish simple tasks – is responded to universally. The beloved Rube Goldberg Machine contests, which started as a small event in 1988, are now an annual nationwide competition, welcoming teams from around the U.S. to celebrate his legacy. In addition to the annual competitions, Rube Goldberg, Inc. – a not-for-profit whose focus is on STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) – offers traveling museum exhibitions, books, licensing, merchandising, customized education curriculum, and entertainment opportunities, which continue to grow and enhance the brand. Follow Rube Goldberg on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Use hashtag #rubegoldbergmachine. To watch one of our favorite examples of a Rube Goldberg Machine, click here.

About NERDS

NERDS is the playful and fun-to-eat candy with a variety of delicious, crunchy, chewy and gummy options: Original NERDS including the iconic dual-flavored box, NERDS Ropes, Big Chewy NERDS… and now NERDS Gummy Clusters. The original iconic box couples two complementary flavors with dual chambers, allowing candy lovers to pour out perfectly imperfect pieces of pure delight. NERDS Ropes give fans a chewy, fruity string packed with crunchy, sweet NERDS, and Big Chewy NERDS and Sour Big Chewy NERDS have a crunch that surrounds a chewy center. The new NERDS Gummy Clusters have tangy, crunchy, mini NERDS clustered around a sweet gummy center for a poppable tasty bite. To find a retailer near you, and to learn more about the NERDS product portfolio, visit www.nerdscandy.com and follow @NerdsCandy on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. 

About Ferrara

Ferrara, a company related to The Ferrero Group, is an emerging powerhouse in the North American confections and sweet snacking categories. A passionate team of nearly 6,000 employees works together to share delight in every bite through leading brands that have shaped the industry for more than 100 years. Our diverse portfolio of nearly 35 brands includes SweeTARTS®, Trolli®, Brach’s®, Black Forest® and NERDS®, along with iconic favorites like Lemonhead®, Red Hots® and Now and Later®. Ferrara also manages the Keebler® and Famous Amos® businesses for The Ferrero Group. Headquartered in Chicago, Ferrara has an operational network of 20 locations in North America that includes manufacturing, distribution and R&D facilities. Learn more at www.ferrarausa.com.