Eight high schools went oar-to-oar in self-made boats yesterday in a contest aimed at promoting architecture and engineering to young people.

The inaugural Cardboard Boat Challenge, organised by the Institute of Bermuda Architects and the Bermuda Association of Professional Engineers, gave 23 teams two hours to build a two-person boat out of only the supplied materials, including cardboard sheets, duct tape and a box cutter. The students then took their finished designs on to the water at the National Sports Centre.

Some made it the full 50-metre distance in their makeshift vessels while others sank without trace.

Team Oracle — Jecoa Thomas, Tyrese Cheeseman, Eduardo Viera Jr and Camerin Pickering — won the competition with a time of precisely one minute, which was 13 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals.

Their prize will be a site visit to the Team Oracle base at Dockyard.

Competitor Amy Palmer, 16, a student at Saltus Grammar School who finished second in her heat, said the event helped to cement her interest in pursuing a career in architecture.

“We looked at some previous designs on the internet and tried to combine them,” she added. “We got some water in the boat but we didn’t sink.”

Her teammate, 16-year-old Meghan Soares, described the experience as “really fun” and productive.

“We learned perseverance more than anything,” she said.

“I’m interested in going into design, so this is really helpful.”