At the digital Maker Faire Hannover on June 18, 2021, which is positioned as an interactive digital format for maker culture and STEM topics, the i-bot team is offering Germany's first Girly Robot Challenge. The participating girls will have three hours to playfully program virtual robots so that they can complete a series of tasks. To do this, they use a graphical programming language from the Open Roberta Lab. The participants and the organizers are connected via a video conferencing tool. Registration is possible here.

Participation is open to schoolgirls from fifth to seventh grade who are at least ten years old. There will be ten teams of two girls each. No previous knowledge is required to take part. "All you need is a notebook or PC with a stable internet connection, a camera and a microphone," explains Ina May, head of the Roberta RegioZentrum and coordinator of i-bot.

As in previous years, Anja Karliczek, Federal Minister of Education and Research, has once again taken on the patronage of the Maker Faire. She will welcome all participants with a short video message. "The Maker Faire is a great example of the successful transfer of science and technology to society at large. Citizen research projects of this kind can also get young people in particular interested in science. Many of the STEM clusters for children and young people funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research are based on the principle of open and creative workshops, which also aim to get young girls in particular interested in STEM. That's why I'm delighted that the Maker Faire is also offering specific activities for young girls this year. Because we definitely need more talented female inventors and researchers!"