An “Eggcellent” Night: Annual Egg Drop Contest Cracks Up Farmer’s Market Crowd
A student in the Poly Pack club prepares to drop an egg package from 30 feet during the annual egg drop competition at the San Luis Obispo Farmer's Market (Photo/Jack Sann)
At the San Luis Obispo Farmer’s Market, a crowd of over a hundred people holds its collective breath as a packaging student prepares to drop an egg from a 30-foot scissor lift.
When the egg plummets to the blue tarp below, a splat fills the air. And when the student opens a package created to protect the egg, yolk drips down the side, prompting groans from onlookers and an exaggerated thumbs down gesture from the student holding the ill-fated egg.
The verdict: Nope.
The 10th annual Egg Drop, put on by Cal Poly packaging club Poly Packs and sponsored by Pregis, was held on May 9th in downtown San Luis Obispo. Free to enter, the egg drop had two different divisions: the open division, where people could bring their design with their own supplies with some stipulations, and the assembled kits division, where participants could use the supplies provided by the event to make their package design.
The competition is a way to engage the community of San Luis Obispo and allow them to learn about the packaging club on campus, according to packaging student Maya Lojo, who was the lead coordinator for the event.
“When we are out here on Higuera and at the farmers market, it gets people interested in packaging, seeing the different designs, and just aware of what our major is and what our club is on campus,” Lojo said.
Participants in the egg drop competition prepare packages they hope will protect eggs from a 30-foot drop. (Photo/Jack Sann)
According to packaging student Ella Crespo, who was one of the coordinators of the event, it lets people learn more about why packaging is important by allowing participants to test different types of materials to protect a fragile product.
“I think an egg is a great way to incorporate that,” Crespo said.
Creating the packages embodies how Cal Poly students embrace Learn by Doing and in the process learn about sustainability and practicality.
There is a lot of physics involved with creating a safe egg drog package. (Graphic/Sarah Davenport)
Bringing in buttery popcorn, barbecue, boba tea and other food from the market stalls, people filed in and out of the event with little kids and adults alike signing up for the open kit division with encouragement from Joffe, who was the main announcer of the event, and the other announcers. Sitting on the curb and finding other places to work on the sidewalk, they poured over the materials, trying to find the perfect design to safely deliver the egg to the ground.
Onlookers cheered loudly at each success and groaned when eggs did not survive the fall. These reactions from the crowd were directed by the students from Poly Packs, who would judge each fall and make their predictions on the egg’s fate.
If the package bounced on the tarp, they seemed more optimistic than when it made a loud splat.
The Dean’s Fund for Excellence helps support clubs like Poly Pack, which offers additional Learn by Doing esperiences outside the classroom.
In each division, there was a $350 prize for first place, $250 prize for second place, and a $100 prize for third place,
“We are dealing with pretty big prizes, so we want it to feel earned, “Joffe said.
There were about 18 students in the open division and 80 participants in the assembled kit division, according to Lojo.
Students in the club said the designs became more effective as the event progressed.
“After the first round or so, we were like, ‘Oo, maybe we made it too hard, because most of them were failing, but then by the end of the night I think about probably half of them survived and half of them didn’t, and that’s ideally what we want to happen” Joffe said.
Crespo said that the winners were based on a calculation that factored the weight, height, and length of the package and how fast it falls.
Photo Gallery: Images from the 2024 egg drop contest at the San Luis Obispo Farmer’s Market. (Photos/Jack Sann)
Lojo enjoyed seeing all the different designs in the event.
“I think my favorite part of the event was just seeing everyone’s designs, just seeing how creative people get with the materials that are being used,” Lojo said. “We have seen a lot of people wrapping it up, just layering it as much as possible, we have seen kind of little squares where they actually try to make a box with foam. Just very creative all around.”
A young child gazes at Poly Pack students on a scissor lift. (Photo/Jack Sann)
The designs varied in size, and unique materials were used in people’s attempt to protect the egg. Some designs used popcorn and marshmallows to pad the outside of the egg with pipe cleaners binding it, and a lot of designs used foam.
Some designs were even upside down, and others tried to make a paper parachute to make the landing slower and potentially less impactful.
Joffe and the other announcers kept it lively during the event, narrating when the egg dropped, telling egg jokes and making egg puns.
Some commentary included calling the event ‘eggcellent.’
Joffe also interviewed the audience about everything relating to eggs including how they like their eggs made and why they designed their package the way they did.
“It was really fun,” Joffe said. I did it last year for some of the time as well. I just enjoy talking. I’m a bit of a yapper, and I feel like I’m good at getting people’s energy up and going up to random people and interviewing them.”
©2024 California Polytechnic State University