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Financial Cost FAQs

FAQs for Financial Costs

What are the total costs for participating in Odyssey of the Mind?

School/group Odyssey of the Mind membership:  $135 (see here for savings options)
Regional Tournament registration:  $75-85 per team
Coaches Training (recommended):  $20 per coach ($0 for school coordinators)
Individual team costs:  Varies per team

Reminders:

  • The $135 membership is often paid for by the school or by a PTA/PTO group. This permits your school to have one team per problem per division. This fee is paid to the organization that creates the problem statements and administers the international program.
  • Fees for tournament registration and Coaches Training are at times sponsored by the school or PTA/PTO; in other cases, teams pay for these directly. These fees are paid to the NoVA North Region and cover the costs of renting the tournament facilities, training judges, and associated costs to execute the tournament. All judges and officials are unpaid volunteers.
  • Team costs are the supplies that the team purchases to create their solution and any snacks, team t-shirts, or other incidentals that the team may want to purchase.
  • Please note that the cost limits listed in the problem snyopses and official problem statements are NOT the fees for the program. These limits pertain to the team-created solution and are explained more fully in the Odyssey of the Mind Program Guide.

What if my school receives Title I federal funding and cannot afford the membership fee for the program?

The NoVA North Regional Board and all Odyssey organizations are dedicated to ensuring the affordability of the program. Our goal is to make the Odyssey program available to all schools and students that want to participate.

Moderate CCI membership and tournament registration fees, along with the cost limit of the long-term problems, are intended to maximize the availability of the program for all schools. However we believe that some of our schools eligible to receive Title I federal funding may decide not to participate in the Odyssey program because of these costs.

If your school faces this financial challenge, then we encourage you to contact our Regional Director to discuss how we might be able to help. All discussion will be confidential.

What if a team is in a situation where they cannot afford the costs of the program?

The NoVA North Regional Board and all Odyssey organizations are dedicated to ensuring the affordability of the program. Our goal is to make the Odyssey program available to all schools and students that want to participate.

Moderate CCI membership and tournament registration fees, along with the cost limit of the long-term problems, are intended to maximize the availability of the program for all schools. However we believe that some of our teams may decide not to participate in the Odyssey program because of these costs.

If your team faces a financial challenge, then we encourage you to contact our Regional Director to discuss how we might be able to help. All discussion will be confidential.

If a team advances to the Virginia State Tournament, who pays the expenses of going?

Each team usually pays its own expenses. How the team raises the funds is up to the students, their coaches, and parents.

Who pays the expenses for a judge to go to the State Tournament?

Generally, each judge pays his or her own expenses.

On the Cost Form, should the team pro-rate costs of items they only use part of?

Yes. Only items used and seen during the actual performance should be included on the Cost form. For example, if the team buys a quart of paint for $6, but uses only half of the paint in their final solution, the team should list only $3 on the Cost Form. Anything that appears on stage must have a value assigned on the Cost form aside from unadorned safety items.

Can you modify the Cost form? It is too tedious to list the exact cost and value within the very tiny area allowed. Or is it possible to fill it out online?

CCI designs and provides the Cost form. The form is available in Microsoft Word format at odysseyofthemind.com to make it easier for teams to fit their information on the form.

If the space is too small to use each line, the team can use every other line; there is no limit to the number of forms permitted. You can contact CCI at info@odysseyofthemind.com with your suggestions.

If the team has their own costumes or props at home, do those count toward cost?

Yes. Typically, any items not designed and made by the team would be assigned “garage sale” prices, unless they purchase an item specifically to be used as part of their solution. In that case, the team should include a receipt with their Cost form and assign the full purchase price. Remember that a fundamental tenet of Odyssey of the Mind is for students to be creative; therefore, a team might want to consider a solution that does not use prefabricated items and instead devise their own. Anything that appears on stage must have a value assigned on the Cost form aside from unadorned safety items.

Can teams use a guitar or musical instrument to provide music in the background?

Absolutely. Odyssey encourages individual artistic performances of all kinds as part of team solutions. There are special rules for how to account for musical instruments on the team’s Cost form. You might want to review the Odyssey of the Mind Program Guide for further information; a link to it is available on the Resources page.

Can the team use commercial robotics kits, like Lego MindStorms®?

Yes, it is legal to use things like this in a solution. The team should remember, though, that the judges will be scoring them on the creative elements they themselves invent, not on the creativity of the engineers at the Lego company. Also, note that certain items from these construction kits are very expensive even at garage sale prices; used computer bricks for Lego MindStorms®, for example, typically sell for over $100 each on eBay or Craigslist.

If the team is using parts (e.g., wheels) of a Lego set or Tinker Toy set, how is that priced for the budget?

The Odyssey of the Mind Program Guide gives guidance on costs for commercial items; a link to it is available on the Resources page. Typically, the team would use “garage sale” prices unless they purchase an item specifically to be used as part of their solution. In that case, the team should include a receipt with their cost form. Remember that a fundamental tenet of Odyssey of the Mind is for students to be creative; therefore, a team might want to consider a solution that does not use pre-fabricated devices and rather try to build their own device.

Do the cost of materials used in experiments for the balsa problem count toward the cost limit?

No. The cost limit for the balsa problem is $145 (U.S.). This means that the combined value of the materials used during the presentation of the team’s solution, including Style, must not exceed this amount. You might want to review the Odyssey of the Mind Program Guide (a link to it is available on the Resources page) and the problem statement for further information about cost limit and items that are exempt from cost.

Can a team use any device to play background music in their skit?

Yes, they may use musical instruments, CD/mp3 players (or similar electronics), or computers. Review the Odyssey of the Mind Program Guide (a link to it is available on the Resources page) for further information about “Itemizing items on the Cost Form” in the Penalty section. Musical instruments, computers, and audio video recorders/players may be used, but they have assigned costs that apply to all teams. You should also carefully review the problem statement because sometimes live requirements or other problem-specific rules occur.

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