Happy New Year!

With news from NY Odyssey about Scholarship opportunities, pin design winners and pin pictures, important deadlines for coaches and our reular coaching corner.

Your STEAM-powered Odyssey!

Want to win $1,000 towards your school tuition or expenses?

NYSOMA’s scholarship committee is now accepting applications from high school seniors and college freshmen for the 2026 NYSOMA scholarships.

The challenge is to create a video and explain how you and your team used STEAM principles (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) in your Odyssey solutions. Brag about your creativity: performances, props, scenery, costumes and devices you have built using artistic and engineering design principles.

The deadline for submissions is March 1^st, 2026, and winners will be invited to receive their awards at State Finals and have their videos showcased on a giant LED screen.

For full details and to access the online application,

visit www.nyodyssey.org/scholarship-application.

COU Scholarships

Creative Opportunities Unlimited (COU), the non-profit arm of Odyssey of the Mind, is also accepting applications for a number of different scholarship opportunities.

If you are a high school senior, a college freshman, sophomore, or junior, or a college senior pursuing post-graduate education then consider applying for one of several COU scholarships. 

For more information,

visit https://www.creativeopportunities.org/scholarshipintroduction

Announcing the 2026 Pin Design Winners

Toaster set

- Veronica Talma - (Odyssey Alumni)

Block OMER

- Anabel Chan - (Sandfordville ES)

Playbill: Phant-OM of the Opera

- Evan Antolick - (Odyssey Alumni and Coach of the Division 4  team).

And here are all of the 2026 New York Pins

Take a sneak peek at this year’s finished pins – available for purchase at your local regional tournament and at the souvenir booth at State Finals

Toaster set

Chickens in Boots set

Fruit and Ladybirds set

Single Pins

Coaches Corner

Team Registration Deadline January 9^th, 2026

To compete in your regional tournament the team’s problem and division, plus regional tournament registration must be completed by January 8^th by 11:59pm.

Register in the Members Area in Odyssey HQ.

Any questions contact either your Regional Director or Lynn at Llucas@nysoma.org

Coaching Tips

Team Meeting Times

Fitting Odyssey team building and practice time around holidays, school breaks, and team member absences is hard!

• Morning meetings on weekends (or weekdays over breaks) may work better for your team than hectic afternoons or evenings. Plus, breakfast-y snacks like bagels or donut holes are always fun!

• Having your team divide themselves up into smaller groups of 2 or 3 to tackle long-term projects separately allows for different meeting times and locations, while still getting the work done.

• Practice the same Spontaneous problem separately with smaller groups of team members and then have them compare how Group A solved it vs. Group B.

Read the Problem!!

Don’t forget to read, read, and reread the Problem and the Program Guide – especially Chapter 5 and the Glossary.

Remember to submit any team specific clarifications by February 15th

(H) OMers' Odyssey - Vol 1

Take a peek at what life is like for participants in Odyssey of the Mind. We will be posting updates and reports from several Odyssey teams from New York throughout the season: preparing, competing and just having fun!

Warwick Valley - Div 2

Our Odyssey of the Mind season is off to a fiery start, just like our favorite snack, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos! This month has been full of creativity, teamwork, and a new team tradition we’re excited about.

Meet Omer the Roamer, our team’s version of “Elf on the Shelf.” Omer shows up in a different spot every meeting and keeps things fun while we brainstorm ideas, build our solution, and laugh together during practice.

As we work on our problem, we’ve also set some goals for the season. Some of us are trying to speak up more during spontaneous problems, others are learning how to use new tools in the workshop, and all of us are working on becoming a stronger team as we get to know each other better. These skills will help us at competition and also help us feel more confident working together.

This month, we officially started building the solution we designed as a team. It’s been exciting to see everyone share ideas and help each other out. Some teammates who were quieter at first are starting to speak up more, and it’s made our teamwork even better.

This is just the beginning, but our team is already having a lot of fun and is excited for what’s ahead!

Bethlehem CSD - Div 3

A video greeting from Rayne, Nex, Erics, Stephanie, Nicholas, Jeremy & Bridger. All seniors except for one.

Hoosic Valley – Div 1

During the month of December a brand-new team was formed to represent Hoosic Valley Elementary in the Division I, Region 4 OOTM competition.

It happened when a group of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders walked with their families into an information session on a Saturday morning.  Jacob, Brody, Dominic, Violet, Maela and Charlie had all heard about Odyssey, but none had ever participated or even watched an Odyssey performance.  However, a brief presentation, and a few hands-on and verbal spontaneous problem examples - they were all hooked!  Before the end of the session, they had already unanimously agreed on what Long-Term problem they would like to do.

All the families were equally excited and set the date for their first official OOTM team meeting.  During this first meeting, this eager group jumped immediately into sharing ideas and got right into setting up their story!  They continued brainstorming while breaking for a snack, then began to even walk through a potential sequence for a performance.  There was so much laughter, silliness and excitement in the room! This group is sure to make the most of their time together and have begun to form friendships that will likely last a lifetime!

Saratoga Independent School – Primary

Our first weeks of togetherness have been spent connecting, collaborating, and building team spirit!  Puzzles, pictures, marshmallow structures and lots of laughs!

East Main Elementary School - Odyssey Angels

Let me start by introducing our team. We are a division 1 team from Port Jervis, NY. We are made up of three 4th graders and four 3rd graders. Our team members are Aubrey, Jaggar, Andrew, Michael, Sofia, Lincoln, and Sadie. The team is off to a great start, and they have already started brainstorming fun and creative ways to help their community. They have decided they would like to help the furry friends in our community this year. The team has decided to help the animals in our local animal shelter.

They plan to reach out to the shelter and talk with them about things they could use and then gather items that the animals need. The team also knows that along with things the animals need attention too. So the team members want to arrange times to visit the animals and help walk or play with them as well. Also, the team had the great idea of using their crafting skills that they learn in OM to make toys for the animals as well that will help them find joy, encourage play, and help keep their minds stimulated in the shelter while they wait for their future homes. We can't wait to see the results of their hard work! 

November News

With information on Regional Tournaments, Clarifications, Odyssey Alumni, Odyssey Angels, NYSOMA's recognition as an Ethical Non-profit organization, and a new regular feature - Coaching Corner.

Regional Tournaments

Our first regional tournament is usually Region 13 but this year it’s Region 15 leading the way on February 7th at MT Morris CSD.

Check out the dates for all the other NY regional tournaments: https://www.nyodyssey.org/regional-tournaments.

If you can volunteer to help, please contact the Regional Director.

Details of all regional contacts can be found at https://www.nyodyssey.org/regional-info

Check out the Role of a Judge together with some scholarship video submissions from OMers that talk about why you should become an Odyssey Judge.

Clarifications

Odyssey HQ has already posted General Clarifications to Problems 2 and 4, which can be found here.

General clarifications can be posted all the way up to World Finals so keep checking back.

If the team has a question that cannot be answered by reading the problem, checking the Program Guide or the general clarifications then they may submit that question under the coach’s account.

Help on submitting a “Team Specific Clarification” can be found at

https://odysseyofthemind.com/member-area/

Scroll down to middle of page > Tutorials > How to submit a Team-specific Clarification

Please take note:

The deadline to submit team-specific clarifications is February 15, 2026.

The clarification system is not intended to replace reading the problem and program guide. Teams should read the problem and its limitations, all general clarifications, and the general rules listed in the Program Guide BEFORE requesting a clarification.

Please do not submit a clarification that asks:

• If an idea is creative or if one idea would receive more score than another. (No comment regarding subjective scoring will be provided.)

• Where the judges or audience will be positioned during the performance. (That is a question for your tournament director.)

• To confirm the wording of the problem.

• If something may be different from an aspect that is specifically required. (For example, if the problem requires 1/8″ wood for a part you may not use 1/16″ wood for that required part.)

You can only submit a Teaam Specific Clarification if the Head Coach has registered the problem and division of the team.

Who are our Odyssey Alumni?

Well, most people think that the only way is to have been on a team, and yes, we do encourage all graduating seniors to register in the Alumni database. So wherever their next step takes them, there is most likely an OM Association nearby that needs volunteers or a fellow OMer looking to connect.

What is less well known is that people who have coached or acted as a Judge at a NY tournament can also register – enabling them to stay in touch with Odyssey after moving accross the country or taking a break locally.

So, what are you waiting for? Join now!

Odyssey Angels

Be a hero in your community!

The worldwide community often proves its ability to work together to help those suffering from a major disaster. While this generosity is important, too often those suffering in our neighborhoods get overlooked. Whether it’s an elderly woman needing help carrying her groceries, or a family struggling to pay their bills, someone often needs help right in our backyards.

The Odyssey Angels program challenges you and your team to use your unique creative problem-solving abilities to help some aspect of your community that would otherwise be overlooked. In return, one team will be selected to attend World Finals to present how it helped its community.

We already know of one team in NY who are doing an Odyssey Angels public service project this year, why don't you too?

To apply to become an Odyssey Angel, click here.

Candid Seal of Approval

NYSOMA has just been recognized as a top non-profit organization.

We have received the coveted Gold Seal of approval from the Candid Organization that links non-profit organizations with potential donors and funding agencies.

Also...it will soon be Giving Tuesday.

Consider providing needed financial support to New York

Odyssey, funding scholarships for HS seniors and helping new organizations/schools establish an Odyssey Program in their community.

Ready to support NY Odyssey?

Donate Here

Coaching Corner

A new regular feature of our blog is going to be tips and tricks from experienced coaches to pass on what has worked for them.

Part 1: Brainstorming

If team brainstorming leads to one person dominating, lack of participation, arguments, or other issues, here’s 3 tips you can try:

-Have all team members lay on the floor (looking up) while saying their ideas

-Have each team member (silently) write 3 ideas on a piece of paper, which Coach collects and passes on to another team member, who adds more ideas to the first 3

-Give each team member a small piece of Play-Doh or clay to manipulate into an idea or as a fidget.

Additional information can be found at https://www.nyodyssey.org/idea-generation

Bonus...Spontaneous Mini Challenges

Here are a set of quick spontaneous challenges as well as a set of repeated exercises your team can do to get skilled at using common Odyssey materials . You can substitute with other materials and alter the instructions for each one, as appropriate