A four-day action-packed adventure for eighth-graders, Energy Camp helps develop leadership skills and promotes teamwork while teaching about cooperative enterprises, the rural electrification program and electrical safety. Each year, East Central Electric sponsors students to the camp at Canyon Camp, near Hinton, Oklahoma. This year Energy Camp will take place May 27-30, 2025, with a gathering of approximately 70 students from across the state.
While Energy Camp offers many traditional summer camp activities like swimming, hiking, basketball, and mini golf, teens also have the unique opportunity to climb a utility pole, ride in the basket of a bucket truck, watch a co-op crew at work, and create and run a co-op business. They’ll take home a new-found confidence and a host of new friends – like minded peers from all over Oklahoma.
Applications for Energy Camp 2025 are open now until March 1st.
Questions? Contact Youth Programs Administrator Penny Kendrick at 918-365-1237.
2025 Energy Camp Application
Applications open now until March 1.
By completing this application, you are signaling your agreement to the following statement:
I would like to qualify for the 2025 Energy Camp. I am an 8th grader and I understand the material I submit in this contest becomes the property of East Central Electric Cooperative for use at its discretion. I agree to abide by the rules of the contest and the judges.
Click Here to Complete Application
Contest Submission Guidelines
The Challenge: Create a Homemade Solar Oven
The mission is to design and build a solar oven to cook S'mores simply using a cardboard box and a few extra materials.
Once the oven is built, place the S'more and a thermometer in the box and close it. Place the box in direct sunlight. (Please use oven mitts when moving the lid or removing items from the solar oven once exposed to the sun.)
Please use the following guidelines:
- Solar oven should not be larger than 16 in. by 16 in.
- In 10 minutes, the temperature inside the box should increase by 15 degrees.
- You may use any available materials to line the bottom and inside of the box.
- You must design a way to cook 2 s'mores without the food touching the bottom of the oven directly.
- You must cook the two s'mores at two different heights.
Document the following:
- The date and time of your experiment.
- The temperature and weather conditions on the day of your experiment.
- The starting temperature of your solar oven.
- The size of your oven.
- The materials used to make your oven.
- How did you keep the food from touching the bottom of the oven directly?
- The height of the food from the oven floor.
- Record the oven temperature at 20-minute intervals for 60 minutes.
- What was the highest temperature achieved during the experiment?
- Which height allows the food to cook at a faster rate?
- How long did it take for your s'mores to cook?
- Did both S’mores melt?
- What did you learn from this experience?
Submit your project as either:
- A written report detailing your project and including pictures.
- A 1–2-minute video detailing your project.
Eligibility:
- Currently enrolled in eighth grade
- Your school is located within ECE’s service territory.
You may use all available resources, including the internet, teachers, library, and family members.
If your video exceeds the size limit on the entry from, please submit as a private YouTube video. Email the link to pkendrick@ecoec.com.
Past Participant Testimonies
Energy Camp is important because: 1) You get out of your comfort zone. 2) You make connections that you couldn't make elsewhere. 3) It's fun to run around with kids your age with similar interests.
- Jules Brown, 2023
Thank you so much for letting me attend Energy Camp. I had so much fun and hope other kids will learn about this so they can experience this too. When I first came to Energy Camp I had no idea what a co-op was really. Now I know so much about them and that's all because of you! I appreciate it and I will remember it all my life.
- Rachel Hembree, 2022
"This week has been fun, especially coming into this camp not knowing anyone and not knowing what to do. Energy Camp is awesome because of all the friends I made and just how friendly people are. Thank y'all for the opportunities to come here and just learn about energy and electric. Again thank you so much."
- Landon Helt, 2022
Previous Winner Sample Entries
An example of a previous winner's contest entry.