Season 5 of Make48 will start airing Monday, September 12 2022, on PBS. This season of Make48 will reach over 90% of US households on local PBS stations. Check your local PBS station for viewing dates and times. The newest season will also be available for streaming with a new episode being released each Monday for 10 weeks starting on the 12th at PBS.org.
In 2021, Make48, the fastest invention-competition and docuseries, transformed the success of the PBS Documentary into a movement and executed 4-city competitions. Expanding beyond television, Make48 launched the Make48 City Series with great success. The eight participating teams for Season 5 were the top two winners from four 2021 regional competitions held in Wichita, KS, Madison, WI, Indianapolis, IN, and Hartford, CT. Challenge sponsors included industry leaders Koch Industries, Midwest Prototyping, Eli Lilly and Stanley Black & Decker.
Stanley Black & Decker is proud to share in the vision and purpose of the Make48 program. Dedicated to educating and inspiring those who build and invent to make a better world, Stanley Black & Decker has committed, and remains one of Make48 leading supporters, helping deliver the educational series to the public. It is the company’s fifth season of support.
“Season 5 is really special this year”, says Tom Gray, Make48 CEO & Co-Creator. “These teams were the best of the best in the ‘City Series’ competitions leading up to Nationals. The prototypes built were pretty impressive, and we can’t wait for the world to see what some minds can do. It doesn’t matter if you’re 8 or 80, anyone can have an innovative idea.”
Teams competed on the national stage for a grand prize of $10K, with the winning team’s product being refined by industry experts after the competition. Participants came from local communities and were composed of students, co-workers, friends, and family members of varied backgrounds and skill sets. STEAM Toys was the challenge theme at Nationals. Teams were assisted by Tool Techs, mentors, and industry experts. Filming and venue partner took place in Wichita, Kan. at GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative. The 18,000-square foot state-of-the-art makerspace hosted the 48-hour collaborative inventor and maker challenge on the Wichita State University campus.