YuKonstruct vying for Instructables prize worth $20,000

The YuKonstruct makerspace in Whitehorse is neck-and-neck for first place in an international competition aimed at sharing do-it-yourself instructions for projects on the internet.

The contest is run by Instructables, a website that offers instructions on how to make pretty much anything. 

"[Instructables is] a great place to learn how to cut a tomato properly. It's a great place to learn how to build a house. And everything in between," explains John Glynn-Morris, a YuKonstruct member. 

Andrew Kalek, also a YuKonstruct member, says the idea of the Instructables Makerspace Contest is simple. 

"The idea is you build something that you thought was cool and you want other people to be able to build it, you do a step-by-step instruction and you share it." 

The contest is open to all makerspaces — community workshops where people can share tools and ideas to invent and build their own creations. 

2nd place team loses out on new equipment

The winning team in the Instructables contest is the makerspace that posts the most "DIY" projects before the end of August. YuKonstruct, with about 100 projects, is a close second to a team from Florida.

Glynn-Morris says the fact that Yukon can complete with Florida is significant. 

"We're small, but we're punching high," he says. "You don't have to be in some urban centre to be on the cutting edge of making stuff and that's really exciting." 

In a final push for first place — worth $20,000 in new equipment — YuKonstruct is on Thursday hosting a "Mini Hackathon" to help members publish as many instructables as possible.