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Cal Poly Universities Win Rose Parade Sweepstakes for Student-Built ‘Jungle Jumpstart’

The win caps a yearlong cross‑campus build by students who run the parade’s only self‑built float program.

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 31: Eaton Fire survivors (Center L to R) Ruben Rodriguez, Shimica Gaskins, and Gina Clayton-Johnson sit on the “Rising Together” Rose Parade float before float judging ahead of the Rose Parade on December 31, 2025 in Pasadena, California. The float honors the 13,000 families whose homes were lost and the 31 people who died in the 2025 L.A. wildfires. Survivors of the Eaton and Palisades fires and volunteers worked on the float, which features a phoenix rising along with 31 sunflowers, which honor those who lost their lives. On New Year’s Day, eight fire survivors will ride in the Rose Parade on the float, which is co-sponsored by the California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Image
An artist rendering of the Cal Poly Universities 77th Tournament of Roses Parade entry Jungle Jumpstart, a 23-foot-high float which is currently under construction in the Cal Poly Pomona Rose Float Lab on the university’s Pomona campus. About 50 students from Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are currently working on the float which will be in the 2026 Tournament of Roses Parade on New Years Day in Pasadena. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Overview

  • Tournament of Roses judges awarded the top prize early Thursday to Cal Poly, recognizing the most beautiful entry of the 137th parade.
  • It is Cal Poly Universities’ first Sweepstakes Award and only the seventh time a self‑built float has earned the honor.
  • Students from Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo designed and constructed the float with extensive volunteer support and mechanical engineering.
  • The rainforest‑themed design shows animals reviving a robot with more than 21,000 flowers and materials such as ground coffee, curly willow and walnut shells.
  • With rain in the forecast, the team protected delicate features using plastic coverings and tiny ponchos before judging and the parade run.