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Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the impact of active learning and competition on student engagement, motivation, and learning in a STEM-focused summer workshop. This was achieved through exposing K-12 high school students to experiential activities related to concepts within the realm of medicine and engineering. The research question asked was whether these instructional approaches could enhance student interest and effectiveness in understanding complex biomedical and engineering concepts and achieving the intended goals. Methods The workshop, conducted at Michigan Technological University, involved four distinct classes: Wound Healing, Robotic Arm Construction, C-section Simulation, and Engineering Design. Each class included an interactive lecture, a teamwork activity, and a competitive component. Student engagement, motivation, and perceptions of the teaching style were assessed through questionnaires, and statistical analysis was performed to identify significant differences across the classes. Results The study showed that the Wound Healing and Engineering Design classes, which fostered positive peer interaction the most along with longer time to achieve the tasks, led to higher student engagement and motivation compared to the Robotic Arm and C-section classes. Significant differences were observed in how students perceived the teaching style, with Wound healing and engineering design classes showing more effective instructional approaches. The variability in responses obtained suggests that while competition and active learning were helpful, their effectiveness depended on the complexity and structure of the activities and their relevance to the students’ interests. Conclusion STEM workshops for high school students are most effective when they balance active learning with structured competition, align task complexity with appropriate pre-scaffolding, and incorporate clear, collaborative goals. Future educational strategies should focus on using instructional approaches that aim to align the expectations of students with those of the instructors in order to maximize the effectiveness of STEM outreach programs.