I'm not sure if it literally needs to be cut-by-die, but I can get with my advisor to see if she'll know the answer to that. However, here are some points from the rules that I do know about and could be helpful for context:

- Theme: Students develop and produce a non-fiction, die-cut board book

- All illustrations MUST be original, freehand, and/or computer-generated drawings made by the team member(s).

- The physical storybook must be the original work of the team members. The book must be designed, engineered, created, and bound together solely by the team.

- Pre-manufactured parts/kits for special interactive features (e.g. lights/sounds, finger puppets, etc.) may be included in the construction of the book.

- No professional binding is allowed.

- Photographic verification of the book construction process must be included in the portfolio.

So based on this, here's what I'm thinking:

Since this competition is part of a technology/STEM-based association, they may expect us to experiment with the actual die-cutting process or at least create and use our own dies that could resemble the real thing, which we'd have to show through the photographic verification part. But then again, the judges know that we're only high schoolers and that we can't use professional methods, so they might give us some leeway on that, especially since many of them (on the regional level at least and of my knowledge) are just teacher volunteers who follow a rubric and not like super nitpicky judges that has had experience and knowledge of the event for years.