More categories

The goal of the Entrepreneurial Design Category is to encourage undergraduate engineering students to utilize their creativity and education to develop a new product or service. Engineers often develop innovative new designs that benefit society and generate economic returns. In this category, competitors must design a marketable product or service not currently available. Winning entries will combine originality, technical and economic feasibility, a solid marketing plan, and a high quality presentation and exhibit.

Entrance Requirements

One (1) team per school consisting of up to four (4) people may be accepted into the Editorial Communications category.

Each team is required to submit a one (1) page abstract that summarizes their design. The abstract will be reviewed by the OEC Organizing Committee to assess the suitability of the design for inclusion in Entrepreneurial Design and will be given to the judges for information prior to the start of judging.

Category Format

Teams in Entrepreneurial Design are required to set up an exhibit in a trade show style booth and present an oral presentation at the competition.

The exhibit should display the design in a clear, concise, well-organized, informative, and professional manner. Project drawings and technical and economic analysis reports should be part of the display. Display of a prototype or model to demonstrate the feasibility of the design is strongly recommended. During public viewing hours, the exhibit must be staffed by at least one team member in order to answer questions.

For the trade show style booth, competitors will be given:

• Setup time on the Friday evening of the competition
• One table and tablecloth (size TBA)
• One display board if desired (size TBA)
• Other furniture and audio-visual equipment available by request

For the presentation, competitors will be given:

• Access to a data projector (with computer or laptop connection available) and overhead projector
• Max. ten (10) minutes to setup prior to their presentation
• Max. fifteen (15) minutes to present. The oral presentation should summarize the technical, market, and economic analysis and demonstrate the design to the judges and the general public.
• A five (5) minute question period will follow the presentation during which the judges and the general public will be allowed to ask questions, with priority given to the judges' questions.

Please note that time constraints may be subject to change. In the event that a sufficient number of teams enter Entrepreneurial Design, the teams will be split into two groups each with its own distinct panel of judges. The top four semi-finalist teams from each group will then be required to repeat their presentation for the other panel of judges. After the judging, both panels of judges will combine and select first, second, and third place from the eight semi-finalist teams. Technical Excellence, Social Awareness, and the CIIC Awards remain open to all teams in Entrepreneurial Design regardless of whether or not they reached the semi-final round.

Judging

The most important aspects of evaluation in this category are depth of understanding of the topic, technical and economic feasibility, a solid marketing plan, effective communication, and the quality of the presentation. The depth of the team's understanding of the topic will be assessed during the question period. In order to be considered for an award in this category the team must convince the judges that the design is viable and will work if implemented. The marking scheme for the Entrepreneurial Design category is as follows:

Technical Depth and Accuracy - 20%

• Were the facts presented correct and complete?
• Was the design thoroughly analyzed?
• Did all members of the team display a strong understanding of the topic?

Marketability - 20%

• Was a solid marketing plan developed?
• Was the market for this product or service clearly identified?
• Is there a real market for this product or service?
• Is the marketing plan realistic?

Economic Feasibility - 15%

• Were the economics of the design evaluated?
• Is the design economically feasible?
• Is the design cost effective?
• Is the design efficient?

Originality - 15%

• Does the design differ substantially from existing designs?
• Was the solution clearly the work of the competitors?

Prototype and Model - 10%

• Was a prototype, model, or simulation developed or testing performed to prove that the design works?
• Does the prototype or model work?
• Is the prototype or model of professional quality?
• Was the prototype or model demonstrated during the presentation?

Presentation and Exhibit - 20%

• Were the benefits and principles of the design clearly explained?
• Was time used appropriately?
• Did all team members participate equally in the presentation?
• Were the audio-visual aids used appropriately?
• Was the exhibit well organized and of professional quality?

Competitors will be assessed a penalty for not having the exhibit set up on time, not presenting within the allotted time frame, and/or not having at least one team member available to answer questions during exhibition hours.

Awards

1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards TBD. Special Awards available in this category are:

• Technical Excellence Award
• Social Awareness Award
• CIIC Award

More categories