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Invent Now Collegiate Inventors Competition now accepting entries!
Description:
What is the Collegiate Inventors Competition?
The Collegiate Inventors Competition is a national competition that recognizes and rewards innovations, discoveries, and research by college and university students and their faculty advisors. The Competition encourages students who actively pursue invention. Students frequently come from science, engineering, mathematics, and technology studies but creative invention can emerge from any course of study. The Competition also recognizes the working relationship between a student and his or her advisor. The program was introduced in May, 1990 and is operated by Invent Now.
AWARDS
Prizes are awarded to the top three entries in each division. Advisors of winning entries receive cash prizes as well.
Graduate Division:
Gold: $15,000 (advisor receives $5,000)
Silver: $10,000 (advisor receives $2,500)
Bronze: $5,000 (advisor receives $1,000)
Undergraduate Division:
Gold: $10,000 (advisor receives $2,500)
Silver: $5,000 (advisor receives $1,000)
Bronze: $2,500 (advisor receives $500)
Other prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the judges. Academic advisors of each winning team will also receive a cash award.
What types of inventions are submitted?
The Collegiate Inventors Competition receives inventions of all types from all fields.
Each entry must be the original idea and work product of the student/advisor team, and must not have been (1) made available to the public as a commercial product or process or (2) patented or published more than 1 year prior to the date of submission to the Competition. The entry must be written in English.
The invention, a reduced-to-practice idea or working model, must be the work of a student or team of students with his or her university advisor. If it is a machine, it must be operable. If it is a chemical, it must be complete with evidence of successful application of the idea. If it is a new plant, color photographs, or slides must be included in the submission. If a new or original ornamental design for an article of manufacture is submitted, the entire design must be included in the application. In addition, the invention must be capable of being reproduced.
ELIGIBILITY
Students must be enrolled (or have been enrolled) full-time in any U.S. or Canadian college or university at least part of the 12-month period prior to the date the entry is submitted. In the case of a team (maximum of four students), at least one member of the team must meet the full-time eligibility criteria. The other team members must have been enrolled on a part-time basis (at a minimum) sometime during the 24-month period prior to the date the entry is submitted.
JUDGING
The committee of judges represents various fields, including mathematics, engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, information technology, materials science, and medicine.
Entries are judged on the originality and inventiveness of the new idea, process, or technology. The entry must be complete, workable, and well articulated. Entries are also judged on their potential value to society (socially, environmentally, and economically), and on the scope of use. The judges’ decisions are final.
Who are the sponsors?
Sponsors of the Collegiate Inventors Competition are the Abbott Fund and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
For more information about how to enter, please visit http://www.invent.org/collegiate/enter.html
