How to Enter
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Applications are no longer being accepted for the 2009 Collegiate Inventors Competition.
The official entry form for the 2010 Competition is not yet available.
REQUIREMENTS
The entry must be the original idea and work product of a student or team of students with his or her university advisor and must not have been (1) made available to the public as a commercial product or process, (2) described in extensive detail in a publication more than one year prior to the date of submission, or (3) issued a patent more than one year prior to the date of submission. On rare occassions exceptions may be made to allow the submission of significant recent improvements to matter patented or published more than one year prior to submission of the application. The entry submitted must be written in English.
The invention, a reduced-to-practice idea or working prototype, 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 should be capable of being reproduced.
Do not send your invention. Finalists will be notified and given instructions to send any necessary documentation. A university transcript must be provided at that time to verify student status.
DEADLINE
- The deadline for entering the 2009 Collegiate Inventors Competition was June 16, 2009.
TIPS FOR PREPARING ENTRIES
The following suggestions may help you in preparing your entry. Although these things will not guarantee a winner, they are traits consistently found in past winning applications:
- TYPED with pages numbered and stapled together (not permanently bound).
- CLEAR and to the point. What is your invention? It is important to articulate what the invention is and why it is an invention. The judges want to know specifically what you are adding to the technology. After writing your submission, consider asking a colleague to read it for clarity. It may also help to have someone review it who is not familiar with your work. Spelling and grammatical errors affect how your entry is judged.
- CONCISE. The more concise the better. Avoid jargon. Superfluous materials (e.g., research papers or journal articles on unrelated subject matter) detract from a strong entry. In order to get maximum scoring points, be sure that your essay covers all requested information.
- COMPLETE. A checklist is included in the application for your convenience.
- CONVINCING. It is up to you to convince judges that your entry is the best of many high quality inventions. Although the judges are experienced researchers, they may not be familiar with your particular project or specialty. Describe your work in the most positive, comprehensible manner, understandable to a scientifically literate person (e.g., like what is published in Scientific American or Nature publications).
CHECKLIST
The application must include:
- Student Information
- Student Essay, including supplementary material
- Literature/Patent Research
- Advisor Information
- Advisor Letter
- Statement of Student Enrollment Status
- Student/Advisor Release Form
Send four (4) sets of your completed application form and any supplementary material. Staple or hinge-clip each application packet. DO NOT assemble it in any permanent type of binding.
Send To:
Collegiate Inventors Competition
520 South Main St.
Suite 2423
Akron, OH 44311
QUESTIONS
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