Each Collegiate Inventors Competition^® (CIC) entry is reviewed by our initial judging panel, which includes scientists, researchers and experts in a variety of fields.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame^® relies on the Judges’ collective scores and rankings, along with data collected by independent researchers, to determine our CIC Finalists.

All Finalists are notified by telephone and email approximately two months before our final judging round. Other entrants will be notified by email later that month.

Finalists also will be featured on the Collegiate Inventors Competition website.

In October, CIC Finalists gather at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Here, they meet with our final judging panel to formally present the work they’ve done to develop their extraordinary inventions.

Our final judging panel consists of NIHF Inductees and special guest Judges, which have included intellectual property experts from the USPTO, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Abbott Laboratories, among others.

Following the Finalists’ presentations, our Judges deliberate to select Winners in both the Graduate and Undergraduate categories.