UMBC’s Idea Competition
>> Click
here for entry form
Deadline for entries is October 20, 2011 at 5 pm.
Overview
The UMBC Idea competition is designed to challenge you to think about problems or opportunities facing society and to generate ideas to address them. Ideas should be submitted online, via the entry form. You have the option of posting a YouTube video in which you pitch your idea. An independent panel of reviewers will choose the top entries and those students will pitch their idea to both the panel and students at the Finals, on November 17 at 7 p.m., in the Sports Zone in The Commons. The top 3 winners, determined by the results of student and panel voting, will receive cash prizes up to $750.
How to Enter
To enter the competition, complete the UMBC Idea Competition Entry Form, which asks you to (i) describe a problem or opportunity, and (ii) describe your idea for addressing it. Submission forms will be limited to one page, so you will need to articulate the problem you have identified and your idea succinctly. You will also be allowed to post a video to YouTube in which you can personally pitch your idea to the campus. The videos are not required, but they are encouraged as an effective way to communicate ideas to the review committee. YouTube videos are limited to 60 seconds and creativity is encouraged. Videos longer than 60 seconds will not be considered by the judges.
Eligibility
The UMBC Idea Competition is open to all UMBC students (undergraduate and graduate). Individual students or student teams of up to four people may enter the contest. A student may only be included on one entry, i.e., either as an individual or a member of a team.
Example Ideas
The idea competition is open to any idea that complies with these rules. To aid students in selecting an idea for the competition, consider the following:
1. Products or Services
Do you have an idea for a new product or service that meets some need in the marketplace? Alternatively, select an existing product or service and provide an idea about how it could be improved. For example, do you have ideas on how to improve an iPod? What about your car, any ideas for improvement?
2. Campus Improvements
Do you have any ideas for improving the UMBC campus? What about ways to enrich campus life or ideas that will save UMBC money? Ideas in this category can include anything that will improve UMBC.
3. Social or “Green” Concerns
Do you have any ideas that will improve society in some way? Ideas for this category include those that help the environment and those that help address social issues. Examples could include creating a basketball league for the homeless or collecting used vegetable oil for use as diesel fuel.
4. Ideas that generate Artistic Value
Do you have ideas that will engage more people in the arts? This category is for ideas that would create artistic value in terms of increasing appreciation for the arts and their importance in society. Do you have ideas for making art more accessible or ideas for commercializing art?
5. Commercial Applications of UMBC Research Projects
Are you working on a research project at UMBC? Do you have ideas for a commercial product or service related to your work?
6. Other ideas?
Any idea qualifies for this competition, so do not let these examples limit your creativity!
Judging Process
Judging of entries will consist of two steps. First, an independent panel of reviewers will be asked to review and score all entries using a number of criteria (described below). The reviewers will be able to review both written submissions and any submitted YouTube videos, which will be posted on the UMBC Idea Competition website. The top entries will be invited to pitch their idea in a final competition (see below) before a panel of judges and a student audience. This final competition will constitute the second step in the judging process. During the final competition, the review panel and the audience will have the opportunity to vote on the best ideas. The reviewers’ scores and the audience votes will be combined using a .75 and .25 weighting, respectively, to select the best ideas and competition winner.
Judging Criteria
Judges and students will be asked to consider the following criteria for scoring and in considering their votes:
1. Identification and Definition of the Problem or Opportunity
Applicants will be judged on their ability to provide a clear and convincing description of a problem or opportunity. The importance and scope of the problem or opportunity will be evaluated. Judges will also consider the level of thoughtfulness needed to identify the problem or opportunity.
2. Creativity of the Solution/Idea
Judges will be asked to score entries on the level of creativity used to develop the idea. Judges will also consider the applicant’s ability to clearly describe their idea and how well it addresses the proposed problem or opportunity.
3. Feasibility of Implementing the Solution/Idea
While the UMBC Idea Competition is focused on idea generation and not on implementation of those ideas, judges will be asked to consider the feasibility of implementing the idea. In other words, could the idea be implemented by the applicant within a reasonable amount of time and with reasonable resources?
4. Impact of the Solution/Idea
The level of impact that the idea will have on the identified problem or opportunity and the number of people who will be impacted by the idea will also be considered by the judges. Ideas with a greater impact will be scored higher.
Timeline
Entry forms for the UMBC Idea Competition must be submitted by 5 p.m. on October 20, 2011. Entrants can include a link to an original YouTube video on their entry form describing their problem and their idea. Videos may not be longer than 60 seconds. Entries will be posted to the UMBC Idea Competition website. On October 27, 2011, invitations to the final competition will be sent to students with the best ideas (as determined by the review panel). These students will participate in the Final Competition.
Final Competition
To determine a winner in each category, the finalists will compete in a final competition on November 17 at 7 p.m. in the Sports Zone in The Commons. The finalists will be asked to perform a live three-minute pitch to sell the reviewers and the audience on the problem or opportunity they have identified and their idea for a solution. The winners will be determined by scoring from an independent panel of judges and votes from the audience. The reviewer votes will be weighted by a factor of .75 and the audience’s votes will be weighted by a factor of .25.
Prizes
Checks will be awarded to the top three ideas. A prize will also be issued to the finalist with the pitch that communicates the identified challenge and idea for a solution in the most creative/entertaining way. A description of the prizes is listed below:
Category/Prize
Best Idea/$750
Second Place Idea/$500
Third Place Idea/$250
Best Pitch/$250
All finalists and prize winners will be featured on the UMBC Idea Competition website.
In addition to the award winners, students who attend the final competition and participate in the voting will qualify for random drawing prizes.
Disqualification
UMBC reserves the right to reject any entry that it determines, in its sole discretion, is obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, lewd, derogatory, or otherwise inappropriate or in bad taste. This applies to written entries and accompanying videos.
>> Click
here for entry form
| 
