GETTING STARTED
Most innovative ideas come from personal experiences. Have you ever thought about something in your daily routine that could be a better experience? Maybe you have a possible solution to your problem? Have you ever shared your idea with anyone?
Come learn more about what makes an idea a good one, and learn more about how you can participate in the Penn State New Kensington IDEA CHALLENGE and compete for prizes.
INFORMATIONAL SESSION:
TEAM SUPPORT
Telling a compelling story takes practice. We are here to help you and/or your team be prepared.
WORKSHOP: TIPS FOR TELLING YOUR STORY:
Learn story telling tips from Nick Smerker, our traveling media consultant from Penn State's Media Commons. Nick will share tips and tricks and let you know the many resources that are available to you to help your team put together a great video submission for your idea.
MENTORING
All teams selected to present in the final round of the Idea Challenge will have the opportunity for 1:1 mentoring with innovation coaches, Joanna Sutton and Luke Kephart, from our Invent Penn State innovation hub, The Corner, to help fine-tune and prepare for the live pitches.
COMPETITION TIMELINE
October 26
Video Submissions Due (Submission Link and Information below)
November 2
Finalists Selected
November 14
Final Round Pitches, followed by an Open Reception (held at The Corner, 701 Fifth Avenue New Kensington)
VIDEO SUBMISSION
Get creative!
Teams are required to submit a video about their idea which will be used for selection of the finalist teams who will give a live pitch to judges. The video submission is limited to 2 minutes and will be submitted in a way such that other teams cannot see your submissions (See submission link above).
The video should tell us about your problem, why you are passionate about this problem and what your idea is to solve it.
Videos must be original works by the teams.
The following resources are available to you to help in creating your video.
JUDGING CRITERIA
Judging criteria focus on the quality and impact of the idea, specifically:
- The problem has a significant impact on those who are or can be affected.
- The solution presented is creative and unique.
- The team demonstrates how they offer more value than existing solutions.
- The team’s presentation is clear, crisp and easy to understand.
MORE INFORMATION
There is no entry free to participate.
Students retain all rights to the materials created and ideas presented.
Students warrant that the idea they are presenting is original work and attests they are not in violation of any contract or third-party rights, such as trade secret, copyright, or otherwise confidential information.
The application form includes a release for Penn State to use photographs, videos and materials presented during the Idea Challenge as promotional material.
All presentations must be considered non-propriety. Teams should consider applicability of intellectual property rights, as applicable, when preparing presentation materials.