¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥

Skip to main content
ACADEMICS | INSTITUTES & CENTERS

IDEA CHALLENGE STUDENT RESOURCES

file

The Idea Challenge inspires creativity amongst first-year ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥ students by asking a simple question: What new product or service, big or small, could change the world? Each fall semester, first-year business, computer science, engineering, and nursing students pitch ideas in their introductory courses. The top teams present at the Idea Challenge Finals on Wednesday, November 19 and compete for a grand prize of $1,000. 

Overview

  • Students work on teams of 3-6
  • Pitches may be no more than two minutes in length
  • No presentation aids are permitted. This includes slide decks, handouts, prototypes, etc. 
  • Pitches should answer the following questions:
    • What problem or opportunity have you identified?
    • What is your solution?
    • How big is the potential market?
    • How will you generate revenue?
  • Pitches are evaluated on the following:
    • Clarity of the idea
      • How clearly was the idea communicated? 
    • Problem solution fit
      • Does the solution solve the stated problem?
    • Understanding of feasibility
      • This doesn’t mean the idea needs to be 100% feasible; rather, does the team understand what it will take to bring the idea to market? 
    • Quality of presentation
      • Were the presenters prepared and engaging? 
  • There is no competition-wide theme; however, individual instructors may choose to implement one for their section. We encourage students to THINK BIG. 
  • The top team from each section competes at the Idea Challenge Finals on Wednesday, November 19 @ 5pm in the ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥ Room.
  • Contact IIE Assistant Director, Kirsten Bronkovic, with any questions. 
  • Register your team by completing the . 
  • Familiarize yourself with the rules and structure of the Idea Challenge by reviewing this. 
  • Learn the basics of how to pitch. We've created a  to help get you on the right path.
  • Here's an  from Metal No More, the winner of the 2022 Idea Challenge. 
  • Your instructor will schedule in-class pitches.
    • In lieu of in class pitches, nursing students pitch at the Idea Challenge Nursing Semifinals on 11/4. 
  • After each team pitches, you'lll evaluate them on the criteria stated above by filling out this . 
    • Complete the voting form once for each team.
    • Do not complete a form for your team.
  • If time allows, your instructor may allow a minute or two for Q&A following each pitch.
  • Instructors will announce the winner and runner up.  
  • Students can view their tallies and comments by navigating to this . 
  • IIE will send information to the top two teams about when to pick up their ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥ swag item and the winning team information about pitching at the Idea Challenge Finals on Wednesday, November 19 @ 5pm. 
  • Section Prizes:
    • Every member of the winning and runner-up team from each section receives ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥ swag. 
    • The top team from each section is invited to compete at the Idea Challenge Finals on Wednesday, November 19 @ 5 pm in the ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥ Room. 
  • Idea Challenge Finals Prizes
    • Grand prize: $1,000
    • 2nd, 3rd, and crowd choice winners: $100 university bookstore gift cards. 
    • A resource for instructors to introduce the Challenge to students.
    • Tips for students on how to construct their pitch.
    • Each team must register prior to pitching!
    • Students fill out a voting form for each team. They'll evaluate students on the three criteria and leave comments. 
    • Students can view their tallies and comments by log in in with the last four digits of your tallest team member's phone number

IDEA LAB

Meet our team!