Code of Conduct
Grinnell College is committed to establishing and maintaining a safe and nondiscriminatory educational and working environment for all College community members. Discrimination and harassment on any of the bases covered by state or federal anti-discrimination statutes is unlawful and a violation of Grinnell College policy. For more information, visit the college’s nondiscrimination policy, and the college’s policies and procedures regarding sexual respect.
General Rules
- Rules are subject to change at any time.
- Decisions made by the Innovate GC staff or the Wilson Center staff are final.
- Participation is only open to currently enrolled Grinnell College students. Participation is closed to family members of judges and the general public.
Teams
Teams can be 3 to 5 students, but there needs to be at least 3 people from start to finish. Teams must submit a list of members upon submitting their idea by the Team Registration deadline listed on the schedule. Any modifications after that must be communicated to organizers for approval.
Arranged mentor sessions are mandatory for at least one team member. That is, at least one of your team members must meet with each provided mentor.
Each team member is expected to present a part of the team pitch.
Projects
Teams may not enter the competition with a working prototype or a fleshed-out project design.
Projects must be created within the Innovate GC event time period. Participants may research into topics of interest beforehand, but we do not allow any prior work to be done in designing or building a deliverable.
Adhere to the Academic Honesty policy when presenting your work. Sources must be credited and plagiarism will result in disqualification of the team.
Participants may use any resource available to them; please note the Wilson Center Catalyst may only be used during designated pitch clinic hours.
If you wish to continue working on your product after the challenge has ended, the Wilson Center Catalyst would be happy to talk to you.
Presentations
Presentation information will be finalized by the deadline listed in the schedule. Presentations should be sent to the email provided by the Innovate GC team. Presentation times will depend on the number of teams registered. Expect presentations to fall between 8-12 minutes including Q&A from the judges.
Judging Criteria
Teams’ pitches will be judged on several criteria including execution, innovation, usability (+accessibility), feasibility, and social impact. Please see below for more information. Teams will not be told their scores during or after judging, and decisions by the judges and Innovate GC team are final and will be announced about 45 minutes after the last pitch during the award ceremony.
1. Presentation and Demonstration
Does the group make a strong pitch (i.e. what is the problem, what is the product, how does the product address the problem, will it work, is it innovative, how impactful it will be) and successfully answer questions posed by the judges? Is the pitch focused and concisely delivered in an engaging manner in the allotted time?
2. Theme Impact
Did they address one of the approved UNSDG goals? Are key benefits of the product explained? Could the product clearly be used to address the selected theme? To what extent would this have a positive and meaningful impact on users’ lives and/or the broader community?
3. Design and Efficacy
Will the product meet an unmet need? Is the design appropriate for the purpose? Is there reason to believe that this will address the stated problem? Have they demonstrated market understanding through innovation?
4. Feasibility and User Validation
Is the product logistically and technologically feasible? Is there evidence that intended users would/could use the product?
Winners
Winners for Innovate GC prizes will be selected by the Innovate GC judges. Each winning team will be responsible for working with the Wilson Center to arrange for the payment to be sent. The winning students are responsible for all taxes associated with prizes.
Photos
By attending Innovate GC, you acknowledge that your picture and video may be used without compensation, prior permission, or notification in any promotional material related to Innovate GC. For any reason, if you do not wish to be identified, please let us know. Thank you!