Finalists have been selected for the 11th annual Extreme Redesign 3D Printing Challenge, hosted by Stratasys Ltd.
The contest is for secondary and post-secondary education institutions, and the rules are simple: Entrants have to redesign an existing product or to create a new product that improves how a task is accomplished. Entries have to be accompanied by a written description and/or video, as well as an .STL file. Each entry is evaluated by "creativity, being mechanically sound and being realistically achievable."
Industry experts will select winners in each category during the final round of judging. This year, the judges are:
· Tim Shinbara (Technical Director, Association for Manufacturing Technology)
· Patrick Gannon (Engineering Manager, Thogus/RP+M)
· Leslie Langnau (Managing Editor, Design World magazine)
· Todd Grimm (President, T.A. Grimm & Associates)
The first-place student winner in the post-secondary category wins a free trip to a 2015 3D printing/additive manufacturing conference (location to be determined).
Stratasys is awarding the first place winners a $2,500 scholarship, and the second and third place winners win a $1,000 scholarship (though it seems odd that there is no difference in awards for 2nd and 3rd place). The instructor of the first place winner in each category will receive a demo 3D printer (type: unknown) to use in the classroom for a limited time .
Across each category, Regional semi-finalists automatically receive a 3D printed model of their design, and if you make as one of the top-10 finalists in each category, you advance to the final stage of judging and you automatically win a Stratasys Extreme Redesign sweatshirt. Check out the complete listing here: regional semi-finalists and top-10 finalists.
Though some of these awards don't seem like much, it should be noted that Stratasys has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to students so far. You can see video, photos and descriptions of previous winning designs, as well as contest rules and regulations on the Stratasys website.