General Rules & Information:

• You can submit either
  • A quick 2 minute or less video or,
  • a short five slide or fewer PowerPoint, the PowerPoint does not need to include voice over.
• Each team must include one or more students enrolled at UM-Flint during Spring 2025, Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026 semesters. No limit on group size or interdisciplinary collaborations. 
• UM-Flint students and high schoolers (but not others) may be on more than one team.  However, if a student is on more than one team that makes it to the finals, s/he will have to choose one team with which to continue the competition.
• The solution must be a product or service. The exact product or service can’t already exist. It can, however,
  • be a minor modification to an existing product or service, if the modification more effectively solves a problem.
  • be unique within a specific geographic area (e.g., Flint) where it is currently unavailable, even if it already exists in other areas.

Judging Criteria:

• The solution clearly solves a problem
• Provides a clear benefit over current competition/alternative and is creative
• Creative approach to an idea

Submission Format & Guidelines:

• The selfie video must be less than two minutes or the slide deck must be five or fewer slides. Submitters who used slides and made it to the semifinals will need to replace the PowerPoint with a video. Videos should use an MP4 format.
• The suggested video/slide structure is below and on the Submission Template. Just follow along!
• Introduce yourself: name(s), category (e.g., School of Management, College of Arts, Sciences and Education, etc.), class rank, (e.g., Freshman, Senior, Master’s Student, etc.), and existing solutions that are similar to your idea.
• Explain your solution! What is the problem you are trying to solve, and how will your solution, idea, or innovation solve it? 
• What are your goals?