Short Description
Students have a unique and innovative way of looking at the world, which makes them well-qualified to offer creative solutions to design challenges. Think beyond the ordinary to come up with new, innovative, and resourceful ways to use extruded aluminum!
Eligibility
High school, undergraduate, graduate, trade and vocational/technical or design college students are eligible to enter the competition. You must be enrolled in and attending school to enter.
Individual and team submissions will be accepted. Each student on the team must complete and submit an official entry form with the submission.
To be eligible, you must be currently enrolled as a student in high school, college/university, technical/vocational or design college, or graduate school.
Designs must be original and use at least one extruded aluminum component. Multiple entries may be accepted. If any category yields no entries deemed by the judges to adequately address the competition’s criteria, a prize will not be awarded in that category. Winning entries will be those that best demonstrate the benefits of aluminum extrusions – whether by inventing a new product or improving an existing one, by achieving the following objectives:
1) Creativity – Innovative design, new or expanded application capability, methods to meet a new design challenge.
2) Practicality – Ease of fabrication and assembly, cost-effectiveness, integrated or multi-functionality, use of extruded aluminum over other materials and/or processes.
3) Product/Process Advantage – Product/process improvement: product design versatility or customization capability, improvement of extrusion processes, close tolerances, takes full advantage of extrusion’s abilities to improve a product.
4) Market Impact/Potential – Product design marketability, clearly identified product use(s) within the target market, and likelihood of market success.
How to Apply
Entries may be emailed to mail@ETFoundation.org . When e-mailing your entry materials, you must include in the body of the email the list of the items you are attaching to your message (for example: “I have attached a total of 3 files: entry form, design presentation file in PDF, link to video file showing product prototype in use”).
Program Benefits & Awards
Scholarships totaling $15,500 will be presented as cash awards to the best student designs submitted. Winning entries will be awarded in the following amounts:
- First Place: $5,000
- Second Place: $4,000
- Third Place: $3,000
- Sustainable Design: $3,500
Entry Fee
None
Location
Wauconda, Illinois, United States
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 30 March 2026
Website Link: https://aec.org/student-design-competition
