Both the team and the individual judged to have the best invention will be announced as the winner. Winners will receive cash prizes ($5,000 for individuals, $10,000 for teams); a patent filing, paid for by the Office of Technology Licensing ($20,000); and paid summer internships to work on the inventions.

The competition started with 28 proposals from 62 participants. Of these, faculty judges selected 14 to go to the preliminary round, held Jan. 28 at the Ferst Center for the Arts. Faculty judges and entrepreneurs voted on the current field of eight ideas.