Regional Contest Overview
Currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students from accredited New York colleges and universities in the Finger Lakes Region are encouraged to submit the online application around a student-born innovation that is designed for a currently unmet need. The Regional Contest and Statewide Final Competition do not require the submission of a full business plan. All applications must be submitted online. Applications consist of the online form and a maximum 2-page PDF executive summary.
After a Preliminary Judging round, selected regional contest semi-finalists will be invited to give a 5 to 7-minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of Q&A from a panel of regional judges in April. The top teams selected from the April 6 Regional competition will be required to submit a 7-minute video pitch with their applications for the State Finals by April 8. As a result of this change, we are strongly recommending that student teams submitting applications for the Regionals by March 20, also submit a 7-minute video.
The semi-finalist presentation round is a free event open to the public – teams are encouraged to invite friends and faculty! The top two teams from each category (for a total of up to 12 teams from the Finger Lakes region) will be selected to participate in the Statewide Competition where they will compete against finalists from the other nine regions in New York. The judges reserve the right to select less than 12 teams from the Finger Lakes region based on the quality of the entries and presentations.
Statewide Competition finalists will be required to give a 5 to 7-minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of Q&A from a panel of statewide judges in Albany. Winners of the cash prizes will be announced on the day of the Statewide Competition.
Regional Sponsors
Interested in sponsoring the Finger Lakes Regional Contest? Contact Ain Center staff at AinCFE@rochester.edu.