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What are the goals of the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize?
The prestigious $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, which seeks to serve as a catalyst for burgeoning inventors, is awarded annually to an inventive graduate student or graduating senior each year at MIT.
The award publicity can expose winners to science, business, and investment communities, which often results in the further development of their careers through invention.
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Who is eligible to apply?
All MIT graduate students and graduating seniors who are currently enrolled are eligible to apply for this award regardless of major. Students that are scheduled to graduate from MIT during the spring semester in which the award is presented are also eligible. Students who will graduate prior to the spring semester are not eligible. Only individual candidates may apply; teams are not eligible.
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Is the candidate required to have any patents?
No, the candidate is not required to have any patents.
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Does the candidate forfeit intellectual property rights by submitting an application?
The Lemelson-MIT Program asks the judging panel to acknowledge that student applications are distributed solely for the candidacy of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize and should not be reproduced for other purposes. Candidates are advised to consult MIT’s intellectual property policies as directed by the Technology Licensing Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office to ensure protection of their intellectual property, if applicable.
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Is the winner required to use the award money for research?
No, the money is an unrestricted cash gift.
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What are the requirements for the winner?
The winner is required to participate in a press conference that will publicly announce him/her as the winner, which will be scheduled in late February 2009. The winner is also required to participate in EurekaFest, the Lemelson-MIT Program’s annual multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit, which will be held at MIT in late June 2009. The program may request the winner to participate in future public education activities as applicable.
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When is the deadline to apply?
The deadline to apply for the 2009 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize is Wednesday, December 10, 2008.
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Who are the judges?
The judging panel is composed of MIT alumni from a variety of disciplines such as mechanical engineering, bioengineering, physics, medicine, and finance. While the judges are experienced in their areas of discipline, they might not have expertise in every candidate’s area.
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What criteria are used to judge the candidates?
The judges assess candidates using the following criteria: breadth and/or depth of inventiveness, creativity, experience and ability to serve as a role-model for youth, potential for societal benefit and commercial success of inventions, and supporting letters.
No criterion is considered paramount. Judges are asked to take a holistic view of each candidate with respect to the goals of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize.
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What makes an excellent application?
An excellent application is well presented, complete, and follows instructions (e.g. word count). The material should be written for a technically literate audience, similar to the writing style in Scientific American or Technology Review.
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How many student prizes are awarded at MIT each year?
There is only one $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize presented annually. The judging panel may also choose to award $1,000 to one or two finalists, if selected.
The Lemelson-MIT Program also funds the $30,000 Lemelson-Illinois Student Prize at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the $30,000 Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the $30,000 Lemelson-Caltech Student Prize at the California Institute of Technology.
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What is the Lemelson-MIT Program’s mission?
The Lemelson-MIT Program recognizes outstanding inventors, encourages sustainable new solutions to real-world problems, and enables and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention.
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