Thanks to everyone who entered the SolidSmack Awesome Sauce Design Contest! You can view all the entries on GrabCAD here. ALl the entries are being judged and the results will be announced Friday, September 30th, 2011 here on SolidSmack and at GrabCAD. Thank you once again for joining in the competition!

Welcome the first annual SolidWorks “Awesome Sauce” Design Competition! This is a contest to explore the ideas we have, passions we chase and interest we have that make people look at us weird. This is a contest for you to take your ideas and get exposure and feedback from other engineers and designers. What have you wanted to design? Fountains? Chairs? Robots? Chainsaws? How about a mechanized Aston Martin DB5 fender with hidden gun compartment? This contest is wide open, but we are looking for a few key qualities.

Theme

The theme? We’ve got one. How does your design inspire young people to pursue careers in engineering and design? Because what’s more awesome than young whippersnappers going on to innovate ideas of their own?

Judging Criteria

We also have some criteria the designs need to meet, in order to make the judging a tad, bit easier on us. 4 factors split evenly across the board.

Creativity (25%) – If it’s not about this, it’s about nothin’ …except maybe manufacturability. But besides that, the design should turn innovation around and knee it hard in the back.
Quality (25%) – Do you even care? Really, how much effort did you put into the design?
Sauciness (25%) – Yes, that is always a determining factor for anything. How appealing (not appalling) is your design?
Manufacturability (25%) – There’s that word, but it’s all too important. We can come up with crazy ideas, but can it be made?

Extra Bonus Points?
Really, you want to know if there is a way to better your chances of winning one of the wonderful prizes? Well, I don’t want to say it will work on all the judges, but say your design shot, launched, punched, deployed, erupted, expanded or sprayed sauce

Deliverable

This is a design competition and people design things in different mediums. For this contest, the final deliverable is a 3D Model of your design uploaded in the format of your preference. If you wish, you may also submit – storyboards, designboards, sketches, renderings, animations or links to your own website or portfolio.

Submission

  • All submissions must be made between 12:00am MDT August 8th and 11:59pm MDT Sept 9 Sept 23rd, 2011.
  • Submission may be submitted in any 3D CAD file format that exists.
  • Multiple models may be submitted. (Each submission counts as an entry!)
  • Please use separate submissions for each design.
  • Zip up all files for each single model submitted.
  • Please include a universal CAD format, such as STEP or IGES, in the upload

Instructions

To enter the contest, you must do the following to submit the model for judging. No entries will be accepted if sent via email. Thank you!

Prize Packages

We have a lot of awesome prizes and because there are so many, we’re giving them out in a little different way. There will be 6 winner. First place gets first choice of the Prize packages below, Second winner get second choice, and so on. An additional cash prize and 3D print will given to the first place winner.

Additional prize for 1st place winner
$500 Cash prize to (courtesy of GrabCAD.com)
3D print of your design (courtesy of Shapeways)

Prize package #1
SolidWorks Standard (courtesy of DS SolidWorks Corp)
Subscription to Develop3D magazine
SolidSmack T-Shirt

Prize package #2
SpaceClaim Engineer with 1 year of Maintenance (Courtesy of SpaceCalim)
Subscription to Develop3D magazine
SolidSmack T-Shirt

Prize package #3
KeyShot Pro (courtesy of KeyShot)
Subscription to Develop3D magazine
SolidSmack T-Shirt

Prize package #4
T-Splines for Rhino (courtesy of T-Splines
Subscription to Develop3D magazine
SolidSmack T-Shirt

Prize package #5
tsElements for SolidWorks (courtesy of T-Splines)
Subscription to Develop3D magazine
SolidSmack T-Shirt

Prize package #6
Space Pilot Pro 3D Mouse (courtesy of 3DConnexion)
Subscription to Develop3D magazine
SolidSmack T-Shirt

Prize package #7
Kubotek KeyCreator with 1 year of Maintenance (Courtesy of Kubotek)
Subscription to Develop3D magazine
SolidSmack T-Shirt

Winner Announcement

Entries will be judged by SolidSmack and sponsors. Winning entries will be announced Monday, September 30th, 2011. The announcement will be made through the newsletter with winning entries also announce on the website.

Other legal bits

The models need to be your own design, not ganked from someone or somewhere else. We have ways of finding out and have a large stick.
You retain all rights to your design and model. SolidSmack and the contest sponsors can not use, adapt, steal, poke or rub the design or any parts of it.
You do allow SolidSmack and sponsors to use images or renderings of your submission for marketing material, with no further compensation, but with full credit to you.
For 3D Prints, you grant the printer the right to print additional prints for use on their desks or at trade shows, with written approval from you.
SolidSmack judges have final say. If you don’t like the final results, well, there’s always next time.

Good luck to everyone! We look forward to seeing your designs!

Author

Josh is founder and editor at SolidSmack.com, founder at Aimsift Inc., and co-founder of EvD Media. He is involved in engineering, design, visualization, the technology making it happen, and the content developed around it. He is a SolidWorks Certified Professional and excels at falling awkwardly.