Design Challenge Rules

Submissions to the Make the World a Better Place Design Challenge must meet all standards defined in theĀ  Design Challenge Rules, both for consideration as a finalist and to qualify for any available prize.

These rules are defined below:

A. GENERAL

  1. All submissions, in any format, must be provided in the English language to avoid misinterpretation. Translation services are available through platforms such as I Can Localize or Rev.com for a nominal fee. For more information on available translation options, Contact Us.

  2. Consideration for any prize requires that a design proposal is first submitted before the PHASE 1 deadline (August 1, 2018). Any submissions received after the August 1, 2018 deadline will not be considered.

  3. All submissions are limited to text and/or files in the following formats: 

  • Portable Document Format ( .pdf )
  • Images ( .gif, .jpg, .png, etc )

B. JUDGING CRITERIA – PHASE 1

The following criteria and rubric will be used by judging delegates to evaluate Phase 1 product submissions (Provided Section A requirements are met):

  1. Positive Impact (5 Possible Points) – How well does the submission propose accomplishing the goal of “Making the World a Better Place”?

  2. Economic Viability (5 Possible Points) – Is the specified bill of materials (BOM), design and manufacturing process, and marketability of the proposed solution practical in volumes?

  3. Technical Feasibility (5 Possible Points) – Does the proposed solution make use of features available in the required tools (for example, benefits of the RZ/A1-LU’s integrated memory or debug capabilities of IAR Workbench for ARM)? Furthermore, is it achievable without the use of overly exotic, esoteric, or impractical engineering methods?

  4. Product Differentiation (5 Possible Points) – ‌Does the solution exhibit novel features or properties that either aren’t available in the market currently or have not been presented in a similar manner?

  5. Completeness (5 Possible Points) – Is the solution prepared to satisfy market demand without the need for additional technologies that lie outside the defined project scope? If complementary solutions are required, are they readily available and how difficult is their proposed integration?

Overall: A maximum of 75 total points can be awarded to any given submission provided that each of the three judging delegates (Embedded Computing Design, Renesas Electronics America, and IAR Systems) evaluates it as a 25-point solution. 

Submit your idea to Make the World a Better Place today or Contact Us for more information.

C. JUDGING CRITERIA – PHASE 2

  1. Criteria and Rubric from Phase 1 will be reapplied by Embedded Computing Design, Reenesas Electronics America, and IAR Systems delegates to finalists’ operational proof of concept (PoC). Only submissions meeting previous requirements will be considered.

  2. The electronics engineering community will be provided the opportunity to vote on able to vote on finalist solutions on the betterplacechallenge.com website, with 25 points awarded to the top vote getter, 15 to the runner-up, and 10 to the third-place finisher. These scores will be factored with the scores from Embedded Computing Design, Renesas Electronics America, and IAR Systems delegates to determine First, Second, ant Thrid-Place Winners

Overall: A maximum of 100 total points can be awarded to any given finalist provided that each of the three judging delegates (Embedded Computing Design, Renesas Electronics America, and IAR Systems) evaluates it as a 25-point solution and it receives the most community votes. 

Contact Us for more information.

D. JUDGES

Industry experts from IAR Systems, Renesas Electronics America, and Embedded Computing Design will award Make the World a Better Place Design Challenge submissions based on the rubric outlined above. Each organization will have a maximum of 25 points to award each design, resulting in 75 total possible points in Phase 1 and 100 total possible points in Phase 2 (with the community vote winner receiving an additional 25 points).

* The two scores from IAR Systems judges will be averaged to reach a design's point total out of a possible 25.
* The two scores from Renesas Electronics judges will be averaged to reach a design's point total out of a possible 25.

Judges from each organization are listed below.

Susanne Dahlén, Director of Engineering, IAR Systems

Susanne has worked for IAR Systems since 1995 in different positions, such as Support Engineer, Technical Writer/Information Architect, and Documentation Manager. Susanne studied computer science and language at Uppsala University.

Vin D’Agostino, VP Strategic Marketing & Applications Engineering, Renesas Electronics America

As Vice President of the General Purpose Products Unit at Renesas Electronics America Inc, Vin D’Agostino is responsible for overseeing a broad product portfolio for the Americas, including microcontrollers, microprocessors, SoCs, and Analog & Power devices across the breadth of the company’s customer base. He also leads the company’s engineering department and strategic marketing group, made up of more than 100 people committed to expanding the Renesas ecosystem for all Americas-based customers.

Mr. D’Agostino joined Renesas Electronics America in 2015 and has held a number of successful engineering and executive management positions prior. Most recently, Mr. D’Agostino was the founder and principal of BNS Solutions, which he established in 1997. He was also director of Battery Management, Video, and Imaging at Exar Corporation and the director of Controls Engineering at Branson Ultrasonics. In total, he brings over 30 years of experience in hands-on engineering and leadership roles.

Mr. D’Agostino earned his Master’s degree in computer science from the Polytechnic Institute of New York and his Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology.

Brandon Lewis, Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design

Brandon is responsible for Embedded Computing Design’s IoT Design and Automotive Embedded Systems brands, where he drives content strategy, positioning, and community engagement. He is also Embedded Computing Design’s IoT Insider columnist, and enjoys covering topics that range from development kits and tools to cyber security and technology business models. Brandon received a BA in English Literature from Arizona State University, where he graduated cum laude.