Enter the Collegiate Inventors Competition

The Collegiate Inventors Competition® (CIC) gives you the chance to bring national attention to your work, enjoy unique networking opportunities, gain valuable feedback from our National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductees, and compete for cash prizes and patent acceleration.

Review our application process

To enter CIC, you’ll need to complete our online application. Here’s what you’ll be asked to provide:

Make sure you’re eligible to compete

Individual Eligibility   
If you are a part-time or full-time student enrolled in a U.S. college or university, you are eligible to enter. You must have been enrolled at least part time between June 2023 and June 2024.

Team Eligibility   
If you are part of a team of inventors, all your team members must be enrolled as either part-time or full-time students. Each team member must have been enrolled at least part time between June 2023 and June 2024.

Citizenship   
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you are still eligible as long as you are enrolled in a U.S. college or university and can meet the student eligibility requirement described above.

Please note that if an Applicant is awarded competition winnings of $600 or more, a 1099 form will be issued to them at the conclusion of the tax year. The Applicant must be legally eligible to provide a completed and signed W-9 prior to payout. Please see the following link for details and instructions: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9.

Patents   
Your entry will be ineligible if (1) your invention has already been patented or disclosed by another party/inventor, or (2) you have been issued a patent for the invention more than one year prior to the date of your submission to the competition.

Questions   
For questions about eligibility requirements, please contact us at [email protected].

Have Questions?

For more information visit our FAQs or contact us at [email protected] or 800-968-4332, option 5.