The Collegiate Inventors Competition: 3 Decades of Inspiration

The Collegiate Inventors Competition^® (CIC) began in 1990 to encourage and reward creativity and innovation at the collegiate level. Today, CIC continues to evolve while advancing the work of the country’s most promising young inventors.

As CIC reaches its 35th anniversary, let’s take a look at its ongoing impact.

Bringing Inventors Together

CIC held its first competition in Akron, Ohio, at the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® Museum. Since then, both the competition and the museum have moved to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

From the beginning, CIC has welcomed students from across the country to participate in an invention competition unlike any other. Finalists receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the final round of the competition, where they present their work to a panel of Judges, including National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees and USPTO officials. After Finalists make their presentations, the Judges deliberate and select winners for the Undergraduate and Graduate categories.

For more than three decades, Finalists have valued the opportunity to gather with fellow student inventors and meet world-changing Hall of Fame Inductees, and many Finalists have used their experience at CIC as a springboard toward innovative careers.

Sharing the CIC Experience

Though dates and locations for the event have changed over the years, CIC continues to offer an unforgettable experience. CIC Finalists benefit from unique opportunities to network, gain expert feedback and mentorship, and compete for cash prizes and patent acceleration.

A People’s Choice Award prize was added in 2017, allowing the public to vote in the days leading up to and during the competition for their favorite invention. Through the years, experiences like these have been made possible with the support of sponsors who are dedicated to advancing innovation. The National Inventors Hall of Fame sincerely thanks our CIC sponsors, which have included the USPTO and Honda, for their generous support.

Each year at CIC, Finalists also have the chance to network with the National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees serving as Judges during an awards dinner at the end of the competition. This experience allows Finalists to learn about the Inductees’ innovation journeys and insights, and seek advice on their own inventions, enabling them to build strong foundations for future success.

“My team and I wanted the opportunity to network with other inventors and make connections in order to increase our outreach and potential for funding,” said Netra Gandhi, a 2023 CIC Undergraduate Winner. Girish Hari, one of Gandhi’s winning teammates, added, “We also saw the top prize of patent acceleration and were very interested in that as we were in the process of drafting a provisional patent.”

Selena Shirkin, a 2024 Undergraduate Runner-Up, said, “This competition provides a unique platform to gain recognition for our work, receive valuable feedback from industry leaders and secure resources to further refine and implement our invention. Additionally, being part of a community of like-minded inventors and innovators can inspire new ideas and collaborations, helping us push the boundaries of what’s possible in our field.”

Celebrating Achievements Beyond CIC

Finalists’ stories and connections often continue long after the competition ends. CIC Finalists have the chance to become student ambassadors at their universities to help inform their peers about everything this one-of-a-kind competition has to offer. Finalists also are becoming more involved in National Inventors Hall of Fame initiatives, including our nationwide invention education programs.

Arlyne Simon, a 2013 Finalist who is now a biomedical engineer, patented inventor and author, visited a Camp Invention^® site in 2019 as part of a campaign designed to encourage more girls to stay involved in STEM. Lia Winter, 2019 Finalist and CEO of Winter Innovations, collaborated with the National Inventors Hall of Fame in developing a white paper that discussed the prototyping process.

Many more CIC Finalists also have participated in interviews with the National Inventors Hall of Fame to share their successes and encourage more student inventors to enter the competition. These include Payam Pourtaheri and Ameer Shakeel, 2016 Undergraduate Winners and co-founders of AgroSpheres; Matthew Rooda, 2017 Undergraduate Winner and co-founder and CEO of SwineTech; Charu Thomas, 2017 Finalist and co-founder and CEO of Oculogx; and Alissa J. Song and Mackenzie Andrews, 2019 Graduate Runners-Up and co-founders of Nanodropper.

Taking Innovation to the Next Level

Innovation is a lifelong journey – and becoming a CIC Finalist empowers students to take the next step in that journey, helping to create a brighter, more innovative future for us all.

Student inventors in any field are encouraged to learn more about this competition and get started on their application today.

For a glimpse at the exciting CIC experience, check out the video below!