Real World Design Challenge Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Real World Design Challenge

The Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) is an annual engineering competition for high school students (grades 9–12). Your team will tackle a real industry problem, use professional engineering software to develop a solution, and produce presentations that explain why your solution matters. The point is to apply classroom learning to real workplace problems while practicing teamwork, engineering thinking, and clear technical communication.

Suggested workflow (what successful teams do)

1. Start at the Getting Started page
- Read everything there first. It contains the challenge overview, links to key resources, recommended software, webinar recordings, and a short survey. Treat this as your project roadmap.

2. Read the Challenge Materials thoroughly
- Make sure everyone on the team understands the problem statement, constraints, and any required deliverables. Ask clarifying questions early rather than later.

3. Use the Scoring Rubric as your guide
- Download the scoring rubric and use its headings as the section headings in your Engineering Design Notebook. Judges will evaluate what you submit, so structure your notebook to map directly to the rubric.
- Begin research and sketch a plan of attack based on the rubric categories.

4. Build the solution and document your work
- Assign team roles (project manager, lead modeler, researcher, writer, presenter, etc.) and set short milestones.
- Develop your design using the professional software provided. Include analysis, calculations, models, test results, and iterations.
- Keep a clear Engineering Design Notebook as you work. Useful sections: problem definition, requirements/constraints, background research, design concepts, chosen solution with justification, modeling and test data, tradeoffs, final recommendations, and references/appendices. Fill each section as you complete that work rather than leaving it all to the last minute.

5. Prepare your presentations
- Create concise slides and a spoken presentation that explain the problem, your approach, the benefits of your solution, and supporting evidence from your notebook.

6. Submit on time
- Turn in your Engineering Design Notebook by the competition deadline. Submit it to your State Coordinator and also to Jeff Coppola.

Prize note
- Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University is awarding $50,000 scholarships to each student on the International Champion team. This scholarship is awarded only once per student; if a student is on more than one champion team, they can receive the $50,000 only a single time.

Quick tips from a teacher
- Start early and meet regularly (weekly is a good minimum).
- Keep your notebook updated as you make decisions — judges want to see your process, not just your final answer.
- Back up your files and keep version control on models and reports.
- Practice the presentation multiple times with someone unfamiliar with the project to make sure your explanation is clear.

If you want, I can help you draft a timeline, suggest team roles, or review a draft of your Engineering Design Notebook.