What can you squeeze out of a throwaway item? Answer that question in the form of a video and you might win $2,000.
Rogers State University, the University of Tulsa and Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology located in Okmulgee are participating in Juicy Ideas, a collegiate competition that challenges students to combine entrepreneurship with environmental responsibility. Students in any discipline from all three universities are eligible to compete.
The competition is designed to tap students’ imagination, innovation and collaboration. Juicy Ideas asks students to create value out of a disposable item and communicate a message of environmental responsibility.
For example re-using a soda bottle to create a bird feeder could be a way to squeeze more life out of an old object. The catch? The throwaway object remains a secret until the competition reveals it via a video on You Tube which will be posted on October 30 at 9 p.m. Students then have 10 days to add value to the object, document their process and create a fantastic video sharing their story.
Student teams must upload their video on YouTube for judging by November 9 at 9 p.m.
Videos will be judged in five areas: originality and creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation, environmental responsibility, critical thinking skills, and team building and leadership.
Oklahoma Natural Gas and the three universities are sponsoring the competition.
“Participation in the competition provides students with the opportunity to compete against students from other universities, both regionally and nationally,” said Ray Brown, vice president for Economic and Community Development for Rogers State University. “The Juicy Ideas competition also affords them the chance to compete for cash prizes, merchandise, and educational benefits.”
The student teams, composed of 3 to 5 members, are competing for best video from Oklahoma. The first place prize package includes $2,000 in cash, the TU’s President’s Suite at the BOK Center for March 1 performance of the World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions, an entrepreneurial books package, a Flip Video camera, Tulsa Oilers tickets, and a mentoring dinner with i2e officials. The second and third place teams will earn $750 per team. The top three winning teams will also have the chance to compete with other regional winners for the national grand prize of spending the day at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
The top three Oklahoma winning teams will be announced during Young Entrepreneurs Night at the Jazz Hall of Fame in downtown Tulsa on Nov. 17. The winning videos will be shown to the audience.
“Students will have to think outside the box and focus on a time-sensitive goal simultaneously,” Brown said. “They should try to stretch beyond what they already know and channel their imagination into a productive use for a very ordinary throwaway item.”
If you like squeezing your juices for fun, or just like winning prizes, find out more and register your student team at www.juicyideascompetition.com. For more information about the Innovation Center or the competition, contact (918) 343-7533 or email [email protected].