Glasgow Event Details
Date
TBA
Location
TBA
Time
TBA
Prize Categories
Category 1
Inform Prize - Best Presentation
The team that presents their solution well - not confusing or overloaded with technical jargon
Category 2
Enhance Prize - Best Implementation
The team whose project shows the most skill, and effort in implementation - creating
a great system as part of the project, demonstrated by the presentation
Category 3
Grow Prize - Best Idea
The team who have selected what the judges consider to be the best
business idea - the idea with the most business potential
What is The Inform Prize?
Launched in 2014 and funded by Intelligent Plant to encourage students to think about how they might communicate their ideas and research findings to local employers, and promote interaction between industry and academia.
Students are tasked with creating a digital solution to a real life problem. A panel of judges are presented with videos by the students which demonstrate their teams product in action.
Teams also take part in a question and answer session before the judges go on to decide who the winners are.
Inform Prize 2024 - Aberdeen - Video Highlights
On the Day
What will happen on the day?
Team Stands
On the day, each team will have their own stand at the event. Here, you can demo what you have built and talk with attendees - some of whom may be potential employers.
Bring a Laptop
On the stand, we highly recommend bringing a laptop or mobile device which you can use to demo your app to attendees. You are welcome to bring other material too such as posters and leaflets, but these are not essential.
Get There Early
We recommend teams get to the venue before the event starts to give plenty of time for setting up stands.
Judging Panel
Later in the afternoon, shortlisted team videos will be shown to event attendees. Teams will not have to present their project. However, you will be asked to come on stage and answer a few questions from the judging panel - don't worry, they're a friendly bunch!
Networking Tips
A key opportunity with The Inform Prize is connecting with attendees from industry and academia. To be prepared for this, we wanted to offer a few tips:
LinkedIn QR Code and Scanner
This is probably the easiest way of connecting with someone at the event. Every LinkedIn user has their own QR code which they can share with others. This is a straightforward way to get directly to someone's LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn has steps on how to open your QR code/scan a QR code
Have Your Details Available at Your Stand
Whether that be business cards, a poster, or some other way of showing how to contact the team or individuals in the team is a good way for people to connect. We will also be providing each team member with their own badge which will show your name and team name.
Practice Talking About Your Product
Consider taking some time before the event to make sure your team knows how to talk about and use your product. Practice together to get comfortable with it.
Video Content
As part of your application, you will need to share a video that markets your solution to the masses. You are free to film your video in whichever way you think works best. However, we do recommend the following:
Keep it Short and Sweet
Aim for your video to last no longer than 5 minutes. And please remember to include video captions!
Don't Get Too Technical
Not everyone in attendance will have a technical background. Try to make it accessible to the masses.
Be Creative!
Drama, humour, action – do what you think will get your idea across best
"The whole event was excellent. I was immediately struck by the ‘local derby’ energy in the room, with the two universities engaged in a bit of friendly competition. Meanwhile, the engagement with industry guests was brilliant to see, with local employers showing genuine interest in the students’ work, and the students doing a fantastic job of communicating their ideas.
I came away from the Inform Prize wondering why we don’t have something like this in Glasgow – or, indeed, across Scotland. If we could replicate the energy, enthusiasm, and engagement that Steve Aitken and the team have created in Aberdeen (complete with that ‘local derby rivalry!) we’d surely be on to a winner when it comes to promoting interaction between industry and academia, and seeding innovation in our tech sector as a result – not to mention developing a generation of computing professionals with the skills required to successfully pitch and develop their ideas."
- Matthew Barr, Head of Section and Program Director, University of Glasgow
Discussing his experience of The Inform Prize
