The ET Foundation issued a Call for Entries for the 2018 International Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition, which is divided into two classes: Professional and Student. Cash prizes and student scholarships will be presented to the top designs. Bonnell Aluminum is the sole sponsor for the cash awards, totaling $20,000, including a $3,500 Grand Prize.
Professional designers, engineers, and manufacturers along with students studying design and engineering at universities, colleges, technical schools, and high schools around the world are invited to participate. Entry in the competition is free and judging will take place following the entry deadline.
Submissions will be accepted through April 2, 2018. Entry forms can be downloaded at www.ETFdesign.org.
About the Competition
The aim of the Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition is to promote the understanding and use of extruded aluminum profiles, as well as highlight innovations and recognize excellence in aluminum extrusion design.
Winning entries will be those that demonstrate the benefits of extruded aluminum — whether by inventing a new product or improving an existing one — by achieving the competition’s criteria and objectives of creativity, practicality, product/process improvement, or advantage and market impact/potential. Professionals and Students will each be judged in separate classes.
Professional Class entries will be divided into four categories: Structural/Architectural, Transportation, Engineered Products, and Alternative Energy. First-place cash prizes in the amount of $2,000 will be awarded to the best design in each category. Individual designers and companies are eligible to enter the Professional Design Competition. Aluminum extruders and their customers are encouraged to team up to enter a design in the competition.
Student Class entries will be eligible for Scholarships, which will be presented as cash awards to the top student designs, including $3,000 for First Place, $2,000 for Second Place, and $1,000 for Third Place. Students also may compete for the Bonnell Sustainable Design Challenge Scholarship Award of $2,500. This special design category challenges students to think about aluminum extrusions as a holistic solution to a design problem by designing a product that, in addition to the four basic ET Foundation Design Competition criteria, best addresses societal and/or environmental challenges or concerns. Essentially, the winning entry must be a viable extrusion-based product that meets the demands of the environment while contributing to the quality of life for its intended users.
Team and multiple submissions will be accepted for both the Professional and Student Classes.
The winners of the 2018 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition will be announced at the new Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) educational event, Extrusion Design University – EDU ’18, scheduled for May 14-16 in Chicago, Illinois. The event will bring together aluminum extrusion industry experts, designers, engineers, and users of extrusions who are interested in honing their aluminum extrusion knowledge, understanding, and design skills. In addition to the cash awards, winning designers will be offered a complimentary registration to EDU ’18.
Helpful Design Resources
More information about the 2018 Aluminum Extrusion Student Design Competition — including the Call for Entries complete with the official entry forms, as well as a variety of tools and resources — are available on the ET Foundation Design Competition page of the AEC website. From an overview of the aluminum extrusion process and choosing the right aluminum alloy, to design considerations and useful publications, the AEC website contains a wealth of information and helpful resources to assist designers, students, and educators better understand the versatility and benefits of designing with aluminum extrusion.