STUDENT TROPHY DESIGN CONTEST
ACTE is excited to announce our fifth annual student contest to re-design the 3D-printed trophies for the ACTE Excellence Awards. The winning trophy design will be 3D-printed by Stratasys and presented to the 10 national award winners at the 2023 ACTE Awards Gala. We highly encourage you, your peers and students to participate in this year’s contest. The first-place designers will receive the following prizes:
- $1,000 scholarship prize for the winning team
- A free one-year lease of a 3D printer and materials for the winner’s school, courtesy of Stratasys
- The winner to be recognized at the 2023 ACTE Awards Gala in front of ACTE award winners, leaders and 400+ attendees
- A 3D-printed copy of their award, courtesy of Stratasys
- One year complimentary ACTE membership for the student(s) and their teacher
- Recognition in ACTE’s promotional channels and Techniques magazine
It’s an exciting opportunity for students to get involved in CTE and be recognized for their interpretations of ACTE through their designs. The deadline for all designs is EXTENDED to May 1 — don’t wait until the last minute, start your designs today! To find out more information about the contest and to apply today, please visit our website here.
Who can enter?
The contest is open to secondary, postsecondary and adult CTE students in 3D design courses or other CAD courses. Students may enter as individuals or as teams of no more than two (2) people – please note, only submit one application per team. All team members must be enrolled as students in an educational institution during the semester/term in which they contribute to the design. Each entry must be entirely the original work of the persons identified in the entry. The contest is not open to any persons employed, past or present, as a professional in 3D printing.
Can educators help with their students’ projects?
Educators may advise students, but should not take on a significant role in developing the designs.
How do I enter the contest?
Teams should submit their entries online via the? ACTE Awards Portal by May 1.
Application Requirements
- Team information & completed release form
- Brief bio (300 words max)
- Photo/headshot of entrant(s)
- Design file (see requirements below)
Design Requirements
- Dimensions:The design should be no larger than 10″ tall x 6″ wide x 6″ deep. If your design is larger, please scale down the STL file before submitting.
- Design Elements:The design must incorporate:
- The ACTE logo
- a flat surface on the bottom of the design [4″- 4″in diameter] so the trophy can be affixed to a wooden base.
- File Format:Your entry must be submitted as an STL file, which can be exported from most CAD software packages (see more information on how to export an STL file here).We will not accept any other file type.
- You may upload up to 6 separate files if your design incorporates separate attachments or moving parts. Please DO NOT submit more than one design entry as part of the same entry form.
Do you have any tips for my design?
When the selection team reviews the designs, they will consider the following:
- Is the design visually appealing and interesting? Does it make creative use of 3D space?
- Can you envision this design being used as the template for a national award trophy?
- Is the design printable and will it withstand travel to and from the ACTE conference? (ex. not too fragile or breakable as a 3D object)
Career and technical education (CTE) covers a large variety of content areas (learn more about CTE here). It is recommended that designs do not allude to one specific content area (ex. agricultural education), as teachers from all CTE content areas are eligible for the Excellence?Awards. Designs should reflect the prestige and values of the ACTE Excellence Awards program. The winning design for the ACTE Excellence Awards trophy will be creative, visually appealing, and adhere to the required specifications. Aside from the ACTE logo, we do not recommend designers incorporate words in their design (ex. ‘Teacher of the Year,’ etc.)
Who will be judging the designs?
Designs will be reviewed by Stratasys and ACTE staff to ensure they meet design specs. ACTE will select the winner. Winners will be notified August.
What’s the fine print?
ACTE retains the copyright on any submitted material and reserves the right to use the material, edit the design to accommodate production needs in any way or format it sees fit.
For more information or questions about submissions, please contact ACTE staff at dlampe@acteonline.org .
2021 Student Trophy Contest Winner
ACTE is excited to announce the winner of the 2021 ACTE Student Trophy Design Contest: Nathaniel’s submission was selected by ACTE’s Board of Directors out of entries from students all across the country. In addition to having his design used to create this year’s trophies, Nathaniel will receive a $1,000 scholarship and St. Martin High School will receive a free one-year lease of a 3D printer, courtesy of Stratasys, Ltd.
2020 Student Trophy Contest Winner
ACTE is excited to announce the winner of the 2020 ACTE Student Trophy Design Contest: Sara’s submission was selected by ACTE’s Board of Directors out of entries from students all across the country. In addition to having her design used to create this year’s trophies, Sara will receive a $1,000 scholarship and Kent Career Tech Center will receive a free one-year lease of a 3D printer, courtesy of Stratasys, Ltd.
2019 Student Trophy Contest Winner
ACTE is excited to announce the winner of the 2019 ACTE Student Trophy Design Contest: Kathleen’s submission was selected by ACTE’s Board of Directors out of 428 entries from students all across the country. In addition to having her design used to create this year’s trophies, Kathleen will each receive a $1000 scholarship and Seacoast School of Technology will receive a free one-year lease of a 3D printer , courtesy of Stratasys, Ltd. ACTE will also provide Kathleen and Samantha Tukey, Recruitment & Retention Specialist at Seacoast School of Technology with a trip to Anaheim to be honored at the awards gala.
2018 Student Trophy Design Contest Winner
ACTE is excited to announce the winner of the 2018 ACTE Student Trophy Design Contest: Shreya and Rashi’s submission was selected by ACTE’s Board of Directors out of 438 entries from students all across the country. In addition to having their design used to create this year’s trophies, Shreya and Rashi will each receive a $500 scholarship and Mount Hebron High School will receive a free one-year lease of a 3D printer, courtesy of Stratasys, Ltd. ACTE will also provide Shreya and Rashi and Mr. Lucania with a trip to San Antonio to be honored at the awards banquet. Read the press release.
2017 Student Trophy Design Contest Winner
2017 Student Trophy Design Contest Winner
ACTE is excited to announce the winner of the 2017 ACTE Student Trophy Design Contest: Brooks Baro, a sophomore at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Georgia. Brooks’ design was selected from out of nearly 400 entries submitted for the 2017 contest. Read the press release here.
Left to Right: Chris Schier from Technical Training Aids; Brooks Baro, winning designer; Matthew Gambill, Executive Director of Georgia ACTE; and Larry Singleton, instructor at McIntosh High School.
2016 Student Trophy Design Contest Winner
2016 Student Trophy Design Contest Winner
In September 2016, ACTE announced the winner of the first-ever Student Trophy Design Contest: Matthew Gump, a rising senior at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Matthew’s design was used as the template for producing the 3D-printed trophies that were presented to the national Excellence Award winners at the 2016 Awards Banquet in Las Vegas, Nevada. Matthew was recognized on stage at the event, along with his instructor, Jennifer Renne, and presented with a $1,000 scholarship, courtesy of Stratasys.
Left to right: Michael Block from Stratasys; Matthew Gump; Jennifer Renne