Selection Process

All ideas submitted to the AIC Main Division undergo an initial screening process and the top ideas are selected for the Semifinals and then the Final Competition. All initial screening is done anonymously; reviewers are given no information about the competitor’s identity. Individuals involved in screening ideas sign a non-disclosure agreement to help protect all intellectual property. 

Ideas submitted to the AIC Main Division are screened via the following steps:

1. Ideas are reviewed and scored by the UAA and UAF classes who make recommendations to advance competitors to the next stage.

2. Ideas are reviewed and scored by the AIC Expert Panel, which is made up of community members, engineers, and innovation experts.  This committee selects the semifinalists, as well as waitlisted competitors as needed. Those placed on the waitlist may be invited to present if a competitor selected as a semifinalist is unable to participate. 

3. Semifinalists present their ideas to the AIC Main Division Judges via Zoom during the Semifinals and answer questions from the judges. The judges select four finalists who will move forward to the Final Competition. At this stage, judges also determine the winners of the kicker prizes. 

4. Four finalists will be selected to present at the AIC Finals & Award Ceremony to compete for first, second, third, and fourth place. The remaining six will receive honorable mentions. Kicker prize winners are also announced at this event.

All ideas submitted to the AIC JR and Cub Divisions undergo an initial screening process and the top ideas are selected for the Finals & Award Ceremony. All initial screening is done anonymously; reviewers are given no information about the competitor’s identity. Individuals involved in screening ideas sign a non-disclosure agreement to help protect all intellectual property. 

Ideas submitted to the AIC JR and Cub Divisions are screened via the following steps:

1. Ideas are reviewed and scored by the UAA and UAF classes who make recommendations to advance competitors to the next stage.

2. Six finalists from each division will be selected to present at the AIC Finals & Award Ceremony to compete for first, second, and third place. The remaining three will receive honorable mentions.

3. Two submissions will be waitlisted, and if for any reason a finalist drops out of the competition, the waitlisted submission will be notified that they have been selected to participate in the AIC Finals & Award Ceremony.