About the Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition

Aluminum extrusions are all around us...at home in windows, doors, railings, appliances...on the road in cars, trucks, signs, traffic lights...on the water in boats and docks... in the air...at work or school...at the gym, the playground, the stadium, the supermarket, the doctor's office. Every day, you come in contact with a wealth of products made better by aluminum extrusions.

Students have a unique way of looking at the world, which makes them well-qualified to offer innovative solutions to design challenges. Think beyond the ordinary to come up with unique and resourceful uses for extruded aluminum in the Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition!

How to Enter

To enter, design a product or system featuring aluminum extrusions. The design must be original and make use of at least one extruded aluminum component. Winning designs will be those that best demonstrate the benefits of aluminum extrusions - whether by inventing a new product or improving an existing one. 

Click on the links below for details or download the Call for Entries below.

Winning students will be presented with scholarships for First, Second and Third Place. A scholarship for the special Sustainable Design Category is also available. Details below...

Available Resources

Need more information about designing with aluminum extrusion? View our webinar below and visit the Design Resources page for publications, additional webinars, tips and more. 

Webinar: Tips for a Successful Design Competition Entry
Listen to the webinar on our YouTube channel to better understand the aluminum extrusion process, see real-life examples of applications for extrusions and discover some considerations when designing with aluminum extrusion.

VIEW WEBINAR NOW >>

Qualifications for Entry

• Must currently be enrolled as a student in high school, college/university, technical school, or graduate school to be eligible.
• It is highly recommended to include a 3-D printed prototype of your component design
• Your extrusion design must fit within no larger than a 10-inch circle size to be considered for an award.
• Provide as much support material as possible to illustrate the design, its utility and practicality (i.e., art boards, images – jpeg preferred – drawings, full and complete explanation of how your entry meets the four judging criteria)
• Proper grammar and spelling is a must!

Be sure to visit Key Considerations on this website for more information on aluminum extrusion design.

Return to the top >>

Call for Entries & Entry Form

For complete information, including judging criteria, eligibility, tips on a successful entry and more, download the Call for Entries brochure.

Download the Student Competition Entry Form here. For team entries, each member of the team should complete an entry form.

Return to the top >>

Comprehensive Rules

Designs must be original and make use of at least one extruded aluminum component. Multiple entries may be accepted. If any category yields no entries deemed by the judges to adequately address the competition’s criteria, a prize will not be awarded in that category.

Winning entries will be those that best demonstrate the benefits of aluminum extrusions – whether by inventing a new product or improving an existing one – by achieving the following objectives:

Creativity
Innovative design, new application capability, methods to meet a new design challenge.

Practicality
Ease of fabrication and assembly, cost-effectiveness, use of extruded aluminum over other materials or processes.

Product/Process Advantage
Product/Process improvement: customization or improvement of extrusion processes, close tolerances, takes full advantage of extrusion capabilities to improve a product.

Market Impact/Potential
Design/product marketability and likelihood of market success.

A panel of professionals from the aluminum extrusion industry, academia, and/or the trade press will judge the competition in Spring 2019.

For complete rules and criteria, visit www.aec.org/CompetitionRules.

Return to the top >>

Prizes

Earn a cash scholarship prize with your aluminum extrusion design! Awards are sponsored by Bonnell Aluminum totalling $8,500! The winning entries in the Student Design Competition will be awarded in the following amounts:

Return to the top >>

The Bonnell Sustainable Design Challenge

Humanitarian and environmental disasters and people with physical disabilities often inspire savvy designers and inventors with ideas to develop solutions to these challenges -- and aluminum extrusions offer the perfect sustainable material.

The Bonnell Aluminum Sustainable Design Challenge accepts entries that, in addition to the four basic ET Foundation Design Competition criteria, best addresses societal and/or environmental challenges or concerns.

Bonnell Sustainable Design Challenge Requirements

• The 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.
• Interested students should indicate they are seeking consideration for the Sustainable Design Award on the Student Design Competition Entry Form.
• Explain in the written brief, how their entry meets the criteria.
• Examples of entries for the Sustainable Design Challenge Category include:

- A refugee tent                  - A hydroponic gardening system

- Water purifier                    - Assistive device for individuals with physical limitations

Return to the top >>

The ET Foundation is grateful to Bonnell Aluminum for their sponsorship of the 2019 Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition awards.