General & Eligibility
Who can participate in IDEATE 2026?
The competition is open exclusively to current NUS undergraduate students from any faculty or discipline. Interdisciplinary collaboration is highly encouraged!
What is the required team size?
Teams must consist of 3 to 5 members. All members must be NUS students.
Do I need an idea or hardware experience before signing up?
No. The Design Thinking workshop on Launch Day helps you find and frame a problem, and the recess-week technical workshops cover skills from soldering to CAD to PCB fab. Cross-disciplinary teams are encouraged.
Project & Deliverables
What kind of solutions are we expected to build?
Participants are strongly recommended to create mechatronic system solutions that interact with the physical environment, combining mechanical, electronic and software elements.
Can we submit a purely software, app, or website-based solution?
Purely app, website, or AI-only solutions are not recommended and will be marked down on innovation. Your final project must involve a physical, high-fidelity prototype that can be demonstrated. Virtual Reality (VR) projects are allowed only if they include a physical interaction component, like custom controllers or sensors.
What is the Preliminary Design Review?
A 1–3 minute video submitted as a YouTube link by 30 Aug, covering your problem, user research, lo-fi prototype and rationale. It's weighted 40% design, 40% engineering, 20% business, and decides which 16 teams advance.
Commitment & Workshops
Are the workshops mandatory?
Yes. There are several compulsory workshops (Design Thinking on 15 Aug, Innovation Mindset on 19 Aug, and the Business Pitch workshop on 7 Oct) that require attendance. Additionally, during recess week, each team must attend at least two technical workshops under Prof Tang Kuok Zea.
What resources do we get if we make it to the Semi-Finals?
The 16 semi-finalist teams receive incredible perks, including an industrial mentor check-in, consideration for internship opportunities, a recommendation for the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme, and a S$1,000 prototyping budget if you enrol in specific CDE modules (CDE3301/CDE4301) — S$800 for non-iDP students.
Timeline & Judging
How does the elimination process work?
The competition begins with up to 60 teams.
- Preliminary Design Review (PDR): teams submit a 1–3 minute video of their lo-fi prototype. Judges select the top 16 teams.
- Semi-Finals (15 Oct): a science-booth style exhibition where 6 judges narrow the pool from 16 down to 6 teams.
- Final Pitch (15 Oct): the final 6 teams deliver a formal 10-minute business pitch to a panel of 3 judges.
How does judging work at the finals?
- Innovativeness of the solution — 20%
- Market potential — 20%
- Economic and financial model — 20%
- Team strength — 20%
- Presentation — 20%
The format is a 5-minute pitch followed by 5 minutes of Q&A.
What are the prizes?
- 1st: S$10,000 NUS Enterprise VIP Grant
- 2nd: S$3,000 · 3rd: S$1,000
- Best Exhibition, Most Sustainable and Audience Choice: S$500 in vouchers
- Houses & Halls prize: S$500
- Top 3: incubation opportunity at The Hangar by NUS Enterprise
Where is each event held?
- Launch Day and workshops: LT7A, Block EA
- Prototyping: Innovation & Design Hub (EA) and Electronics Studio (E2A)
- Semi-finals and finals: Block EA (exact venue to be confirmed)
All on NUS Kent Ridge campus. See the map above.
Is food provided?
Lunch is catered by NUS Enterprise for 300 on Launch Day and 150 on semi-finals and finals day. Audience members can also win prizes in a lucky draw on 15 Oct.
IDEATE 2025 · CHAMPION
IDEATE 2025 · 1ST RUNNER-UP
IDEATE 2025 · 2ND RUNNER-UP
FIG. 01 — LAUNCH DAY, 2025
FIG. 02 — PROTOTYPING WORKSHOP
FIG. 03 — SEMI-FINALS EXHIBITION
FIG. 04 — FINALS PITCH, 2025