F.A.Q

A GOLD, SILVER and BRONZE winner will be selected for each of the seven technical areas.  Each winner will receive a certificate.  The GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE winner for each area will receive a US$500.00, US$300 and US$200 cash award, respectively.  The seven gold winners will be invited to provide an extended abstract of their project. From the group of seven gold winners a PLATINUM prize winner will be selected.  
The PLATINUM prize winner will receive full funding to the CIGR World Congress on June 2026, in Torino, Italy. This will include air travel and local transportation, hotel, per diem and conference registration. Travel arrangements will be made by the CIGR Secretariat.

No. In order to participate you must be enrolled as an undergraduate student in an agricultural, biological, biosystems engineering, or closely related program at the time your entry is submitted.

The 2026 CIGR World Congress will be held on June 2026 in Turin, Italy.

No.  The competition is open only to undergraduate students.

Please submit all files, except video, as pdf files. Please submit video files as MP4 video files.

Yes.  In the case of a group project being a winner in any category, all team members will receive a certificate.  However, the cash prize for the team will remain the same as for an individual. In case of winning the grand prize one individual representing the group will be financed to attend the 2026 CIGR World Congress in Torino, Italy.

The deadline for submission is September 15, 11:00PM ETD (New York time).  The submission web page will shut down at this time so submissions must be completely uploaded by this deadline.

The announcement of the GOLD, SILVER and BROZE winners will be made on February 15, 2026.
In addition, the PLATINUM winner will be announced for the first time during the CIGR2026 World Congress in Torino, Italy.

GOLD, SILVER, and BRONZE winners will be recognized in the CIGR Newsletter and during the awards ceremony that will take place during the CIGR2026 World Congress in Torino, Italy.

A standard evaluation criterion used across the competition includes:

• Quality and rigor that is present in the submission (Clear description of the problem, analysis and elected approach of the solution implemented, sound use of engineering science and technology).
• Originality and creativity in the implementation of engineering principles and science (The solution demonstrates mastery of the principles used in the solution and their use in a creative and innovative manner).
• Relevance and impact (The problem addresses an important issue and may affect many stakeholders).
• Interest and relevance to Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering (The subject matter is squarely within the domain of one of the CIGR Technical sections).

No.  Projects submitted to more than one technical area will not be considered.

No.  Only one project per individual or team can be submitted to the competition.  Individuals or teams submitting more than one project will not be considered.