About the challenge

The Illinois Design Challenge (IDC) is a fully in-person 72 hour Engineering and Product Design competition at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Throughout the event, participants will be tasked with creating design solutions for real-world problems while learning from industry experts, professors, and other students on campus. This year, we are foccused on creating a design to assist First Responders.

Get started

Before taking any further steps, please make sure you have registered for IDC 2025. If you have not received any emails from Illinois Design Challenge yet, you must fill out the registration form before participating. Registration will remain open until the submission deadline on Sunday, however, only registered participants will get access to food, and prizes.

 

Requirements

What to Build

Your CAD design should address the following core objectives:

1. Safety & Protection
  • The product must enhance protection and be easy to use in high-pressure scenarios.

  • Design should prioritize ergonomics, durability, and usability in emergency environments.

2. Materials & Durability
  • Select materials that withstand harsh emergency conditions, including extreme temperatures, moisture, and impact.

  • Design for long-term reliability and effectiveness.

3. Ease of Use & Feasibility
  • The design should be intuitive and user-friendly for first responders.

  • Ensure that the product can be manufactured efficiently with realistic cost estimates.

4. Maintenance & Serviceability
  • Consider how the product can be easily cleaned, maintained, and repaired to ensure long-term usability.

5. Innovation & Effectiveness

  • The solution should demonstrate innovation in enhancing first responder safety.

  • Designs must offer clear advantages over existing safety measures.

What to Submit

To participate in the challenge, teams must submit the following:

1. CAD Model Submission
  • A CAD model of all components and assembly of the product.

  • Export the model to STEP format and upload it to GrabCAD - Include the grabcad link in your submission.

2. Project Report

A detailed report explaining the design, including:

  • The problem addressed and how the solution improves first responder safety.

  • Target users and their needs.

  • Technical design features and how they meet user requirements.

  • Major iterations and design inspirations.

  • User story/walkthrough on how the solution is used in real scenarios.

  • Real-world feasibility, including manufacturability and estimated costs.

  • Future improvements and next steps.

  • Optional: Videos or animations demonstrating the product's use case.

3. Design Considerations

Ensure that your submission aligns with the following:

  • Cost-effectiveness

  • Manufacturability

  • Ease of Use & User Experience

  • Robustness & Durability

  • Aesthetics

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$500 in prizes
First Place
$300 in cash
1 winner

Second Place
$200 in cash
1 winner

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

IDC Staff
IDC

Tim Walsh

Tim Walsh
University of Illinois Fire Service Institute

Professor Aric P Rindfleisch

Professor Aric P Rindfleisch
Executive Director of Illinois MakerLab

Professor Suresh Sethi

Professor Suresh Sethi
Art and Design

Professor Vishal Sachdev

Professor Vishal Sachdev
Director of Illinois MakerLab

Judging Criteria

  • Safety & Protection
    The product must enhance protection and be easy to use in high-pressure scenarios. Design should prioritize ergonomics, durability and usability in emergency environments.
  • Materials & Durability
    Select materials that withstand harsh emergency conditions, including extreme temperatures and heavy impact. Design for long-term reliability and effectiveness.
  • Ease of Use & Feasibility
    The design should be intuitive and user-friendly for first responders. Ensure that the product can be reasonably manufactured using current technologies.
  • Innovation & Effectiveness
    The solution should demonstrate innovation in enhancing first responder safety. Designs must offer clear advantages over existing measures.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Tell your friends

Hackathon sponsors

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.