FYE Design Competition
Register for the April 2026 event, hosted by the College of Engineering and First-Year Engineering
About the competition
The FYE Design Competition highlights the creativity, innovation, teamwork and engineering skills of Purdue’s First-Year Engineering (FYE) Program students. Participants present their ideas to faculty, industry partners and the FYE community.
Goals of the competition:
- Build a strong sense of FYE community
- Provide an opportunity for students to shine
- Encourage industry participation
- Celebrate creativity, problem-solving, and design
FYE Design Competition background
- The first edition launched in April 2024 to showcase early engineering talent and creativity.
- In April 2025, the competition expanded significantly, establishing itself as an annual FYE event.
- The competition provides a platform for students to demonstrate skills in engineering design, teamwork, communication, prototyping, creativity and innovation.
- For 2026, the event continues to evolve, with greater engagement across the FYE community and increased collaboration with program partners and the College of Engineering.
Who can participate?
All Purdue students enrolled in any First-Year Engineering pathway in West Lafayette, including:
- ENGR 13000
- ENGR 13100 / ENGR 13200
- ENGR 13300
- ENGR 16100 / ENGR 16200 (Honors)
- FYE Honors
- EPICS
- VIP (Vertically Integrated Projects)
How the competition works
Teams consisting of three to four students register.
For Round 1, teams are required to submit both:
- A five-minute video
- A short, written report describing their engineering design, the problem addressed, the proposed solution and key technical or creative elements.
All teams that submit materials are invited to participate in the poster session and celebration event.
For the competition rounds:
- Round 1: Judges review all submissions and select finalists.
- Round 2: Finalist teams present their complete design solutions to a panel of judges.
- Round 3: Final presentations and announcement of winners.
Awards are given for first, second and third places. Additional recognitions are given for creativity, innovation and impact.
Participating organizations (judges & partners)
The FYE Design Competition is supported by judges and collaborators from:
- Texas Instruments
- Purdue School of Engineering Education (ENE)
- Purdue Mechanical Engineering (ME)
- Purdue EPICS
- Purdue Graduate Programs
- Indiana Packers Corporation
- Cook Biotech
- CAT
These organizations play a key role in reviewing student work and supporting engineering education at Purdue.
Winning previous projects
FYE Design Competition 2025 winning team summaries:
- First: Team Capital S. Developed a real-time dining hall capacity visualization system using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and sensor-based data. Their solution provided crowd estimates and wait times through a mobile app, helping reduce congestion during peak dining hours.
- Second: The Loft Ladder Team. Designed a compact, 3D-printed ladder step that hooks securely onto standard lofted dorm beds. Their modular “slot step” design improves safety, adaptability across dorm types, and usability within small spaces.
- Third: Sensor Dynamics Inc. Created a motion-triggered safety device combining a lamp and speaker to reduce collisions between pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles near Purdue’s Clapping Circle. Their integrated light-and-sound alert system improved safety without altering campus aesthetics.
- People’s Choice Award: Team Bumblebee. Designed a honeycomb-shaped moisturizer container with a raisable base and sliding lid to reduce product waste. Inspired by collapsible packaging, the design maximizes usability and sustainability.
Photo gallery: previous competitions
Explore highlights from past FYE Design Competitions that showcase the creativity, teamwork and innovation demonstrated by students in previous competitions.
