Recognition and Prizes
Entries will be evaluated by a Challenge Committee—composed of representatives from the participating academic institutions—and an international jury of experts in naval architecture, industrial design, and environmental science, alongside local stakeholders and members of the Volta Bicentenary Committee.
Teams will receive formal recognition and prizes based on their scores, the received prizes will be prominently displayed on the team's project page on the Volta27.org website.
Grand prizes & Runner Ups
Grand Prize
The overall winner of the design challenge will receive the official design trophy and an official certification issued by Volta27 and the Challenge Committee. We are also working to secure institutional backing for professional traineeships.
Runner Ups
The two runner-up prizes will be awarded to the teams achieving the second- and third-highest scores against the judging criteria, as determined by consensus and deliberation among the judges.
Special prizes
Special prizes celebrate exceptional quality in both the final submission and the design process. These awards are open to teams that apply for them by submitting a brief statement outlining why they believe their work merits special consideration.
1. Outstanding Communication and Outreach
Prize Supported by XYZ
The Outstanding Digital Experience and Outreach Prize will be awarded to the participating team with the most compelling audiovisual and digital presentation of their project. Judges welcome submissions across a wide range of digital formats, from short videos to interactive websites, augmented- and virtual-reality platforms, and video games.
The prize is awarded to the team that best employs striking visual renderings and creative storytelling techniques to communicate the science, context, and impact of their work. Candidates must also demonstrate communication effectiveness by achieving significant social media outreach and delivering a persuasive narrative that inspires interest in innovation and design thinking applied to sustainable navigation.
This award recognizes that high-quality digital experiences play a pivotal role in driving global awareness, community engagement, and the adoption of sustainable development solutions.
2. Outstanding Emergent Voice
Prize Supported by XYZ
The Outstanding Emergent Voice Prize is awarded to the team that best explores and most clearly communicates an emergent view of navigation and life on the shore of the lake or communicates a social critique through the creative use of design. The team’s project will address the effects of a technology or system on users and non users, potential societal reactions to these effects, and ways to mitigate negative ones.
3. Outstanding Exhibition
The Outstanding Exhibition Prize is awarded to the team with the most engaging exhibit at the LCDF exhibition. Judges assess the clarity with which teams present their projects, the interactivity of the display. The show exhibits should convey the team’s process, learnings, and final results of their project.
4. Outstanding Science & Field Research
The Outstanding Science & Field research Prize is awarded to the team that designs and executes outstanding scientific experiments or exhibits mastery of scientific techniques. They recognise the team that takes the initiative to go out into the field and interview experts as well as potentially affected communities in order to find and understand the real social impacts of their project. The experiments, field research and their analysis must be performed by the students. Students must show how their research informed the design of their project.
5. Outstanding Collaboration
The Prize for Outstanding Collaboration honors the team that exemplifies exceptional partnership across disciplines, departments, or institutions in the development of their project. This prize rewards projects where collaboration—whether between schools, research labs, community groups, or educational programs—played a fundamental role in shaping the research, concept, and outcome.