The YEA Case Competition 2022 has challenged teams of engineering students with a real-world problem to solve.

Infrastructure plays a key role in both climate change mitigation and adaption. Teams were asked to provide an innovative solution for sustainable infrastructure. Ideas could be new or be adaptions of existing Australian infrastructure assets. 

Utilising their theoretical knowledge teams worked on the Case Challenge solution and provided a submission for judging by the Preliminary Judges (listed below). 

The YEA Case Competition finalists: 

ACE Consulting
Malleable
MMAH
Pow[ENGR]puff Girls
TMT

The top five teams were then asked to provide a 5 minute video presentation for further judging and participation in the People's Choice round, providing a chance for the public to view submissions and vote for their favourite solution. 

The top five finalists will then be quizzed by the finalist judging panel (listed below) of professional engineers during the Livestreamed Finals Event, held on Thursday, 29 September 2022. Their responses, along with their pitch video, went towards the judge's determination of the winning team.  

The National Case Competition 2022 Winners were announced as ACE Consulting:

Competition Details

HOW IT WORKS

 

1. The team captain is to register their team of 3 – 4 fellow students by 11.59pm, Sunday 21 August 2022.  

2. The Case Brief will be made available on 8 August 2022.

3. Teams need to create a Submission for the Case Competition and submit by 11.59pm, Sunday 21 August 2022. Submission will need to include:

- A Cover Page 
- Entry responses (max three A4 pages) 
- An A3 page ‘poster’ 

4. A Bibliography/Reference document (this is optional and will not be judged) 

5. Preliminary Judging will be conducted between 22 - 28 August 2022 and will identify the top 10 Finalists.  

6. The top five Finalists will be announced on Monday 29 August 2022 and will be asked to create and submit a five-minute video presentation for further judging and participation in the People’s Choice competition.  

7. The top five Finalist video presentations must be uploaded by 11.59pm, Sunday 11 September 2022.  

8. The People’s Choice competition will open on Sunday 12 September 2022, providing the community with the chance to view and vote on the top five finalists using their video submissions. Voting in the People’s Choice competition will close Monday 21 September 2022. 

10. The Livestreamed Finals Event will be streamed on Thursday 29 September where the top five video submissions will be played and teams will participate in a live QandA session with the Finalist Judges. Due to the national day of mourning for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on 22 September, the livestreamed Finals Event has been moved to Thursday 29 September 2022.

11. The YEA Case Competition 2022 National Champions and runners up will be announced at the Livestreamed Finals Event, as well as the winners of the People’s Choice award.  

KEY DATES

 

- Team Registration opens: Monday, 18 July 2022 
- Case Study released: Monday, 8 August 2022
- Submissions due: 11.59PM - Sunday, 21 August 2022 
- Top Five Finalists Announced: Monday, 29 August 2022
- People’s Choice voting opens: Monday, 12 September 2022
- Livestreamed Finals Event: Thursday, 29 September 2022 (note, date change)

 

PRIZES

 

- Winning team: $500 (voucher) per team member plus a winners certificate of appreciation
- Runners Up: $200 (voucher) per team member plus a runners up certificate of appreciation 
- Peoples Choice Award: $50 (voucher) per team member plus a People’s Choice certificate of appreciation
- Top 5 finalist: Certificate of appreciation
- All team members who submit a Case Challenge Solution will receive a digital certificate of participation. 

 

ELIGIBILITY

 

Entry to the competition is free and open to all current engineering students (undergraduate or Masters students) enrolled at an Australian university. PhD students are not permitted to compete.

Exchange students currently overseas can still participate in the YEA Case Competition 2022.

Teams must consist of either three or four participants. No individual registrations or teams of two will be considered this year.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

 

These Terms and Conditions set out the terms of participation in the YEA Case Competition 2022 (the “Competition”). 
     
1.    The promoter of the Competition is The Institution of Engineers Australia trading as Engineers Australia (“Engineers Australia") (ABN 63 020 415 510), Engineering House, 11 National Circuit, Barton, ACT, Australia, Telephone No: 02 6270 6555.

2.    The Competition is a competition in which teams of three or four (multi-disciplinary) student engineers work together to come up with a solution to a proposed project. It is designed to be a fast-paced simulation of real-world problem solving condensed into a set timeframe. 

3.    Entry to the Competition is free and open to all student engineers currently enrolled in a university in Australia only and who meet the criteria on the promotion material.  An entrant must be an individual.  Organisations (including bodies corporate) are ineligible to enter.  Individual entrants under 18 years of age must have the consent of their parent or guardian to enter the Competition. Employees of Engineers Australia, their immediate family members, employees of any company associated with Engineers Australia, any person associated with the Competition, and any individual associated with the provision of the prize(s), are not eligible to enter.

4.    Each entry must be entered in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. By entering the Competition, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. Engineers Australia may in its discretion refuse to award any prize to any entrant who fails to comply with these Terms and Conditions. All relevant instructions (if any) on the Engineers Australia website (www.engineersaustralia.org.au) form part of these Terms and Conditions.

5.    The information, material, and assumptions provided in the case study brief have been prepared by the Young Engineers Australia committee, in conjunction with Engineers Australia. All information has been sourced publicly and is to be used only in connection with the YEA Case Competition 2022. Distribution of this material may be used only by participants of this competition and/or the judging panellists during the duration of this competition.

6.    The Competition opens at 09.00am on Monday 18 July 2022 and closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 21 August 2022. ("Competition Period").  Any entry received after the expiry of the Competition Period will be deemed invalid. No responsibility is accepted for late, lost, delayed or misdirected entries.

7.    To enter the Competition, you must:

a.    Register your interest to participate no later than 11.59pm on Sunday 21 August 2022, either individually or as part of a team (maximum number of members per team is four pax);

b.    Submit final proposal for review and judging no later than 11.59pm on Sunday 21 August 2022; and

c.    Be available to attend the final presentation webinar on Thursday 29 September 2022, should your submitted proposal be selected as a finalist. Due to the national day of mourning for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on 22 September, the livestreamed Finals Event has been moved to Thursday 29 September 2022.

8.    By participating in this case competition, you agree that the Young Engineers Australia Committee can share your submitted proposal with CSE - Climate Smart Engineering Conference team, at their discretion.

9.    There is a maximum of four x $500 cash (voucher or gift card) prizes to be won.  The Prizes are:

 

Prize Description	Prize Amount
First Prize	$500 cash voucher per team member for the winning team (maximum of four team members)
Runners up Prize	$200 cash voucher per team member for the winning team (maximum of four team members)
People’s Choice	$50 cash voucher per team member for the winning team (maximum of four team members)

 

10.    Each prize must be taken as is and no compensation will be payable if a winner is unable to use the prize as stated.  It is a condition of accepting a prize that the winner accept the conditions of use of that prize.

11.    If a prize (or part of the prize) is unavailable, Engineers Australia, in its discretion, reserves the right to substitute the prize (or that part of the prize) with a prize to the equal value and/or specification, subject to any written directions from a regulatory authority.

12.    The winning team will be selected by a panel of judges, based on the pitch and presentation of their submitted proposal. The winning team will be announced at the conclusion of the presentation webinar scheduled for Thursday 29 September 2022.  The decision of the panel of judges in regard to the winning team will be final and will be binding on each person who enters the Competition, and no correspondence will be entered into.

13.    Prize winners will be notified at the conclusion of the presentation webinar on Thursday 29 September 2022. Prizes will either be given in person to the winning team members (only if possible due to current Covid-19 restrictions) or be forwarded to winning team members at the postal address provided to Engineers Australia in this Competition within 28 days after the close of the Competition.

14.    Prize winners’ names will be published on Engineers Australia Facebook pages on Friday 30 September 2022. 

15.    By entering the Competition, entrants consent to Engineers Australia using their personal details they provide in connection with the Competition for purposes of promoting the Competition, facilitating the conduct of the Competition and the award of any prizes.  Entrants’ personal information provided in connection with the Competition will be handled in accordance with the Engineers Australia Privacy Policy available on the Engineers Australia website www.engineersaustralia.org.au.

16.    If there is any event that prevents or hinders Engineers Australia’s conduct of the Competition or Engineers Australia’s ability to deliver the prize/s to the prize winner/s of the Competition, or if the winner/s has not claimed the prize/s within 3 months of the prize being drawn, Engineers Australia may, in its discretion, cancel the Competition and recommence it at another time under the same conditions, or randomly select another winner.

17.    Engineers Australia is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, or for any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilised in this Competition, or for any technical error that may occur in the course of the administration of this Competition. Engineers Australia assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorised access to or alteration of entries.

18.    To the full extent permitted by law, by entering this Competition, the entrant agrees that Engineers Australia will not be liable for any injury, damages, expenses, or loss whatsoever (whether direct or indirect) to persons or property as a result of any person entering into the Competition or accepting or using any prize, including without limitation non-receipt of any prize or damage to any prize in transit.  This release extends to any injury, damage, expenses or loss whatsoever (whether direct or indirect) to persons or property arising from the Competition being run on any form of social media including, but not limited to Facebook.

19.    This Competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, any social media network. 
 

 

2021 CASE COMPETITION

 

Held nationally for the first time in 2021, the YEA Case Competition was an unprecedented experience for likeminded student engineers to join forces and solve a real-world problem. 

WATCH THE 2021 NATIONAL FINAL EVENT RECORDING HERE

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS A CASE COMPETITION

A Case Competition is a fast-paced simulation of a real-world project. Multidisciplinary teams work collaboratively on a problem to provide a set of deliverables within a short time frame. 

Watch the below video of a panel discussion between Case Competition experts to find out what a case competition is, why you should participate and have some frequently asked questions answered. 

How do I prepare for a Case Competition?

The general approach to any case competition is to: 

- Research the topic. 
- Brainstorm and whiteboard. 
- Consolidate the proposed recommendation. 
- Succinctly prepare documentation in accordance with the required structure outlined in the Case Brief. 

Where do I upload my submission?

Your submission will need to be uploaded to the Submissions Portal by 11.59pm, Sunday 21 August 2022 and should include the following; 

- A Cover Page.
- Entry responses (max three A4 pages).
- An A3 page ‘poster’.
- A Bibliography/Reference document (this is optional and will not be judged.

I have been announced in the Top 10 Finalists, what now!? 

Congratulations!  Now you need to create a 5-min video presentation of your submission. 

What is the People's Choice Award? 

The Top 10 Finalist video entries will have the opportunity to be reviewed and voted on by the general public. Voting for the People's Choice Award will be open from 12 – 21 September 2022.

What is required for each round of the competition?  

Preliminary round: Cover page, three page document addressing criteria and an A3 poster.
Top 10 Finalists: Five-minute video presentation.
Final Round (Top 5): Participation in QandA with judges during the Livestreamed Finals Event on 22 September 2022.

Can we do pre-existing solutions? Or do we have to innovate/ improve on it?

Yes, you can do pre-existing solutions. But in saying that, we are looking for teams to be creative in your approach, and this is reflected in the selection criteria (20% weighting to creativity).

What is the scope of the solution? Is our solution supposed to be something ground-breaking or is it alright to incorporate existing ideas to create a new solution?

The solution does not have to be ground-breaking and can incorporate existing ideas, there is a 20% weighting to feasibility of your solution. Innovation in your solution can come from how you research, use and maybe combine existing technologies to maximize environmental benefits as much as it can come from using novel technology. Creativity can sometimes be in the simplicity of your solution.

Is there an example of last year’s report to know what the quality looks like?

Unfortunately, we cannot release last year's submissions, but we can recommend having a look at the different frameworks to help get started.

Also, make sure to check out the Case Competition 101 video, which outlines very useful tips on how to best map out an idea. A recap on last years competition is also available here.