Info for Students

The Capstone Design Expo provides an incredible opportunity to showcase your project to prospective employers, investors, and the public. Here are some quick tips to get you set up for a great first impression! The following information is for the Spring 2023 semester.

STEP 0: Register for the Expo

STEP 1: Review Judging Criteria and Awards

    1. Expo judging rubric
    2. Awards:
      • Best Project award from each School (AE, BME, ECE, ID/ME, ISYE, ME) – $1,000 for the team
      • Best Overall Team – $3000 for the team
      • Best Interdisciplinary Team – $1500 for the team 

STEP 2: Prepare for Expo

    1. Materials for the expo: Your section instructor will dictate the requirements for grading and the associated deliverables. The materials you create and share for the expo are primarily meant to increase your team’s chances of impressing the judges and winning the expo. The following materials must be uploaded on the expo website by 5:00 pm on the day before the expo (if you wish for the judges to review this material before visiting your table)
      • POSTER: Upload your poster as a .jpg or .jpeg file for your team’s submission. Note that your poster should be legible when viewing your computer screen at 100% zoom settings. The size of your starting canvas could be 16 inches wide by 12 inches tall (which is 4:3 aspect ratio). Please make sure the file size is less than 1MB. You may use free online image compression software to resize your poster files. Plan to print your poster if you wish to use it during the in-person expo.
      • VIDEO: Post a web link for your 4-6 minute video. The video must be uploaded on YouTube, and check to make sure anyone can view the video (do not set it as private).
      • See example team from Summer 2020 expo

STEP 3: Attend the Expo

  • On April 25:
    1.  Starting at 1:00 pm, have at least ONE member visit the McCamish Pavilion student check-in area
      1. Collect t-shirts for your team and enjoy free food. No need to wear the expo t-shirts during the expo.
      2. Visit your team’s assigned table location and place your poster and prototype. Check the expo layout here
    2. Electrical power outlets at the expo should be requested by only those teams which need them to run their project prototypes for demo purposes. Please plan to bring fully charged laptops/tablets or backup devices if you plan to use them during your expo presentation.
    3. Starting at 4:00 pm, your team will present the project to judges and visitors. Your team can decide how to best handle the presentation and QA with judges.

Other FAQ

    1. What is the dress code for the event?
      • Wear whatever you need to be successful. Most teams will be in business attire, but few also wear custom/themed attires, including custom t-shirts. Your team will be judged by industry experts, alumni, faculty, and sponsors. Dress to impress!
    2. How many judges should we expect?
      • Teams are randomly assigned to judges based on their major preferences. A team should receive anywhere between 3-5 judges. They might all show up at the same time or at different times.
    3. What do we do if we win the expo?
      Make sure that each member of the team fills out this online form
    4. What is the difference between set up types?
      • The options available are floor, poster, tabletop, and vehicle.
      • Select Floor if you plan to bring your prototype that needs to be placed on the group (cannot be placed on a table, for example, robot, cooler, etc)
      • Select Poster if you do not need a table and only plan to bring a poster. The organizers might place teams with only poster requirements closer if there are overall space constraints.
      • Select Tabletop to receive a 6′ x 3′ table
      • Select Vehicle if you plan to bring a real size car
    5. Have more questions about logistics?
      Send them to expo[at]capstone.gatech.edu