Goodyear Innovation Challenge
Sponsored by Goodyear, in collaboration with Weatherhead School of Management

DESIGN YOUR
CAREER FUTURE WORLD

Goodyear Innovation Challenge

A business design and innovation competition sponsored by Goodyear, in collaboration with Weatherhead School of Management

THE CHALLENGE

The Goodyear Innovation Challenge is a business design and innovation competition sponsored by Goodyear in collaboration with the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Master's degree students from across the United States are invited to unleash their creativity while addressing real-world business challenges. The top five teams will compete for prize money in a hackathon at the state-of-the-art maker facility called think[box], and an opportunity to work alongside team members from the Goodyear Innovation Labs.

DESIGN

Develop a compelling solution to a complex challenge

COMPETE

Prove your skills at a two-day design hackathon

WIN

Cash prizes and the opportunity to interview at Goodyear

RULES FOR PARTICIPATION

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE

Current students over the age of 18 who are pursuing a master’s degree in any discipline in the United States. Multiple teams from the same university may participate. Undergraduates with significant experience in lean startup, human centered design, data science, or graphic design will be considered.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

STEP ONE: TEAM INFO
Submit names and contact info of 4-5 team members. Multidisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged!

STEP TWO: DOWNLOAD BRIEF and craft proposal according problem description and instructions.

STEP THREE: SUBMIT PROPOSAL
Submit one proposal per team via email to designchallenge@case.edu. Only one proposal per team!

STEP FOUR: HACKATHON
Top five teams will travel to Cleveland for two-day hackathon at think[box], working alongside students from other schools and Goodyear Innovation Lab associates for a $5000, $3000, or $2000 cash prize.

TIMELINE

September 9:
Brief is released
September 10 to October 13:
Submit team information on website
October 14:
Submit proposals to designchallenge@case.edu
October 18:
Invitations sent for Hackathon
November 14-15:
Hackathon at think[box] makers space, winners announced!

STEP 1: APPLY

Submit your team information.

First Name Last Name Email School Program Year in Program
Team Lead
Team Member 1
Team Member 2
Team Member 3
Team Member 4
Team Lead is the person who will be the primary contact for all Challenge communications. If you have less than five people on your team, it’s ok! Submit a proposal! You may be joined with other people if invited to the hackathon in order to create a full team.

Does your school have a design, entrepreneurship, or innovation club or student organization? If so, please provide the folowing information:

YOU MUST READ AND AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THE CHALLENGE BEFORE PARTICIPATING IN THE CHALLENGE. BY CLICKING ON THE “I AGREE” BUTTON OF THE CHALLENGE, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CHALLENGE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CHALLENGE, THEN YOU SHOULD EXIT THIS PAGE AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CHALLENGE. GOODYEAR MAY AMEND THE TERMS OF THE CHALLENGE AT ANY TIME, IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION, UPON NOTICE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ELECTRONIC NOTICE) TO PARTICIPANTS. YOU HEREBY AGREE AS FOLLOWS: By clicking ‘I agree’ below, I acknowledge that I have read this agreement and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions.  

Submit team info. You will receive an e-mail with more information, including the design brief. Otherwise, download the design brief here.

STEP 2: READ BRIEF

THE BRIEF

Today’s manufacturers have made significant investments in emerging technologies like RFID and blockchain for supply chain traceability and sustainability, enabling them to provide top level service to their increasingly complex matrices of B2C and B2B partners and customers. This year's brief asks students to consider the question, "How can Goodyear leverage such technologies to move forward with its supply chain and meet the demanding customer expectations in this environmentally conscious future mobility landscape?"

Download the 2019 Challenge Brief

STEP 3: SUBMIT PROPOSAL

E-mail your proposal in PDF format to designchallenge@case.edu by October 14.

STEP 4: THE HACKATHON

November 14th-15th, 2019

2-day session

Five select teams are invited to a 2-day design hackathon at Case Western Reserve University’s Larry Sears and Sally Zlotnick Sears think[box], a 7-story, 50,000 square foot makerspace where teams will have access to 3D printers, laser cutters, routers, saws, and more.

You will be given the opportunity to bring your proposal to life through the process of validating user needs, coming up with concepts, prototyping the best one, and developing “back of the envelope” business model calculations. The process will be guided along by experienced mentors from Goodyear’s Innovation Lab and other local business innovation experts.

A jury consisting of Design and Innovation Leaders from Weatherhead, Goodyear and other corporations will select the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners who will win $5000, $3000, and $2000 respectively.

There will also be opportunities to explore internships and full-time positions at Goodyear’s New Ventures team and Innovation Labs.

Agenda

Day 1 - November 14th, 2019
Welcome lunch Noon – 1 p.m.
Tour of Sears think[box] 1 – 1:30 p.m.
Hackathon begins 1:30 – 8 p.m.
Day 2 - November 15th, 2019
Breakfast (optional) 8 – 9 a.m.
Hackathon (boxed lunches) 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Presentation and prize ceremony 2 – 4 p.m.
Reception 4 – 5 p.m.

PRIZES

What will they win, Bob?

First Place $5,000
Second Place $3,000
Third Place $2,000

Check out photos from past challenges

Participants, mentors and judges from the 2016. 2017 and 2018 Innovation Challenge

Students use think[box] equipment to prototype their concepts, empathize with real users, and formulate their pitch of their final concept.

Frequently Asked Questions

You've got questions, we've got answers

Locally the University recommends staying at Glidden House, Tudor Arms Hotel, or Courtyard by Marriott.

Note: Other sites like AirBnB also offer inexpensive lodging all around Cleveland, depending on your comfort level. Search areas in Cleveland Heights or University Circle as will be closest to the University. We recommend staying the weekend in Cleveland and experiencing museums like the Cleveland Museum of Art and MOCA, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the nightlife of East 4th, The Flats and Ohio City, and the beautiful sights around Cleveland Metroparks and Lake Erie!
Travel expenses are not covered by CWRU, however you might want to check with your school program or career management office as many will subsidize part or all of out-of-town trips for networking, skill building, or job search events.
The Goodyear Innovation Challenge is a unique opportunity to get to see how the Innovation team at Goodyear works. If you are interested in a position, you can let us know! Or if Goodyear thinks you’d be a good fit, they will reach out. We think this is a better method than fielding resume and application submissions to boring job descriptions on a website, and hope you do too!
No, only one proposal per team is allowed.
Please direct your questions or concerns to designchallenge@case.edu.

Toolbox

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the resources below as you work on your proposal and prepare for the hackathon. They will help you get outside the box towards the creative problem-solving mode, combining business thinking with design thinking and lean startup mentalities.

Goodyear's Latest Innovations