{"id":2573,"date":"2024-06-20T11:47:46","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T15:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centers.purdue.edu\/fusion-studio\/?page_id=2573"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:21:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:21:22","slug":"smdc-rules-and-registration","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/centers.purdue.edu\/fusion-studio\/smdc-rules-and-registration\/","title":{"rendered":"SMDC Rules and Registration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Competition Rules and Registration Information<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Event Rules<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n \n\n
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Teams of two to four students, made up of any combination of college or university students at any level (graduate or undergraduate), may enter the challenge. No solo entries will be accepted. No entries of teams with more than four participants will be accepted. Each team must have a faculty or staff coach from a college or university theatre department who can attest to each team member\u2019s commitment to theatre technology and\/or theatre engineering. Coaches must be present at the competition and can work with more than one team. (However, we recommend not coaching more than two total teams.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Registration cost is $25 per individual participant (not per team) and is non-refundable. (Note that participants \u2014 including faculty sponsors \u2014 are responsible for all travel-related expenses, though lunch will be provided on the day of the competition event.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All participating teams will be given the opportunity to design a solution to this year\u2019s Stage Machine Design Challenge. All teams will be given the same information about the challenge, including any constraints on the effect to be designed. Each team may choose the methods, materials, parts, and other elements of the solution (with some limitations; see below). Each team will be assessed by the judges using the same rubrics for each award category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All team participants and coaches should read the full challenge rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n register your team <\/h2>\n

Registration is easy! Be sure to have payment information and details about all your team members (and coach!) ready.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n Register now<\/a>\n <\/div> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Award Categories<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n \n\n
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Participants have the opportunity to receive recognition in a number of categories (see below) in each location. The scoring across all of these categories is combined to determine what team will receive the Best Overall Design Award for the competition in that year in each location. Additionally, the judges may decide to award recognition for individual teams in special categories based on their observations of the teams and designs at each event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

General descriptions of each category follow below; details can be found in the full rules document<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Overall Design<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Best Overall Design award is the ultimate achievement at the Stage Machine Design Competition and is awarded to the team with the highest aggregate score across all other award categories. Each team member will receive an engraved acrylic trophy, as will the coach for display at the team’s home institution. Additionally, the names of the team members and their coach will be engraved on a perpetual plaque for display at the site at which they competed, along with the names of all previous teams given the Best Overall Design award at that location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Proposal<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Best Proposal recognition will be awarded based on the submitted proposals from each team. Proposals will be judged on completeness, readability, professionalism; successful proposals demonstrate a clear understanding of the problem, explore multiple ways of addressing the challenge, and demonstrate why the team has landed on a chosen design approach. (Note: it is not unheard of that a proposed design approach is not ultimately successful, requiring teams to shift direction in their design during the prototyping process. Proposals are assessed in and of themselves; prototypes that differ from what was proposed will not have a negative impact on decisions in this category.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Efficient Installation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Most Efficient Installation recognition will be awarded to the team whose installation process shows evidence of prior planning, clear organization and preparation, and respectful communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Elegant Implementation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Most Elegant Implementation recognition will be awarded to the team whose implementation and construction of their design demonstrates careful attention to detail, adherence to typical construction practices, a sense of visual aesthetic; successful teams in this category will bring prototypes that use materials appropriate to the strength and use requirements and whose mechanisms utilize a reasonable number of parts and pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Effective Design<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Most Effective Design recognition will be awarded to the team whose prototype most accurately fulfills the design expectations outlined in the challenge description. In addition to these performance requirements, successful prototypes will not involve complex training or operation procedures and will adhere to safe practices that present minimal danger to the operator, crew, and participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Teamwork<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Best Teamwork recognition will be awarded to the team that demonstrates the highest level of collaboration, cooperation, and teamwork during the installation, calibration, testing, and demonstration of their device, and that the judges determine through conversation with the participants worked the most collaboratively during the design process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Design Document<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Every device needs a manual that details its operation, maintenance, and construction. Best Design Document recognition will be awarded to the team whose design document most clearly demonstrates the engineering analysis of the principles involved in the operation of the device and provides clear instruction for construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of the device. Successful design documents will include well-organized and drawn technical drawings, parts lists, and reflections on the devices–and the team’s–successes and failures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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