Hydro Power Contest

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SUPPORT AND SPONSORSHIP

What's the purpose of the Hydro Power Contest?

The Contest originated with two purposes:

To give college students a practical engineering project while still in college
To introduce students to the hydropower industry

The Contest emphasizes learning science and engineering concepts in a kinesthetic, or experiential, format. Kinesthetic learning of technical subjects is being recognized more and more as a "best method."

Can you describe the Contest?

The Hydro Power Contest is an educational competition that offers an opportunity to demonstrate ideas for turning water into power. Each competitor is required to construct a device that converts the gravity potential of water into mechanical power. They must then submit the device for testing under competition conditions.

Individuals and teams work to prepare a device that converts the potential energy of an elevated, fixed quantity of water into mechanical energy, using a turbine of some sort. There are three divisions of competition: one for students, one for any contestant, and one for prior winners. Within a division there are two classes of competition: power and efficiency. Competitors are given a fixed amount of time (say, 15 minutes) at a national competition to demonstrate the performance of their device.

Who participates in the Contest?

Most of the contestants are college engineering students. Non-engineering college students have competed in the past. Even a few junior-high and high school students have been bold enough to compete. Each year some of the competitors are graduate-level college students.

We've found that a much larger number of students and faculty use the Contest than actually compete. Each year about 250 college lab or design projects across North America include the Contest in their work.

Though the Contest was initially designed for students, it has always been open to other individuals and teams interested in hydro power. Each year some of the competitiors have been non-students. These individuals and teams compete in separate classes from students.

How is the Contest promoted?

Last year, a number of engineering and professional societies assisted in promoting the Contest on college campuses by involving their faculty advisors and student clubs and chapters. The following societies worked with us:

American Indian Science and Engineering Society
American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
National Association of Asian American Professionals
National Society of Black Engineers
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Society of Mexican American Engineers & Scientists
Society of Women Engineers

The Contest is also promoted through direct mailings to interested companies and individuals and to secondary schools at the competition location. Advertisements appear in industry magazines and in industry conference announcements.

When does the competition take place?

The national competition takes place at an annual hydropower industry conference, usually in the summer. The competition is held alternately at the HydroVision and WATERPOWER conferences. Because of the number of entries, competition usually starts on the evening prior to full conference activity and continues throughout the conference schedule.

Do I have to attend the conference to be a Sponsor?

No. But the Contest will be at the conferences each year. We have discovered that successful use of the Hydro Power Contest by students is dependent on faculty enthusiasm. We have also discovered that for faculty to maintain an interest in the Contest we must hold a competition each year. So, the Contest must be promoted on campuses and be present at industry conferences every year.

In a sense, if Sponsors are not able to attend an industry conference, the Contest will be present to demonstrate their commitment to education and the industry's future.

Are contributions tax-deductible?

Yes, they can be. The Hydro Power Contest has a contributor relationshp with the Hydro Research Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. Because the Hydro Research Foundation (HRF) is a non-profit organization, this means that sponsors and supporters can contribute funds to the HRF, earmarked for the Hydro Power Contest, and receive tax deductions for those contributions.

How much should Sponsors contribute?

The amount that Sponsors might contribute depends on which Contest activities are most closely aligned with the Sponsor's goals. We recognize Supporters and Sponsors at four different levels, whether a cash or in-kind contribution:

Pumped Storage Supporters - our most generous supporters, who contribute over $5,000
Peaking Power Supporters - who contribute more than $3,000
Run-of-River Supporters - contribute over $1,500
Baseload Supporters - who contribute at least $600

What kind of sponsorship is the Contest looking for?

The Contest has a variety of annual needs and one-time projects. We aim to offer just over $10,000 in cash prizes each year to the five categories of competition. We hope to offer over $5,000 in scholarships to the two classes of competition for students. We seek a variety of in-kind prizes, such as, seminar attendance, software, books, and conference tuition. We plan improvement projects each year to make the Contest more accessible and more useful to students and faculty. Please visit the Utilization of Support page for more details.

How does it benefit my company to be a Sponsor?

Identity - Identifies your company with the positive aspects of renewable energy.
Public Image - Listing your company as a Contest Supporter or Sponsor presents your company as a contributor to technical education and innovation.
Name Recognition - Displays your company name (and possibly, your logo) to a qualified marketing audience. Approximately 3,200 technical and professional clubs and chapters receive Contest promotion materials, all of which include a list of Supporters and Sponsors. Each club or chapter distributes these materials to its many members, the vast majority of whom will work in technical careers. Several hundred more technical professionals receive direct mail promotions. Thousands more view Contest advertisements in technical publications. The Contest Internet web site lists the Sponsors and is accessible to many, many individuals.
Future Customers - Other companies have long recognized the value of placing technical and sophisticated products into the hands of users while they are young. They develop familiarity and loyalty to your products if you have a positive influence on their training and development.
Employees - A number of young engineers have started their careers in the hydropower industry after competing in the Hydro Power Contest. The Contest was their first exposure to hydropower.

Who else is a Sponsor?

Please visit the Supporters and Sponsors page to see who supported the last Hydro Power Contest.

What are the deadlines for contribution?

There are a few deadlines:

For all prizes, we must have commitments as soon as possible in order to determine the prize structure and announce it to contestants in time to generate student interest.
Actual contributions for prizes, whether cash or in-kind, must be received by June 1, each year.
All other contributions should be received as soon as possible, in order to apply these contributions to the Contest for maximum impact.

Where do I get more information?

The Contest Rules, Results, Schedule, Location, Costs, and much more can be found on the Hydro Power Contest web site. Start there and link to the related pages to find out lots more information about the Contest.

Just click to download a PDF version of this SPONSOR FAQ Sheet. You will need Adobe Reader to view and print the PDF file.

Send me to the Sponsor Enrollment Form

Go to Utilization of Support

Go to How You Can be a Sponsor

Go to Back to Hydro Power Contest Home Page

For more information, contact:

Hydro Power Contest
c/o HANDS-ON! Projects
9 Mayflower Road
Northborough, MA 01532
Tel./Fax: (508) 351-6023
E-mail: hands-on@rcn.com