The Groundbreakers from University of Nebraska are the winners of the 2019 Big Ten Student Design Challenge! The design proposal of team members Weston Ellerbrake, Daniel Kruger, Ariana Osten, and Eliza Woodside edged out the entries from the other two teams in the finals — Golden Bucks from Ohio State University and Team Forward from the
University of Wisconsin.

The three teams traveled to Herman Miller headquarters in Michigan for a two day workshop where they pitched their designs to a team of academics and professionals. The teams received feedback on their designs and polished their proposals for final judging. Congratulations to all of the teams for representing their universities, and good luck to The Groundbreakers as they continue to work with Herman Miller during the construction phase throughout the next few months to move their design from concept to reality!

Congratulations to the three teams chosen to advance to the final round of the Big Ten Student Design Competition. Of the 30 total submissions received from the seven competing schools, the top three teams are:

• Ohio State University – Golden Bucks
• University of Nebraska, Lincoln – The Groundbreakers
• University of Wisconsin – Team Forward

Students from these teams have won a trip in February to Herman Miller Headquarters located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The teams will spend two days working alongside academic and industry professionals to refine their proposals and pitch a polished version of their design for final judging. The winning team will be awarded a $2000 cash prize, and in summer 2020, their proposal will be built with furniture provided free of cost from Herman Miller (up to $80,000 in value) and a $20,000 renovation budget provided by BTAA.

Judges for the national round consisted of one representative of each competing university plus one representative from Herman Miller. Each of the judges selected and ranked their top 3 proposals before meeting to reach consensus. With so many strong proposals, the decision was difficult.

The Big Ten Student Design Challenge local judging committees have narrowed down the applicant pool to the top seven submissions. Each school designated a space to be redesigned on their campus. We received 30 entries across the seven competing schools. The student teams come from a variety of backgrounds, majors and class ranks. Each group created their own design and selected furnishings from a Herman Miller catalog customized for this competition.

The top team from each school is listed below with a link to their winning proposal:

• Indiana University: Visionary Hoosiers
• Michigan State University: Green Studio
• University of Nebraska, Lincoln: The Groundbreakers
• Ohio State University: Golden Bucks
• Pennsylvania State University: YSK Design Innovators
• Rutgers University: The A Team
• University of Wisconsin: Team Forward

The next step of the competition will take place over the week of December 16, 2019 as judges narrow the top seven teams down to the top three. The top three teams will win a trip to Herman Miller headquarters to collaborate with industry professionals and refine their design for a final pitch before the winning design is chosen and built. Stay tuned for the results!

Big Ten Student Design Challenge teams… the end of the competition is nearing. You have one week left to finalize your submission proposals and get them submitted here.

A few tips to help you as you are finalizing your submissions:

1. Review the judging rubric
   • Try to judge your own submission. How do you think you do in each category?
2. Review the FAQ
   • Many details for the competition are summarized in the competition FAQs. Scroll to the bottom of the competition page to review these bits of information to make sure you are not forgetting anything.
3. Ask your University Lead
   • If you have any lingering questions, be sure to touch base with your University Lead. Of course, the sooner the better. You’ll want to allow time for a response, as well as time to adjust your submission based on their response, if needed.

Interested in leaving a personal touch on your campus? Gather a group of 2-3 additional peers to redesign a space on your campus, win $2,000, and leave a lasting legacy behind. Assemble your multi-disciplinary team and get started!!

Welcome to the second Big Ten Student Design Challenge! We have officially started the competition and we have more schools participating this year than ever before.

As this year’s challenge is kicking off, last year’s winners are in the process of watching their space come to life. Come back and visit the News page for updates on their progress as well as updates to this year’s competition.

If you’d like to see more about last year’s competition and participants, review the 2018 Student Design Challenge News.