The Widget Cup® Competition

Established in 2015, the Frederick County EDA's regional Widget Cup® event is an annual design/build competition for Career & Technical Education (CTE) students from Clarke County, James Wood, John Handley, Millbrook, and Sherando high schools in Frederick County, Clarke County, and Winchester, Virginia.

Eight-person teams compete as they design and build a pre-determined widget, and then present their prototypes to the client. The competition is possible because of the support of area businesses and the local school systems. Business leaders from the community participate as judges, resource leads, material providers, and overall event sponsors.

The Project

The Widget Cup customer is announced at the start of the event, along with the project and parameters for the build.

Design

Teams have one hour to conceptualize and draft a design, and may reference provided materials. Industry professionals serve as resources, answering questions and signing off on final designs.

Build

After successful design completion, teams move to the shop where they begin construction.

Present

Audio/Visual team members capture their team's design process and build throughout the event. Once the build phase is complete and work stops, the A/V team puts the finishing touches on their visual presentation and the entire team prepares for the pitch to the customer.

Final Judging

The design and build phases have already been scored and the judges are eager to watch the team tell their story - why they chose the design, how they addressed the customer's needs, and the pitch of their prototype.

Final scores are tabulated, the winner is announced, and the Widget Cup trophy is presented. The winning school displays the trophy at their school for the year, helping to create awareness around, and advocating for CTE coursework.

Team Photos

Team photos are taken with the team's prototype following their presentation. 

Project Delivery

At the conclusion of the event, team prototypes are delivered to their respective shops where teams work to complete finishing touches over the coming weeks. Teams then deliver and present their projects to the customer on a scheduled delivery day.