Competitions Judging criteria

How your invention is judged.

Every UKRIC competition is judged on five criteria, 100 points in total. We publish the criteria before entries open, and they don’t change until the season ends. So you know in advance what earns you points.

Apply The inventor’s path
Points breakdown 100
How new the solution is 35 The problem 20 How the solution works 20 Who it will help 15 Evidence the idea works 10
What the jury judges

Judges score the idea, even if it hasn’t been built yet.

An idea on paper has the same chance

How new it is, how pressing the problem is, how well the solution is thought through and how useful it is to people don’t depend on whether you have a model. You can get full marks on four of the five criteria without building a single part.

A prototype is just one way to prove the idea works

Without a prototype you can prove the same thing another way: find similar solutions, do the calculations, run experiments, talk to the people who will use your invention. Both routes are scored the same.

The field doesn’t matter

Solutions for a factory, a hospital, a farm or the army are judged by the same rules. All that matters is how real and pressing the problem is.

Judges look only at what you’ve put on the platform: the “Problem”, “How it works”, “In numbers” and “How it was made” blocks, photos and videos. You can leave “In numbers” and “How it was made” empty — no points are taken off for that.

Criterion 1

How new the solution is

35 points · at least 10 required

Here judges look at how new your solution is compared with what already exists. The scale is similar to the one used to assess inventions for a patent: the judge first decides which of four levels the solution belongs to, then gives a score within that level.

0–8 A copy. This solution already exists, or yours differs from it only slightly.
9–18 Utility model. This combination or this use hasn’t been done before, and the solution can be made or launched. Similar solutions exist, but they are different.
19–28 Invention. Everything a utility model needs, plus non-obviousness: you used a principle or effect nobody has applied to this task before. A specialist who simply knows their field well wouldn’t have come up with it on their own.
29–35 Unprecedented. Neither the judge nor the automatic search found anything similar. You solved the task in a way nobody has tried yet. A solution like this may be patentable.
What this means for you
  • This is the most important criterion. Below 10 points here, the entry doesn’t pass selection, even if everything else scores high.
  • The platform searches for similar solutions (prior art) by itself and shows them to the judge. So find them before it does, and write how your solution is different.
  • If the judge finds an almost identical solution you didn’t mention, the score drops to 8 or lower.
  • Software and AI solutions are judged the same way. For them, “can be made” means the program can be written and run.
Criterion 2

The problem

20 points

Here judges look at whether the problem is real and how pressing it is, who it affects and how well you understand it. It’s best when you know it from your own experience or have seen it yourself. Problems of a factory, a business, health, nature or defence are scored on one scale.

0–4 The problem is named with one general word: “pollution”, “inconvenient”, “expensive”. It’s unclear who faces it and how often.
5–9 The problem is specific, and it’s clear who it affects. You describe it from your own experience or observation, but don’t show how widespread it is.
10–15 You show how much and how often the problem gets in people’s way: examples, observations, numbers or the words of those who face it. You explain why what already exists doesn’t help.
16–20 People’s or businesses’ lives, safety, income or work depend on this problem, and you prove it. You describe exactly what will change once it’s solved.
What this means for you
  • What counts here is how pressing it is: who the problem gets in the way of and how often. How many people it affects, you’ll show in criterion 4.
  • A problem of a local factory, farm or shop in your town or village weighs as much as a health or safety problem.
  • The strongest evidence is what you saw yourself: who you asked and what they told you.
Criterion 3

How the solution works

20 points

Here judges look at whether it’s clear how your solution works, whether it contradicts physics or common sense, whether the main parts are thought through and whether you could build it yourself. A prototype isn’t required: a clear description of how everything works plus a diagram can earn full marks.

0–4 It isn’t explained how the solution is supposed to work. There’s only a name and a general idea.
5–9 You described how it all works, but with big gaps: it’s unclear how the main part works, or the solution contradicts the laws of physics.
10–15 It’s clear how the solution works, the main parts are named, there’s a diagram or sketch. It can be built from things that are easy to get. Minor questions remain.
16–20 The solution is thought through to every detail: it’s clear what it’s made of, how the parts work together and which materials or technologies are needed. From the diagram or drawing it can be reproduced without asking anything.
What this means for you
  • A diagram or sketch is worth more than a description in words. Draw what the solution is made of and how its parts work together.
  • A built model on its own adds no points. If you haven’t explained how it works, the model won’t fix that.
  • For software, describe how it’s built: what data it works with, what it does with it, what it’s written in and why it’s realistic to make.
Criterion 4

Who it will help

15 points · reach 8 + economics 7

Here judges look at who and how many people the solution will really help within two to three years if it’s turned into a finished product. And whether you understand what it will cost and who will use it. You can leave the “In numbers” block empty: judges will then look for this in the text.

4.1 How many people it will reach

Up to 8 points. Only people the solution can actually reach are counted.

2 A community, a school, a particular group of people
3 A city or a business
5 A region (oblast)
6 The country
8 The world

4.2 Does the solution pay off

Up to 7 points.

0–1 Nothing about price or who will buy it. Or only something like “it’ll be cheap and everyone needs it”.
2–4 The text makes clear why your solution is cheaper or more accessible than others, or who will pay for it.
5–7 There are specific numbers: what it costs to make, what to sell it for, how much cheaper it is than similar solutions. Or it’s shown that the solution saves time, materials or money.
What this means for you
  • Don’t write “the whole world needs it” unless you can explain why. Reach like that without an explanation is scored one level lower.
  • It’s better to prove your region needs the solution than just to write about the whole world.
  • How much you’ll earn isn’t scored. An honestly calculated €20 per unit weighs more than “a million a year”.
Criterion 5

Evidence the idea works

10 points · two routes, both count the same

Here judges look at how you proved the idea works and that you really worked on it. Route A: build a prototype and test it. Route B: test the idea without a prototype — find similar solutions, do calculations, run experiments with individual parts, talk to the people who will use the invention.

0–2 Route A: prototype: No prototype, and nothing in the text shows the idea was tested in any way. Route B: research: Didn’t look for similar solutions; no calculations or experiments.
3–5 Route A: prototype: There’s a sketch or a model of one part. Or it says a prototype exists, but there’s no photo or video. Route B: research: You looked for similar solutions or did one check: a simple calculation, an experiment with one part, a conversation with future users.
6–8 Route A: prototype: The model partly works, and there are photos or videos of how you made it. Route B: research: There are several different checks: you analysed similar solutions, did a calculation and an experiment or a survey.
9–10 Route A: prototype: The prototype works, you’ve tested it, and there are photos and videos of the results. Route B: research: The idea is tested from several angles, with numbers and recorded results. The judge has no doubt it can be built.
What this means for you
  • Choose the route you can manage. If you take both, the higher of the two scores counts — they aren’t added together.
  • “Prototype tested” without photos, video or a “How it was made” block earns no more than 5 points. Film your work from day one.
  • For software, “works” means there’s a version that can be run. Add a link, a video or screenshots.
How it’s counted

What happens to your points.

Several judges, each on their own

Your entry is scored by several judges. Each gives points independently and can’t see the others’ scores, so the result doesn’t depend on one person’s opinion.

The result is the average

For each criterion and for the entry as a whole, the arithmetic mean of all scores is taken. You see your points for each criterion in your profile.

The novelty threshold

Below 10 points on the first criterion, the entry doesn’t pass selection, even if the rest score high.

Places by ranking

Entries are ranked by average score, and most places go to those at the top of the list. The jury picks up to five more places from the next thirty entries, so that participants come from different regions and age groups.

A comment from every judge

Along with the points you get a comment: what’s strong in your entry and what’s worth improving. It makes it easier to get your invention ready for the next competition.