2024 Winners

The last iteration of the Smart Campus Challenge concluded in spring of 2024; the winning project, Utensils To-Go, aimed to end the use of plastic utensils on campus. Utensils To-Go team members Hanshu Kotta, Jashnavi Bommana, Shreya Sree Morishetty, and Dhaarini Prasad Sudha earned $60,000 in project funding and a trip to Paris in the summer of 2024. Partnering with Topanga.io, Whirley-Drinkworks!, and Ohio State Dining Services, Utensils To-Go introduced sustainable alternatives to plastic
utensils, thus contributing to the university’s goal of diverting 90% of waste away from landfills.

More information on their project can be found here.

In addition to the Utensils To-Go project, Team Mycoremediation (now MycoBite) members Parker Haskett, John Chapman, and Khoa Cao secured second place with their innovative approach to waste management using fungal degradation. This project, awarded $20,000 in project funding, seeks to establish mycoremediation as an effective and eco-friendly solution to waste problems in urban settings. Meanwhile, the Ohio State Uniform Campus Recycling Initiative members Ben Rosenthal, Lauren Wagner, Sage
Chesser, and Brendan Fowler clinched third place, focusing on enhancing waste management practices both on and off-campus.

More information on their project can be found here.

1st Place Award

The highest-scoring team following the final presentation round will receive a trip to Paris, France (economy class flights and accommodations) to attend ENGIE Innovation Week. In addition, the team will receive $60,000 to carry out their project. (NOTE: OSEP is not responsible for helping students obtain the necessary travel documents or providing cash equivalents to the trip if student travel is not possible)

2nd Place Award

Each team member of the second-place team will receive a merit award of $500.

3rd Place Award

Each team member of the third-place team will receive a merit award of $250.

Competition Process

1. Build a team, submit a proposal.

Create a team with a maximum of four students and develop a campus sustainability project. All projects must have an Ohio State faculty or staff member with relevant experience who is willing to dedicate the needed time and effort to mentor the team as a project advisor. The Sustainability Institute Directory is a helpful resource for identifying sustainability-engaged faculty.

Projects can:

• Impact any Ohio State campus
• Include both qualitative and quantitative benefits
• Include teams of students who are currently enrolled undergraduate, graduate, professional students, or a combination
• Focus on a sustainability topic, including but not limited to: energy conservation, sustainable design, sustainability awareness, ecosystem restoration, food waste, etc.

Projects cannot:

• Be a research study or research paper

Advisor Requirements:

• Ohio State faculty or staff member
• Advisor should have relevant expertise
• Willingness to dedicate the needed time and effort to mentor the team
  • Mentor is expected to play an integral role throughout project implementation until its completion
• Commitment to meeting with the team at least four times throughout the project’s development. One meeting must be prior to the final presentation (for shortlisted teams)

  How to Submit:

  Project proposals can be submitted by filling out this Microsoft Form by November 14th, 2025 at 11:59 pm. One submission per team. An Ohio State University Microsoft account is required to submit.

  Three documents will be uploaded via the Microsoft Form:

  • Comprehensive Project Proposal
    • Must include at a minimum: team composition, team member resumes, project advisor, description of project, project benefits, brief budget summary, and partners/collaborators (if applicable). Suggested format is a Word document.
      View sample project proposal here.
  • Project Budget Breakdown
    • Must include at a minimum: description of expense, a reason for purchase, a purchase location such as a link to the preferred item, and a total cost. Suggested format is an Excel spreadsheet.
      View sample project budget breakdown here.
  • Project Management Plan
    • Must include at a minimum: tasks, task descriptions, deliverables, deadlines, and percent completion. Suggested format is an Excel spreadsheet/Gantt Chart. View project management plan here.

  Timeline:

  EVENT:	DATE:
  SCC applications open	September 2, 2025
  SCC Welcome Event (OSEP Office – McCracken 2nd floor)	September 11, 2025
  SCC Hype Event (OSEP Office – McCracken 2nd floor)	October 23, 2025
  Project proposals DUE	11:59pm November 14, 2025
  Shortlisted teams announced	December 8, 2025
  Coaching Day (student and advisor attendance MANDATORY)	February 6, 2026
  In-person Judging Event (winners announced)	March 7, 2026
  Last day to commit to Paris	March 14, 2026
  Project implementation begins	July 1, 2026
  TRIP TO PARIS!	July 3-11, 2026

  Submit your proposal here.

2. Create a pitch, sell a prototype.

• The finalists selected and notified will move on to the final presentation round where they will pitch their project to a judging panel.

Presentation logistics:

• All team members must be present for the entire event
• Arrive 15 minutes prior to start of event
• 10 minute transitions between presentations to set up
• Up to 15 minutes to present, 15 minutes for questions
• Format: teams may use any format, including PowerPoint, Prezi, create a website, shoot a video, build a model, etc., to communicate their final project ideas

3. Get funded, make a difference.

Winning project teams will have until the end of spring semester 2026 to complete their projects. Graduating team members must either be available to complete their project if it is executed after their graduation OR all team members must agree that they will move forward without team members who have graduated.

All winning teams are required to complete a mid-year project execution presentation as well as a final project evaluation presentation once their projects have been completed.