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  1. Home
  2. Penn State Greater Allegheny and Covestro Present: Solve It!

Competition Rules and Judging Rubric

Solve It!

All teams agree to attend and present at Penn State Greater Allegheny’s campus, 4000 University Drive, McKeesport, PA, on March 15, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Presentation set-up will be at 8:30–8:45 a.m. Students will attend an opening session with Covestro engineers and Penn State Greater Allegheny faculty.  Each team will have a room in which they can practice before presenting to the judging panel. Winners will be announced at the closing ceremony, after lunch. 


Team Requirements:   

  • Each team must consist of 3 to 4 high school students.   

  • Only team members can present—teachers and advisors may attend the competition but cannot present or advise once the competition begins.  

  • Only team members should develop the materials and presentation, not teachers, parents or advisors.  

  • Campaigns and presentations should not include information that is offensive or derogatory toward any organization, race, sex, or country.  

  • All digital materials must be submitted via email to [email protected] by March 12 by 9:00 a.m. Physical materials such as posters can be brought on the morning of the event.    

Your 4-minute pitch should include and will be judged on the following elements:   

  • Knowledge of the issue: Teams are encouraged to use, but not limited to, the materials provided on the Solve It! website.    

  • Presentation quality: Demonstrates teamwork and audience engagement.  

  • Clarity and creativity of solution: A unique and viable solution is presented that addresses the challenge and reaches the target audience.  

  • Persuasive plan:  This could include any or all of the following: slide presentation, PSA (public service announcement), sample social media posts, posters, dramatic or musical performance, demonstration that can be used to convince others to get behind their idea . 

  • Social and Global Impact: Covestro is committed to sustainability. The proposed solution considers at least one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  

  • A Team ID, assigned to you by Penn State Greater Allegheny, and your participant names should be presented at the start and end of the presentation.  

  • No school names, affiliations/logos may appear in the presentation.

  • Each team will submit a one (1) page document listing the references and resources used by the team for their presentation.    

Deadlines and Details:  

  • Teams should ensure functionality of embedded images, animations, videos, and/or audio files upon submission of the digital content on March 12. Submit the content to [email protected].        

Presentation Process:   

  • The judges will provide a brief overview of the process and then signal that the team may begin presenting, upon which the four-minute timing process will begin.  

  • A timekeeper will indicate time at the three-minute mark, so teams must be complete by that time.   

  • A short Question and Answer period will follow the formal presentation.    

  • Students may not seek judges' feedback or assistance until the competition is completed.    

  • A recording of each presentation will be made by Penn State and shared with teams upon request. All other recording will be prohibited.  

  • The top three scores will result in the first, second and third place winners of Solve It!   

  • Competition questions should be directed to Penn State Greater Allegheny for clarification of any of these competition details at [email protected]  


Judging Procedures:  

The judging will be rated using the following rubric.  

                                                                                 Strongly Disagree                                                Strongly Agree  

Presentation  

1  

2  

3  

4  

5  

Demonstrates understanding of problem  

  

  

  

  

  

Well Prepared and Organized  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Visuals were Supporting  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Engages judges/audience  

  

  

  

  

  

Content

1

2

3

4

5

Evidence of incorporating reference materials  

  

  

  

  

  

Solution is well-defined and clear  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Has a plan to reach users/customers  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Solution is Viable and Unique  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Addressed Potential Obstacles  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Solution has a Sustainable and Social Impact  

  

  

  

  

  

Penn State Greater Allegheny and Covestro Present: Solve It!

  • Solve It Registration Form
  • Tips on Public Speaking
  • About Penn State Greater Allegheny and Covestro
  • Competition Materials
    • This Year's Solve It Problem
    • Competition Resources
    • Competition Rules and Judging Rubric
    • Consent, License, and Release Agreement
    • Competition Schedule
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Penn State Greater Allegheny

Penn State Greater Allegheny, located in McKeesport just 15 miles from Pittsburgh, offers a supportive, close-knit campus community with access to the vast resources of Penn State. As the only Penn State campus to offer a Bachelor in Social Work, it provides unique academic opportunities in a convenient, student-focused environment.
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