Year-by-year
All editions
Eighteen years of competition records. From the 2009 launch under the Paul Merage School of Business to the 2026 finalists.
2017 to 2026 (Stella Zhang era from 2022)
2026
Upcoming
Grand Finale 2026-05-21. 2025 Grad2Go · $20,000
Grand Prize: A sustainable furniture resale and storage service for students dur... 2024 Sentinel · $20,000
Grand Prize: A platform that uses AI to detect trucker drowsiness and distractio... 2023 VagAligna · $20,000
Grand Finale: Medical device designed to expedite the healing of vaginal tissue a... 2022 Noveil · $20,000
Grand Prize: The first dating platform for Gen Z college students with no profil... 2021 Shaka · $10,000
Grand Prize: A culture-building application for companies to keep employees enga... 2020 Baby Box · $15,000
Grand Prize: AI-powered subscription for age-tailored baby products (0-3 years). 2019 ELF Therapeutics · Funded
Tech Surge (Technology): Handheld device using electrochemical reaction to destroy fat cells. 2018 Mechanodontics · $10,000
Track Award (Life Sciences): Behind-the-teeth braces reducing treatment time to 1 year. 2017 Purist · $15,000
Grand Prize (School of Medicine): Localized nuclear reactors for cancer treatment isotopes.
Grand Finale 2026-05-21. 2025 Grad2Go · $20,000
Grand Prize: A sustainable furniture resale and storage service for students dur... 2024 Sentinel · $20,000
Grand Prize: A platform that uses AI to detect trucker drowsiness and distractio... 2023 VagAligna · $20,000
Grand Finale: Medical device designed to expedite the healing of vaginal tissue a... 2022 Noveil · $20,000
Grand Prize: The first dating platform for Gen Z college students with no profil... 2021 Shaka · $10,000
Grand Prize: A culture-building application for companies to keep employees enga... 2020 Baby Box · $15,000
Grand Prize: AI-powered subscription for age-tailored baby products (0-3 years). 2019 ELF Therapeutics · Funded
Tech Surge (Technology): Handheld device using electrochemical reaction to destroy fat cells. 2018 Mechanodontics · $10,000
Track Award (Life Sciences): Behind-the-teeth braces reducing treatment time to 1 year. 2017 Purist · $15,000
Grand Prize (School of Medicine): Localized nuclear reactors for cancer treatment isotopes.
Pre-2017 editions
Earlier years are partially indexed. Rosters and prizes are recovered from UCI Samueli engineering coverage and Merage news pages where available.
2009
ZeroWatt Technologies · $15,000 + Best Concept Paper
Low-power data converter ICs to extend battery life in portable electronics 2010 No primary public record located. 2011 No primary public record located. 2012 Prescient Imaging · Not Disclosed
Compact PET-imaging hardware for medical diagnostics 2013 Laser Associated Sciences · $15,000
Medical device company using laser technology for medical diagnostic instrume... 2014 iBesties · $15,000
Books, dolls, and online entertainment to inspire entrepreneurship and tech l... 2015 No primary public record located. 2016 EmbryLux · $20,000 ($10,000 Life Sciences/Clean Tech 1st + $10,000 UCI Intellectual Property 1st; dual award)
Device screening embryos pre-implantation for IVF
Low-power data converter ICs to extend battery life in portable electronics 2010 No primary public record located. 2011 No primary public record located. 2012 Prescient Imaging · Not Disclosed
Compact PET-imaging hardware for medical diagnostics 2013 Laser Associated Sciences · $15,000
Medical device company using laser technology for medical diagnostic instrume... 2014 iBesties · $15,000
Books, dolls, and online entertainment to inspire entrepreneurship and tech l... 2015 No primary public record located. 2016 EmbryLux · $20,000 ($10,000 Life Sciences/Clean Tech 1st + $10,000 UCI Intellectual Property 1st; dual award)
Device screening embryos pre-implantation for IVF