Product Design Competition 2025
Background
The Museum of Science Fiction believes that science fiction is rich with ideas that can serve as a springboard for curiosity and project-based learning activities. Based on the belief that science fiction holds educational value for all ages, the Museum and its partner organizations endeavor to develop and tailor our educational competitions to appeal to a wide variety of students, as well as the general public.
Who can participate? This competition is open to all students, designers, engineers, builders, and artists. Teams or individuals from the United States or abroad may participate.
About the Museum
The Museum of Science Fiction is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to make a positive impact on STEAM-related educational activities.
The Museum of Science Fiction believes that product design, engineering, and manufacturing can be an important interdisciplinary art form. Product design is an area that dissolves the false dichotomy between the arts and sciences. Designers typically use many different innovative techniques and technologies to engineer and manufacture commercial products.
Program Description
Every so often, an idea can come along and upend decades of conventional thinking. Sometimes, the solution is as simple as turning a problem upside down.
This international design competition invites students and professional product designers, audio engineers, and creative technologists to reimagine one of high-fidelity audio’s most iconic components: the tonearm.
When playing vinyl records, the tonearm accounts for probably 70% of the sound quality in what a stereo phono cartridge can reproduce from a turntable.
This international competition seeks innovative design solutions that push the boundaries of analog vinyl playback while embracing the aesthetics, functionality, and acoustic performance that today's audiophiles expect.
Designers are challenged to develop a next-generation tonearm based on a new US patent (other patents pending). Designs should reflect an understanding of materials, mechanical engineering, and manufacturability. Submissions should incorporate all of the product features and design constraints listed in the Design Features and Constraints Checklist. Designers must submit detailed concept art (3D / CAD models encouraged), a written design rationale (up to 500 words), and photo-realistic renderings as specified in the Pre-Submission Checklist.
Entries will be judged on their compliance with the Design Features and Constraints Checklist, technical and mechanical feasibility for manufacturing, quality of photo-realistic renderings, and innovative creativity.
A panel of judges - comprising industrial designers, audio engineers, and audiophiles - will select the winner. Awards include a cash prize, a mock-up of the winning design, industry exposure, and the opportunity to collaborate with the product development team for testing and production preparation.
The competition aims to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, celebrating the intersection of analog sound engineering and industrial design. It is open to individuals and teams from universities, design studios, and independent practices worldwide. This is your chance to redefine the last 138 years of analog design and engineering. Submit your design and leave your mark on the high-fidelity audio world.
Resources
US Patent No. 12,334,120 and drawings
Example CAD renderings
Guidance and References
Design Features and Constraints Checklist
Pre-Submission Checklist
General information
Grand Prize: $1,000 and a pre-production mock-up of the winning design
Judging
All Entries will be judged by a panel of product experts selected by the Museum of Science Fiction in its sole and absolute discretion. Judges’ decisions will be final and binding in all respects. Judges will award each Entry a number of points based upon the following 100-point scale:
Category 1: Program description (0 to 25 points)
Does your product design correspond to the Program Description section above?
Category 2: Mechanical Functionality (0 to 25 points)
Is your product design technically feasible and capable of being engineered for manufacturing?
Category 3: Visual Quality (0 to 25 points)
Do your design renderings look photo-realistic? Is your design’s look and feel visually exciting?
Category 4: Creativity (0 to 25 points)
Is your overall product design imaginative?
Can your design convey your product vision, branding/logo, and packaging ideas?
Entry File Submission Procedure
To receive a registration number, first click the registration form button below.
The file submission package must not be larger than 1 GB and must include your registration number in the file names. File submission and secure upload instructions will be emailed to you with your registration number.
To register, click the Registration Form button
Registration and Submission Deadlines
The competition registration period will be open from Monday, July 7 to Friday, November 14, 2025 at 5pm EST. After completing the registration form, a registration number will be emailed to you with file submission and secure upload instructions. Your registration number must be included with all submission materials.
The submission deadline is Friday, November 21, 2025 at 5 PM EST.
The winner (or winning team) will be notified on or about Monday, November 24, 2025.
Please email any questions to: competition@museumofsciencefiction.org
Questions | Responses | Additional Information
Registration Cost: Free
Registration: Complete the registration form to obtain a registration number anytime before the registration deadline on Friday, November 14, 2025 at 5 PM EST.
File submission and secure upload instructions will be emailed to you with your registration number. The submission deadline is Friday, November 21, 2025 at 5 PM EST.
Commissioning: a commission is not directly attached to winning the competition.
Judging Criteria: In addition to addressing programmatic requirements, the submission will be judged on how well it addresses the objectives listed in the Program Description and point totals across the four evaluation categories.
Official Rules: Click to download