Aging Means Business Student Design Contest

Congratulations to our winners!

Contest deadline: October 7, 2011
Deadline has passed.

Background: The United States population is aging, and each cohort of older adults is healthier and wealthier than the one prior. Consider these facts:

• The number of adults age 65 and over will more than double over the next 40 years, from 40 million currently to 89 million by the year 2050.
• Only 10 percent of current marketing expenditures is aimed at adults 50+.
• People over age 50 control 70 percent of wealth in the United States.
• By the time the youngest baby boomers turn 65 in 2029, one in five Americans will be age 65 or older.

What does this all mean? Businesses need to prepare now for the coming age boom by rethinking aging and redesigning products, services, and environments to meet their changing needs and desires.

Mission: The Aging Means Business Student Design Contest invites undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their design ingenuity by proposing an original product for adults age 50+. The product can transform an existing device or be an entirely new creation. Using principles of universal design, knowledge of the 50+ market, and a little imagination, designs should embody this year’s Aging Means Business theme, Design for a New Age. Students in gerontology, engineering, business, industrial design, architecture, and social work are especially encouraged to apply.

Entry Requirements:

• A one-page write-up describing the product’s function and appeal, target audience, and why the product fits the needs of the age 50+ population.
• Sketch of product with rough dimensions, hand drawn or computer generated. Note that the more complete the submission sketch, the easier it will be for the judges to understand with clarity and precision what you have in mind.
• Design topics may include (but are not limited to) the following categories: fitness, recreation, healthcare, technology, mobility, safety, and housing.
• Application form and Release and Waiver of Liability.

Judging criteria:

• Innovation of design.
• Appeal and appropriateness for age 50+ population.
• Marketability of product.

Judges:

	Majd Alwan, PhD, is the Vice President of the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) and a noted researcher and authority on aging-services technologies.  Dr. Alwan is responsible for creating and leading a network of technology companies, providers, and research institutions focused on technology solutions for an aging society.  His research interests encompass designing, validating, and evaluating the outcome of monitoring systems and assistive devices that address the needs of seniors and their caregivers.  Prior to his role as Vice President of CAST, Dr. Alwan worked at the Medical Automation Research Center (MARC) at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, as an Assistant Professor and Director of the Robotics and Eldercare Technologies Program.
	Mary Furlong, EdD, is president and CEO of Mary Furlong & Associates (MFA), a strategy, business development, marketing, and public relations firm geared to drive new opportunities for clients in the baby boomer and senior markets; prior to launching MFA, Furlong founded the nonprofit organizations SeniorNet and ThirdAge Media.  She has appeared on CBS, PBS, NPR, and NBC’s Today show, and her expertise has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Business Week, Fortune, People, and Fast Company.  In 2007, her book, Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace, was published by Financial Times Press.  In addition, Furlong is the Dean’s Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business.
	Stuart Greenbaum is Eskaton’s Vice President, Public Relations and Brand Management. His role is to promote and protect the integrity of the Eskaton brand and corporate identity; develop partnerships and media opportunities to enhance the organization’s objectives; and direct a comprehensive multimedia campaign to communicate Eskaton’s spectrum of aging services and resources. Greenbaum joined Eskaton in January 2009 and prior to this provided public relations counsel to state and national institutions for more than 30 years. He is a graduate of Pepperdine University and California State University, Sacramento.
	Victor Regnier, FAIA, is a teacher, researcher and architect who holds a joint professorship between the School of Architecture and Gerontology.  He is a fellow in the American Institute of Architects and The Gerontological Society and served as USC’s Dean of architecture in the mid-nineties. He has published 6 books on housing for the elderly and received numerous awards for his scholarship. His research findings have been presented at over 200 conferences and 60 university symposia. As an architect he has consulted on over 400 building projects in 38 states, Canada, Germany and England.  In the last decade 50 of his projects have won national/state design awards. Professor Regnier is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on housing for the elderly.

Prizes:

• 1^st place: $500 and complimentary registration to the one-day event (travel stipend available upon request)
• 2^nd place: $250 and complimentary registration to the one-day event (travel stipend available upon request)
• Honorable mention(s): complimentary registration to the one-day event

Time Line:

• Competition notice: May 20, 2011
• Submission deadline: October 7, 2011
• Results notification: October 28, 2011
• Aging Means Business Student Design Contest awards ceremony:

Friday, November 18^th, 2011
Sheraton Boston Hotel
39 Dalton Street
Boston, MA 02199

Eligibility:

• Must be enrolled full- or part-time in an undergraduate or graduate program.
• Must be a legal resident of one of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia.
• Must be at least age 18 to enter.
• Limited to individual contestants.

How to Submit:

• Applicants may submit by email OR mail*.
• To email entries, send a copy of your application materials to Dani Kaiserman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Your application form and release and waiver of liability form must be signed and either scanned or emailed to Dani Kaiserman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , faxed to Dani Kaiserman at (202) 587-5878, or mailed to the address below.
• To mail entries, send a copy of your application form, four copies of your product write-up, design sketch, and release and waiver of liability form to:

Dani Kaiserman
The Gerontological Society of America
1220 L Street, NW, Suite 901
Washington, D.C. 20005

*Mailed entries must be received by the application deadline, October 7, 2011.

Checklist of Materials:
__ One-page product description
__ Design sketch
__ Application form
__ Release and Waiver of Liability form

Questions? Contact Dani Kaiserman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (202) 587-2847.

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