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Tong Prototype Prize Home 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
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What participants say:

Hoopla Rack

Hoopla Rack,
third place and $4,000,
2008 Schoofs Prize for Creativity;
third place and $700,
Tong Prototype Prize;
and Younkle Best Presentation Award

“Through the whole process, I actually began to see my design turn into a prototype, and now my prototype might actually become a patented reality. By the end, I was so happy that I had chosen to take a chance on myself and do something that brought my engineering and hooping life together.”

—Danielle McIntosh

Pen Smart

Pen Smart,
$1,000 Judges’ Award for Special Merit,
2008 Schoofs Prize for Creativity

“I thought of this product two years ago—I wrote it down and kind of forgot about it for awhile. And I realized that if I didn’t do it, I’d always regret it, so I just decided to pursue it. The competition is a great outlet for anyone interested in innovation and development. The experience gives you the tools to develop the idea and the confidence to continue.”

—Daniel Gartenberg

Innovators in the news

Full Suspension Bicycle Frame, the AB-1

First Place

Full Suspension Bicycle Frame, the AB-1: a bicycle frame with a shock-absorbing system for the rear wheel. The design improves comfort, safety and handling for high-end mountain racing bikes.
Aaron Bland

Aaron Bland won first place in the Tong Prototype Prize competition for his full suspension bicycle frame. He also won a fourth-place prize in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity competition. (large image)
Aaron Bland

Aaron Bland holds his Full Suspension Bicycle Frame, the AB-1: a bicycle frame with a shock-absorbing system for the rear wheel. The design improves comfort, safety and handling for high-end mountain racing bikes. (large image)
Prototype bicycle frame

The full suspension bicycle frame, the AB-1. (large image)

“I learned tons about the manufacturing, machining, welding, materials and the cost of making a bicycle,” says Aaron Bland, who received a $400 Tong grant to help him build his mountain bike prototype. “I realized how much fun it is to build inventions, and that it makes the engineering worthwhile. The Tong loan helped me fund the project; without it, my prototype would have been difficult to afforda”.

— Aaron Bland, $2,500 Tong winner



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