Rules and Guidelines

Introduction

The Sprey Prize Winter 2023/2024 engineering competition challenges participants to design an open-source prototype that utilizes a candle to power a Stirling engine, manufactured with 3D printers and/or computer numerical control (CNC) machines, which in turn powers a laser. This document outlines the rules and guidelines for participation in the competition.

Key Dates:

Competition Start Date: October 2, 2023
Submission Deadline: January 15, 2024

Eligibility:

The competition is open to individuals and teams in the United States.
Participants must be at least 18 years old, or if under 18, they must have the consent of a legal guardian or a teacher.

Submission Requirements:

Participants must submit the following materials by the submission deadline:
- CAD models and/or G-code of their 3D printed or CNC'd Stirling engine-powered laser design.
- Detailed documentation describing the design and how it achieves efficiency while meeting its 80-plus percent build requirements.

Design Criteria:

The prototype must be capable of utilizing the heat from a candle to power a Stirling engine with no external (electrical) sources of power.
The candle must be made of tallow.
The Stirling engine must be 80-plus precent 3D printed or CNC'd (Computer Numerical Control).
The Stirling engine must power a laser effectively.
Competitors may use off-the-shelf, open-source components for the laser and electrical converter regardless of the 80% threshold for the Stirling engine, however original designs will be positively and negatively evaluated by the judges.

Open Source Requirement:

All submitted designs must be open-source, allowing for free distribution and modification by others.
Participants must provide clear instructions for replicating and building their design.

Judging Criteria:

Submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Efficiency of the Stirling engine design.
  - The Stirling engine will be measured against Carnot efficiency.
  - The Stirling engine's compression ratio will be considered.
- Effectiveness of the laser power generation.
  - The laser's power and energy output (competitors may use off-the-shelf lasers).
  - The laser power scaling will be considered.
- Creativity and innovation in design.
- Clarity and completeness of documentation.

Prizes:

The Main Prize is Glory. Choose to Do.
The details of any non-cash prize will be announced separately.
- There is no cash prize.

Intellectual Property:

All submitted designs must be open-source, allowing for free distribution and modification by others, competitors may choose to place the design in the public domain or require attribution.
By submitting their design, participants grant OODA WIKI and its affiliates the rights to publish, share, remaster, and otherwise use the videos and design submitted as part of the competition.

Code of Conduct:

Participants are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and ethical manner throughout the competition.

How to Submit:

Submissions should be sent to oodaloop-at-skiff-dot-com with the subject line "SPREY PRIZE" and include the following:

CAD files of the design.
Detailed documentation.
A link to the video uploaded to X, Rumble, YouTube, or some other reputable video sharing or social media platform showcasing the design in action.

Contact Information:

For inquiries and additional information, please contact oodaloop-at-skiff-dot-com or send a message to @OODAwiki on X (formally known as Twitter) or ~fidmyl-sogweg on Urbit.

Amendments:

The competition organizers reserve the right to make amendments to these rules and guidelines if necessary.

Legal Disclaimers:

Liability: The organizers of the Sprey Prize competition, OODA WIKI, its affiliates, and the competition's judges shall not be held liable for any damages, losses, or injuries resulting from participation in the competition, including but not limited to design and prototype development activities.
Disqualification: The competition organizers reserve the right to disqualify any participant or submission that violates these rules and guidelines or engages in unethical or inappropriate behavior during the competition.
Privacy: Participant information collected during the competition will be used solely for the purpose of administering the competition and will not be shared with third parties without consent.
Amendments: The competition organizers reserve the right to modify or amend these rules and guidelines at any time and will communicate any changes to participants.

By participating in the Sprey Prize engineering competition, participants agree to comply with these rules, guidelines, and legal disclaimers.