From Concept to Cash: Bring Your Invention to Life

Every great product starts as somebody's idea and a rough sketch. Our inventors contest exists to find those ideas and give them a body — cash prizes, manufacturing expertise, and a real path from prototype to shelf. Entries aren't open right now. Put your name down and you'll be the first to know when they are.

Entries Open Periodically

We run this contest in rounds. When the next one opens, the people on our list hear about it first — and they get the full brief before anyone else.

About The Contest

New Age Enclosures has spent decades putting housings around other people's ideas. The inventors contest is how we go looking for the next ones. We open entries periodically, judge them on originality and real-world potential, and back the strongest with cash and the manufacturing know-how to make them real. Here's how it works.

Submit Your Idea

Send us the concept, what it does, and whatever you've got to show it — photos, sketches, a working prototype. You don't need a finished product or a patent to enter.

Win Cash Prizes

Our judging panel picks the standouts and backs them with cash prizes. Enter as many ideas as you like — there's no limit per person or company.

Launch Your Product

The prize money is the smallest part. Winners get our engineers, our tooling and our production floor behind them to turn a concept into something you can actually ship.

What Winners Get

Cash to fund the next step, and the manufacturing muscle to take it.

Cash Prizes For The Standout Entries

Winning isn't just a cheque and a handshake. It's access to the people, tooling and floor space that turn a good idea into a product you can sell.

Cash Award

Money you can put straight back into the project — the next prototype, a patent filing, first tooling.

Engineering Support

Time with people who design and build enclosures for a living, spent on your product and its problems.

Path To Production

Materials, tooling and manufacturing capacity under one roof for when you're ready to build in volume.

Submission Guidelines

Please review the following guidelines before submitting your invention.

Eligibility
  • Open to any company, individual developer, or student
  • Multiple entries per individual or organization are allowed
Required Submission Materials
  • Detailed Written Description
    • Clearly explain the product's intended function
    • Identify the target industry
  • Supporting Media
    • Still photos of the product (at least 2–3 clear images)
    • A short video demonstrating the product in use
Additional Requirements
  • Innovation Statement
    • Describe why this invention is unique within its industry
    • Outline the problem it solves or the opportunity it opens
  • Development Stage
    • Indicate whether the product is a prototype, in early development, or nearing end-of-life
  • Competitive Differentiation
    • Explain how your product stands out from competitors
Optional Submissions
  • A 3D model in STEP format
  • A 2D drawing in PDF format
Note: Join the list below and we'll send the full brief, including exactly how to submit your materials, as soon as the next round opens.

Judging Criteria

Our panel of experts will evaluate submissions based on the following criteria.

Innovation

Uniqueness and originality of the invention. We're looking for creative solutions that haven't been seen before or that approach existing problems in new ways.

Key Factor

Practicality

Feasibility and real-world applicability. Your invention should be practical to manufacture and have a clear use case in the market it's targeting.

Key Factor

Creative Use

Most creative transformation of our off-the-shelf (OTS) enclosure into a finished, market-ready device. We want to see how you've adapted our enclosures.

Key Factor

Judging Panel

A panel of experts from Management, Marketing, and Customer Service at New Age Enclosures (NAE) will determine the winners at their sole discretion. All decisions are final.

NAE reserves the right to grant additional awards or no awards as it deems appropriate.

Be First To Know

We hold these contests from time to time. Leave your name and email and we'll let you know as soon as the next one opens, along with details on how to enter.

We'll email you once to confirm, then only when a new contest opens. In the meantime, if you have an invention you need an enclosure for, talk to us about a quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about the inventors contest.

The contest is open to any company, individual developer, or student. There are no restrictions on age or location. Multiple entries per individual or organization are allowed.

No, you do not need a patent to enter the contest. However, having a patent or patent-pending status may strengthen your submission. We recommend taking appropriate steps to protect your intellectual property before submitting your invention.

We're looking for innovative products that could benefit from our expertise in enclosure manufacturing. This includes electronic devices, consumer products, industrial tools, medical devices, and more. The key is that the invention should have a physical component that requires an enclosure or housing.

While we take reasonable precautions to protect your submission, we recommend that you take appropriate steps to protect your intellectual property before submitting. This may include filing for patents, trademarks, or copyrights as appropriate for your invention.

Winners receive a cash prize and the chance to work directly with New Age Enclosures on bringing the product to market — manufacturing support, marketing assistance and product development guidance. Prize details are published with each round when entries open.

Contact Us

Have questions about the contest? Get in touch with our team.

Get In Touch

Phone

(805) 595-0448

Address

New Age Enclosures
1189 Anvil Road
Machesney Park, IL 61115

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