Top 10 Tips for Writing a Winning Solution
Our Client Services team reviews thousands of Challenge Solutions each year and they asked me to share with you some of the tips they’ve come up with based on their experience. Please feel free to leave a comment for me if you find one of these particularly helpful, or if you have any of your own to share.
Tip #1: You can download the Solution Submission Form and Solver Submission Guideline documents for your use. To access these documents, click on the “Submit a Solution” button located within the Project Room of a Challenge.
Tip #2: Carefully re-read the Challenge description and make sure that you completely understand both the goal of the Challenge, the Technical Requirements, and the required deliverables as stated under the heading “Project Criteria” in the Challenge statement.
Tip #3: As a rule of thumb, the most successful submissions are organized as small articles, like you might see in a newspaper. We recommend starting with a Summary or Introduction that describes the essence of your idea in one short paragraph stating precisely what your submission is all about.
Tip #4: Following your Introduction, the Main Body of your proposal is typically composed of the detailed description of the Solution and an experimental section if required. If appropriate, briefly introduce the area of science, technology or business your solution refers to.
Tip #5: The majority of InnoCentive Challenges include specific Solution Requirements. It is very important to address these requirements – ideally, point by point – at the end of the Main Body of your proposal. Don’t neglect this part even if your solution doesn’t meet some of the Technical Requirements. Although optional, you may want to add a Conclusion to your submission and use this section to reiterate your major achievements and to emphasize the novelty of your approach.
Tip #6: Explain everything; don’t assume that “everyone knows that!” For example, do not send an article or brochure and say “the answer is attached, just read it.” The Seeker is looking for you to do the work and point specifically to the answer. It is acceptable to attach an article as reference material, but you should explain exactly what and where the answer is and why it is important to the Seeker.
Tip #7: Try not to pad your proposal with “frills” or “attachments.” Too much extraneous material may overwhelm the Seeker and make it difficult to find your solution in your proposal. You want to make it easy for the Seeker to find your solution, understand it, and award it.
Tip #8: Before uploading your solution proposal to the Project Room, make sure that your submission is complete. Only complete submissions are eligible for full cash award. If the Challenge requires submission of a material sample, please include a statement that the material is in your possession and is ready to be shipped.
Tip #9: Describe your proposed idea as completely (but succinctly!) as you can. Refer to literature, patent or business precedents to make your case stronger. It’s almost always necessary – and always advantageous – to include a list of references you have used to write the proposal. Be specific, and use only the references that are immediately relevant to your approach.
Tip #10: From time to time, similar ideas/solutions are submitted for the same Challenge. When this occurs, the Seeker will give preference to the submission with the earlier submission date. So don’t risk an award opportunity by waiting until the last minute.
I hope you find these helpful. If you have any other suggestions or comments, please share!
Lisa
Tags: Client Services, solution proposal, Top 10 Tips, Winning Solution
July 12th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Thanks for the great info. I hope you’ll follow this with some more great content.
July 19th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
The objective of the innocentive to serve the humanity at its best is well appreciated. The tips will definitely help to the solver especially to address all the parameters and eliminate submissions in a hurry.
Thank you
July 19th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I’m glad you are finding this content helpful. If you have ideas on new content you would like to see, please let us know.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:13 am
I thought this was a very useful article. Perhaps you could also publish a (made-up) model submission which illustrates the depth, organization and style of writing that is desirable for submissions.
I have a question re the deadline hour for a final submission: is it midnight Eastern Standard Time USA, or Pacific Time, or when exactly?
Thanks.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Thank you for your submission example suggestion. I’ll add this to our list of high priority projects. Regarding exact deadline hour, we will accept all submissions received prior to midnight Greenwich Mean Time of the deadline date.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
The objective of the innocentive to serve the humanity at its best with best brain of the world. It is now becoume BEST BRAIN HUB” . A regular tip will be good becouse it should be more esay to know about INNOCENTIVE Thank you
July 30th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Good advice. thanks . after submitting a proposal can it change a little bit.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Submission updates are accepted. To prevent confusion for the Seeker, we recommend that Solvers update your original Submission and then upload the complete updated Submission to the appropriate Challenge Project Room noting at the top of the Submission document that this document replaces the original Submission.
August 12th, 2008 at 8:33 am
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
August 14th, 2008 at 8:52 am
I quite agree with your tips, especially #5 and #6, which state that the requirements must be addressed point by point and that everything should be explained. However, tip #3 states that the submission should be arranged as small articles. This can result in a conflict, especially when the word count is limited to a small number by the requirement. If the word count requirement is fulfilled, then it may not be possible to address all of the requirements, along with explanations that are clear and concise.
May 30th, 2009 at 7:01 am
A really good bunch of information for a beginner to this area like me. May I request (if not against the policy) to have a look at any solution proposed to a challenge. Basically, I need some mock challenges and expected solutions for the same. Just to know what is actually expected.
Once again, only if it is not violating and terms or conditions, you may provide me with the above details.
Thank you.
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