This competition is open to students pursuing rewarding career opportunities in a variety of disciplines, three national finalists will be selected from 9 provincial winners. The 3 finalists will present their projects during a webinar during NEAT Week, with winners being chosen via audience vote.

The prizes for the winning team in Ontario are $1,000 for first place, $700 for second place, and $300 for third place. The provincial winner moves on to the National competition, where they will have the opportunity to win $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second place, and $500 for third place.

The Capstone finalists will have their projects evaluated by the TPC Leadership Council who will consider: 

• Project originality
• Quality of research
• Methodology and explanation
• Practicality and importance to society
• Creativity and innovation

Participating in NEAT Week offers several benefits for both students and their institutions. Here’s a breakdown of the top three advantages:

1. Showcasing Your Achievements

• Students: As an engineering and applied science technology student, NEAT Week provides an opportunity to showcase your talent, skills, and hard work on a national stage. You can highlight your best projects and receive recognition for your achievements.
• Institutions: Colleges get to celebrate the successes of their students and can promote their engineering and applied science programs. It boosts the institution’s reputation for nurturing talented professionals.

2. Professional Recognition

• Students: Winning or even participating in NEAT Week can significantly enhance your professional credentials. Recognition from industry leaders and peers can boost your career prospects, making you more competitive in the job market.
• Institutions: By participating, colleges position themselves as contributors to the development of skilled professionals in the engineering technology field.

3. National Exposure

• Students: If you make it to the national competition, you’ll have the chance to gain national exposure, getting recognized by a wider audience across Canada. It’s an excellent platform for presenting your work to a larger, more diverse group of industry professionals.
• Institutions: National recognition of your students' achievements highlights the institution’s commitment to excellence in engineering and applied science education.

To be eligible for the competition, all student team members must be registered members of OACETT. If students are not OACETT members, they can join to participate in the competition. 

For more information on how to become an OACETT student member, click HERE. 

Project submissions will be via an on-line form and will have three components:

1. A written project summary (maximum 10 pages)
2. A video presentation by the team (maximum 10 minutes)
3. A full technical report

The submission form should be completed by an instructor or representative from the institution. Prior to completing the form, the team should collect the following items for the submission package:

Team Components

• The names, membership ID numbers and post-graduation contact information for each team member so OACETT and  TPC can contact regarding the competition.
  • Each team must select a primary and secondary contact (not the instructor) to act as the liaison between OACETT and TPC and the team.
• A brief personal biography  for each team member that may be used in an article about the Capstone competition.
• Photograph(s) – prepare a team photo with the file name identifying team members from left to right or individual headshots of each team member with the file names identifying the person in the photo.

Project Components

• Each submission must include a presentation package, which demonstrates how the project was presented and/or explained to instructors and peers. Maximum 10 pages plus appendices.
  • PDF/Word documents only. If the presentation was created as a PowerPoint, please convert the file into a PDF document prior to uploading it to the submission form. 
• Each submission must include a copy of the full technical report for the project, including the instructor's marking rubric.
  • PDF/Word documents only. 
• Each submission must include relevant high-resolution photos, drawings/schematics. 

The Ontario Capstone Competition took place on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. This year, we were fortunate to have six innovative submissions from colleges across Ontario. During the capstone competition, the audience selected a winner. We are pleased to announce that Adam Beik and Sam Davis from Seneca Polytechnic's Computer Engineering Technology Program won first place for their invention, 'The Screenspeeder Wireless Web Controller for the Visually Impaired.' Adam and Sam won a $ 1,000 cash prize.

We would also like to recognize our runners-up. In second place, receiving a prize of $700, congratulations to Eric Rainford and Calin Stoicoiu from Conestoga College’s Mechanical Engineering Design and Analysis Program for their project, 'Subaru CVT System.'

In third place, awarded a prize of $300, congratulations to Akash Shiji, Jeson Nehru, Christy John, Saran Soni, and Simi Yohanna from Conestoga College’s Virtualization and Cloud Computing Program for their project, 'Wildfire Detection System.'

Congratulations again to all of our winners, and a special thank you to the colleges that participated.

Click HERE to view the 2025 NEAT Week Ontario Capstone Competition Webinar.

First-place winners of the inaugural 2024 NEAT Week Ontario and National Capstone Competition: 
Vikram Pandey and Hughroy Staple of Sheridan College 
for their capstone project on: Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) of Plastic Waste

If you have any questions, please contact Trishia Tedoldi, ttedoldi@oacett.org