Both students from McGIll University, Canada, and Universidad de Yucatan, Mexico, were awarded first prize in the Biomimicry Student Design Challenge. The design from McGill students, Air Ballast Biometric Cargo Ship, was inspired by cuttlefish and brown algae and uses air instead of water to regulate ship buoyancy, reducing the risk of invasive species. Students from Universidad de Yucatan, Team Dedale, developed a non-motorized, energy efficient device that can safely transport passengers and cargo. Their design was inspired by the undulating movement of millipede legs and the mechanism snakes use to glide. The judges were equally impressed by these two teams, and decided both deserved  first place!

Third place was awarded to students from the University of California, Long Beach for their design of an illuminated safety system for bicyclists that was inspired by animals whiskers and bioluminescent aquatic organisms. An honorable mention was awarded to a team from Harvey Mudd College, and this years Autodesk Sustainability award of $1,000 went to a team from Singapore University of technology and design. This award is given based on students ability to utilize the Autodesk product SketchBook Express to create all drawings of their animated design.

To learn more about these impressive designs, please visit the winners gallery to see how these students utilized biomimicry in their designs. All 102 entries can be viewed in the main gallery as well.

Congratulations winners!

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