DESIGN A BETTER LIFE JACKET, WIN $5,000
PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Current models of life jackets save lives everyday. Yet, a 2004 BoatU.S Foundation study found that many boaters often don’t wear them because they’re considered “uncomfortable.” So what would a life jacket look and feel like if there were no government guidelines?
To encourage innovative ideas and new technology to design a life jacket that the majority of boaters might wear, the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water and the Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association (PFDMA) are sponsoring an “Innovation in Life Jacket Design Competition,” which seeks entries that embrace new technologies and out-of-the-box thinking to solve the age-old problem of why certain boaters won’t routinely wear life jackets.
Entries are being encouraged from armchair inventors to high school science clubs and collegiate design programs. The winning designer will receive a $5,000 award.
“We believe that out-of-the-box thinking may lead to the next generation of life saving devices,” said BoatU.S. Foundation President Ruth Wood. “By opening the competition to the widest audience of professionals and amateur tinkerers, we anticipate designs that will be creative and unconventional.”
PFDMA Executive Director Bernice McArdle said, “Today’s life jackets are well designed but follow a defined and somewhat controlled set of guidelines. Our hope is that this competition will open up the playing field and encourage entries that will ultimately influence greater use of life jackets among boaters.
The competition will be judged based on four criteria: wearability, reliability, cost and innovation. “Wearability” relates to the level of comfort. “Reliability” will take into account the chances for potential failure, while “cost” will look at the affordability of the design. “Innovation” will take into account originality or the employment of new technologies.
There are no rules regarding types of materials to be used or whether the design meets any current U.S. Coast Guard or Underwriters Laboratory standards. However, certain entries may be submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard to review for possible financial assistance towards gaining full USCG approval.
Entries do not have to include a working model or prototype, as detailed drawings will be accepted. For more information including an entry form and contest rules, visit
Entries will be accepted through December 15, 2005, with the winner announced at the Miami International Boat Show in February 2006.
The BoatU.S Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and research organization primarily funded by the voluntary contributions of 580,000 members of BoatU.S., the nation’s largest recreational boat owners association. The Foundation operates more than a dozen programs including the only accredited, free, online general boating safety course, a low-cost EPIRB rental program, the “Help Stop the Drops” clean fueling campaign, a free kid’s Life Jacket Loaner program, and awards grants to nonprofit groups for boating safety and environmental projects.
The Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Association is an affiliate of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the leading trade organization representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80% of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters and anglers in the United States. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy, market research and data, product quality assurance and marketing communications.
http://www.boatus.com/Foundation/lifejacketdesign/LJFlyer.pdf
DESIGN A BETTER LIFE JACKET, WIN $5,000
PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Current models of life jackets save lives everyday. Yet, a 2004 BoatU.S Foundation study found that many boaters often don’t wear them because they’re considered “uncomfortable.” So what would a life jacket look and feel like if there were no government guidelines?
To encourage innovative ideas and new technology to design a life jacket that the majority of boaters might wear, the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water and the Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association (PFDMA) are sponsoring an “Innovation in Life Jacket Design Competition,” which seeks entries that embrace new technologies and out-of-the-box thinking to solve the age-old problem of why certain boaters won’t routinely wear life jackets.
Entries are being encouraged from armchair inventors to high school science clubs and collegiate design programs. The winning designer will receive a $5,000 award.
“We believe that out-of-the-box thinking may lead to the next generation of life saving devices,” said BoatU.S. Foundation President Ruth Wood. “By opening the competition to the widest audience of professionals and amateur tinkerers, we anticipate designs that will be creative and unconventional.”
PFDMA Executive Director Bernice McArdle said, “Today’s life jackets are well designed but follow a defined and somewhat controlled set of guidelines. Our hope is that this competition will open up the playing field and encourage entries that will ultimately influence greater use of life jackets among boaters.
The competition will be judged based on four criteria: wearability, reliability, cost and innovation. “Wearability” relates to the level of comfort. “Reliability” will take into account the chances for potential failure, while “cost” will look at the affordability of the design. “Innovation” will take into account originality or the employment of new technologies.
There are no rules regarding types of materials to be used or whether the design meets any current U.S. Coast Guard or Underwriters Laboratory standards. However, certain entries may be submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard to review for possible financial assistance towards gaining full USCG approval.
Entries do not have to include a working model or prototype, as detailed drawings will be accepted. For more information including an entry form and contest rules, visit
Entries will be accepted through December 15, 2005, with the winner announced at the Miami International Boat Show in February 2006.
The BoatU.S Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and research organization primarily funded by the voluntary contributions of 580,000 members of BoatU.S., the nation’s largest recreational boat owners association. The Foundation operates more than a dozen programs including the only accredited, free, online general boating safety course, a low-cost EPIRB rental program, the “Help Stop the Drops” clean fueling campaign, a free kid’s Life Jacket Loaner program, and awards grants to nonprofit groups for boating safety and environmental projects.
The Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Association is an affiliate of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the leading trade organization representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80% of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters and anglers in the United States. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy, market research and data, product quality assurance and marketing communications.
http://www.boatus.com/Foundation/lifejacketdesign/LJFlyer.pdf