Structure of the competition

It starts with a presentation at a local event and ends with a presentation at a global final plus a chance to win up to £1,000.

Summary of competition stages

• University level: student groups, open entry (only a few Local Networks run this level)
• Local Network competition: open entry, should include student group winners
• National (Area) competition: winners of LN competitions (Local Networks may run this level if there are many LNs in one country)
• Regional competition: winners of LN or National (Area) competitions
• Global final: 5 regional winners

How it works

The competition starts at IET Local Network (LN) level. These competition events happen between October and May throughout the world.

This level of the competition is open entry to 18 to 30 year olds, whether they are an IET member or just thinking about becoming a member.

The IET LNs should advertise these events in a number of ways, including posters in universities and work places. You can also check out details on this website and on our Official IET Present around the World (PATW) facebook page.

Individual competitors give a ten minute presentation in English on an engineering or technology subject of their choice in front of an audience and a panel of judges, followed by a five minute question and answer session. Usually, between 4 and 8 individuals compete at each of these events. There needs to be at least 4 participants to award a prize both for the winner and the runner up.

Some Local Networks may organise additional competitions for university/student groups (minimum age 18) before the Local Network heat.

Winners of all the Local Network heats progress to the next stage(s) of the competition. If there are many Local Network competitions held in one country, there is an option to hold a National (Area) Final before a Regional Final.

The five PATW Regional Finals are as follows:

• United Kingdom
• Local Network competition: open entry, should include student group winners
• the Americas
• Asia Pacific
• South Asia
• Europe, Middle East and Africa

The Regional Finals should usually take place between July and August.

Winners should give the same presentation at each stage of the competition, enhancing their presentation skills and improving their confidence at responding to questions.

The winners of the 5 regional finals go on to compete in the global final, which usually takes place in November.