Sternheimer Awards

Funded by Mr. Mark Sternheimer, major benefactor and Foundation Board member
Awarded to projects exhibiting outstanding innovation and entrepreneurship
Highly prestigious—last year only 6 applicants received awards
Excellent opportunity for pitching experience, guidance and exposure
Judged by representatives from companies in the Greater Richmond area
Winning teams showcase their team and projects to professionals in the engineering field prior to the Expo.

Key Dates:

Wednesday, October 8, 2025 – One page proof of concept paper due by 11:59 p.m.
Friday, October 17, 2025 – Finalists selected
Friday, November 7, 2025 – A completed application packed due by 11:59 p.m.
Friday, November 14, 2025 – Finalists presentation to the Sternheimer Award selection committee
Monday, November 17, 2025 – Sternheimer Award winners notified

VCU College of Engineering Foundation Mark A. Sternheimer, Sr. Design Award Grant Application Process and Timeline

The VCU College of Engineering Foundation is pleased to invite teams to apply for the Mark A. Sternheimer Senior Capstone Design Award. The Sternheimer Award was established in 2012 by Mr. Sternheimer with the intent of promoting innovative and entrepreneurial projects.

Sternheimer Award applications are judged by a committee of representatives from companies in the region and beyond. In addition to potential funding, teams are provided a unique opportunity to showcase their team and projects to professionals in the engineering field prior to the Expo.

The timeline and details for each step of the Sternheimer Award application process are listed below:

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

A one-page proof of concept paper due by 11:59 p.m.

A summary of the project and its purpose.
A summary of the innovative nature of the project and/or how it furthers research or development on a particular topic.
A statement on how the project positively impacts the world in which we live.

Papers should be provided in .pdf format and should be submitted to engrcapstone@vcu.edu Papers that arrive after 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 8 will not be considered.

Friday, October 17, 2025

Teams selected (Finalists) to continue in the granting process will be notified by email and through their faculty advisers.

Friday, November 7, 2025

A completed application packet that includes the following is due by 11:59 p.m.

(1-page limit): A detailed project abstract that also includes the title of your project, names of team members and their department affiliation(s), and name of faculty adviser(s). The abstract must coherently describe the project, its purpose, and the methodology for project completion.
(1-page limit): A line-item budget that reflects all expenses related to the completed project. The budget does not need to be in exhaustive detail (i.e. you may group all of the fasteners you intend to use in a single "fasteners" category).
Suggested but not required (1-page limit): Any supplementary materials or images that help describe your project. If you do not include a supplementary materials page, your application is 2 pages long.

Applications should be provided in .pdf format and should be submitted to engrcapstone@vcu.edu.

Friday, November 14, 2025

Finalists will present to the Sternheimer Award selection committee in-person between 9 a.m.–Noon in the Engineering Research Building (ERB), room 1313 (at your designated presentation slot). Presentations should be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, November 13, 2025 to engrcapstone@vcu.edu so that we can check them for formatting and upload them to the presentation computer.

Presentations should use the following guidelines:

Presentations are in-person.
Presentations are no longer than 7 minutes, including questions and answers. It is strongly recommended your presentations be shorter than 7 minutes to allow for at least 3 minutes of Q&A.
No handouts will be allowed. Your application packets serve this purpose.
Since the presentation time is short, it is recommended that you have 1-2 spokespeople give the presentation and leave the Q&A to the other team members.
Professional dress is encouraged

VCU Innovation Gateway has kindly provided the “real world” pitch deck template provided to faculty applying to the VCU Commercialization Fund. You may use this template in part or in full if you desire. Regardless, you may theme your presentation as you see fit (keeping in mind, readability matters!).

Presentations should be provided in .ppt or .pdf format and should be submitted to engrcapstone@vcu.edu.

Monday, November 17, 2025

Sternheimer Award winners will be notified by email and through their advisers.

Late or incomplete papers/applications will not be considered.

Questions? Please contact engrcapstone@vcu.edu.