Policy Incubator Competition: 
Innovative Solutions to Public Policy Issues

The Institute of Public Service is committed to educating working professionals for positions of leadership and responsibility in public service.  Through the Policy Incubator Competition, students can apply the practical and theoretical knowledge gained in their programs to public policy challenges currently facing our state and local governments.  The goal of this competition is to demonstrate an understanding of key problems in our region, and propose new, innovative policy applications to solve them.

Download the Submission Form and Project Guidelines

Rules and Procedures

• The contest is open to all current students in the MPA and MNPL programs.
• Students must submit a 3 to 5 page policy paper which identifies a policy challenge currently being faced by state or local government. Submissions should clearly explain why the issue is a problem and should be addressed by policy makers. Papers must propose a specific inventive policy change or application to solve the problem.
  
  
  • Possible topics include, but are not limited to: systematic solutions to big problems like homelessness, public transportation and urban development.  As well as new applications to day to day administrative and policy problems such as increasing voter turnout or improving a neighborhood environment to create a greater sense of pride.
• Specific guidelines for the paper can be found on the accompanying document.
• Papers must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 18, 2013. Submissions must be turned in via email to Lindsay Ohab Graduate Program Coordinator at ohabl@seattleu.edu.
  
  
  • Download the Submission form and Guidelines.

After all submissions have been received, they will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee of current faculty members, IPS staff and friends of Seattle University.

• No more than 5 students with the highest rated submissions will present their solutions to a panel of leaders from state and local government.  Additionally, the IPS office will work with those students to try to have their papers published. 
• Presentations will be 10 minutes in length and followed by a 5 minute question and answer period.  (Visual aids are encouraged, but not required.)

Presentations will take place on March 21, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Casey Commons.  Dinner will be served and the public is invited to attend.

Prizes

• First Prize:   $300.00 
• Second Prize: $150.00
• Third Prize: $ 50.00

The top three finishers will receive a medal and all entrants will receive a certificate. The fourth and fifth place finishers will receive $25.00 gift card to the campus bookstore.