Note: The Innovate the Tailgate Challenge has been canceled. Feel free to enter our regular West Virginia Makes Festival Design Challenge here.
Marshall University groups are invited to put their minds to the mettle and invent the next great tailgating game as part of the 2024 West Virginia Makes Festival’s “Innovate the Tailgate Challenge.”
Formal campus groups such as academic and social clubs, fraternities and sororities as well as alumni groups and other informal Marshall-affiliated teams are encouraged to collaborate on a fun tailgating game for fans of all ages for a chance to win a $500 grand prize.
Teams are encouraged to use Design Thinking concepts to gather feedback so they can iterate and improve the game before final judging during the Nov. 8 West Virginia Makes Festival on Marshall’s Memorial Student Center Plaza. Games must not promote binge drinking or require players to consume food or beverages.
Suggested Process for Creating Your Game
Design & Prototype
– Brainstorm and create an idea for an innovative tailgating game.
– Build a working model of the game to demonstrate and test its functionality.
– Have participants test your game during Marshall sporting events to ensure it is engaging and entertaining and gain valuable feedback.
Testing and Competition
– Present your game during the Nov. 8 Makes Festival and invite attendees to try it out and vote for their favorite game.
– Have the game’s creators on hand starting at 9 a.m. to answer judges’ questions about the new game.
– Accept the $500 grand prize if your game is chosen as the best by our panel of judges and festival attendees!
To learn more and register, visit www.mfg.marshall.edu/tailgate2024 or contact MAMC’s Deacon Stone at or 304-781-1659.
The West Virginia Makes Festival, now in its 11th year, is presented by the MAMC.
Sept. 25, 2024
