The Wickie Awards

Students can win awards! The Wickies celebrate our students’ development from various perspectives. Awards have been given out for outstanding presentation, distinguished research, most impactful solution (since we are about solving wicked problems!), and video excellence.

The Outstanding Presentation award recognizes a student/team which most effectively presents its problem and solution at the Wicked Festival. Awards may include up to gold, silver, and bronze levels of recognition. Professors should send nominees’ teams/names/Wicked Festival position (for example, 1-23), award nominated for, and posters/representations of student work to Dr. Paige Tan, Wicked Festival Coordinator, by 11:59 p.m., November 6, 2023. Sharing by OneDrive works best. Late submissions will not be accepted.

 Distinguished Research recognizes the student/team with the most sophisticated research of their problem and solution. Awards may include up to gold, silver, and bronze levels of recognition. Professors should send nominees’ teams/names/Wicked Festival position (for example, 2-25), award nominated for, and posters/representations of student work to Dr. Paige Tan, Wicked Festival Coordinator, by 11:59 p.m. on November 6, 2023. Late submissions will not be accepted.

The Impactful Solution award rewards the student/team whose solution most aptly fits their wicked problem or which would make the most difference to the world if adopted. Awards may include up to gold, silver, and bronze levels of recognition. Professors should send nominees’ teams/names/Wicked Festival position (for example, 2-12), award nominated for, and posters/representations of student work to Dr. Paige Tan, Wicked Festival Coordinator, by 11:59 p.m. on November 6, 2023. Late submissions will not be accepted.

 Each Radford University Fall 2023 Wicked Festival-participating student/team may submit a video of their Wicked Festival problem/solution for consideration for the Video Excellence award. Participation is entirely voluntary, and students self-nominate for this award. The video should be about three-minutes long and should explore what their wicked problem is, why it’s wicked, potential solutions, and what solution they recommend and why. The video excellence award recognizes student work which conveys both the wicked problem and proposed solution powerfully using the medium and tools of video to impact viewers.

Submissions should be made (one per Wicked Festival-participating team only) by sharing your video, poster (if available), and sources with Dr. Paige Tan, Wicked Festival Coordinator, via OneDrive by November 16, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. In your share (there’s room to write text to the recipients), please mention that you are entering the Wicked Festival Video Excellence Award and include your Wicked Festival-participating course (like MKTG 101), the title of your presentation from the Wicked program, and the names of all members of the team. Late submissions will not be accepted. Teams that do not follow the instructions adequately may not be considered.

Submission of a video to the contest will constitute permission to allow Radford University to display the video on campus platforms such as news and social media and store the video in the Wicked Festival Archive for future teaching and research. If you require assistance to submit your video, please contact Dr. Paige Tan for help.

Any questions about Wicked Festival awards? Get in touch with Dr. Paige Tan, Wicked Festival Coordinator.

Outstanding Presentation 

• Gold: How to Democratize Belarus by Corey Burgess  (Dr. Paige Tan, Political Science) 
• Silver: Gaps within the American Foster Care System by Lucy Cooper, Ronnie Butler, Gabe Robertson (Dr. Chapman Rackaway, Political Science) 
• Bronze: Equity for Equatorial Guinea: The Importance of the Removal of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo by Riley Petroski (Dr. Paige Tan, Political Science) 

Distinguished Research

• Gold: Taking Down Mohammed bin Salman by Becca Holcombe, Emmie Maurer (Dr. Paige Tan, Political Science) 
• Silver: How Might We Control Portion Sizes? By Jasmine Blevins, Nic Cook, Carley Fagan, Isaac Morales, Evan Valdez (Dr. Jane Machin, Marketing) 
• Bronze: The Great Replacement and White Nationalist Violence in America by Nick Robinson, Will Avalos, Riley Petroski (Dr. Tay Keong Tan, Political Science) 

Impactful Solution

• Gold: Killer Asteroids by Levi Hylton, Jalen Booker, Rafael Parra (Dr. Tay Keong Tan, Political Science) 
• Silver: Massive Solar Eruptions by Kate Sutherland, Makayla Fields, Charity Wilson (Dr. Tay Keong Tan, Political Science) 
• Bronze: What a Waste: Food Sustainability at Radford by Annalisa Twum, Darryl Fulton, Bailey Lester, Anthony Barbarisi, Keiko Klisiewecz, Isaiah Hawkins (Dr. Steven Fesmire, Philosophy)  

Video Excellence 

•  Gold: Equitable Energy by Nicholas Beach, Sara Johnson, Camden McGookin, Will Sadler (Dr. Meg Konkel, Design/Philosophy) 

Outstanding Presentation

• Gold: Hunter Cole and Makayla Fields, “Islamic State-Sinai,” POSC 355 Terrorism (Dr. Paige Tan).  
• Silver: Rose Guillaume, Grace Herritage, Travis Giraldi, Cayden Guinther, “A World with Serial Pandemics,” INST 101 Understanding the World (Dr. Tay Keong Tan)

Distinguished Research

• Gold: Madelyn Cheney, Kristen Chang, Ava Graham, Ethan Gear, “How Might We Eliminate Barriers to Homelessness Resources,” MKTG 101 Creativity and Innovation (Dr. Jane Machin)
• Silver: Rose Guillaume, Grace Herritage, Travis Giraldi, Cayden Guinther, “A World with Serial Pandemics,” INST 101 Understanding the World (Dr. Tay Keong Tan)

Impactful Solution

• Gold: Alex Cook, Wellington Dressler, Prophet Magee, Trey Taylor, “Is the Fentanyl Epidemic Gone Too Far?” CRJU 495 Critical Perspectives in Criminal Justice (Dr. Steve Owen)
• Silver: Madelyn Cheney, Kristen Chang, Ava Graham, Ethan Gear, “How Might We Eliminate Barriers to Homelessness Resources,” MKTG 101 Creativity and Innovation (Dr. Jane Machin)