Berblinger Competition 2013

Berblinger Competition 2013

Berblinger Prize 2013

In 1986, on the 175th anniversary of Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger‘s (known as the “Tailor of Ulm”) attempt to fly, the city of Ulm organised an international flight competition. The objective of the competition was to fly over the River Danube at Berblinger’s historic site in the true pioneering spirit of Berblinger. Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger (1770-1829), who is regarded as the first aeronautical pioneer to employ the principle of gliding flight, found his way into aviation history with his attempts in 1811.

In commemoration of his work, the city of Ulm donated a prize bearing his name, which was awarded for the first time in 1988. The Berblinger Prize is awarded for special efforts, developments and innovative ideas in the construction of aviation devices in the field of general aviation. In the 1996 competition, for instance, the prize was awarded to the first manned, self-starting, fully solar-powered aircraft to be developed for the competition. In the flight competition in 2011, prizes went to a self-starting, high-performance glider with a low-noise, ecological propulsion system and to a lightweight, solar powered motor glider. Several construction competitions were held in advance, in preparation for the practical demonstration competition.

In 2013 the city of Ulm will be hosting another construction competition to develop and promote ecological, long-distance flight, with the focus on innovative developments in the field of general aviation.

Long-term objective:
the vision of a Danube flight

In 1811 Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger had the vision of crossing the River Danube from one bank to the other using his hang-glider.

In the spirit of Berblinger, and continuing his vision, the city of Ulm aims to promote developments in general aviation that make it possible to follow the course of the Danube along its whole length from source to mouth, as free of noise and emission as possible with the aid of innovative and environmentally sustainable aircraft, whereby this feat can also be completed in stages.

The Berblinger Prize of the city of Ulm will initially be awarded in theoretical competitions for ideas that will particularly contribute towards reaching this goal.

Objective

The purpose of the Berblinger Competition 2013 is to explore theoretical approaches, based on the latest research results, knowledge and developments in aviation, which could contribute towards achieving the long-term vision of a Danube flight from the source to the mouth of the river.

We are looking for ideas for an innovative manned aircraft, or for individual components for such an aircraft, that could contribute towards the realization of the declared vision of a “Danube flight”. In this respect, aspects of environmental sustainability such as energy consumption, exhaust and noise emissions will play a particularly important role. Ultra light aircraft are also eligible in the sense of the competition.

Submissions must contain:

• the completed and signed application form containing a declaration by the competitor(s) that they are the intellectual owners of the submitted proposal,
• a detailed written description of the special features of the proposal, from the point of view of the applicant,
• All construction details necessary for an evaluation.
• Visual material in the form of plans, drawings, diagrams, photos, videos or models.

Except for the signed application form, the documentation may submitted on digital media (CD, DVD). All documentation must be written/labelled in German or English.

The jury may at any time request further documentation and materials for the assessment of the proposal. Models and original parts must be packaged in such a way that they can be returned in the same package.

Submission deadline

Full submission documentation should be sent to Stadt Ulm, Hauptabteilung Kultur, Frauenstr. 19, D-89073 Ulm by June 30, 2013.

Eligibility

There are no restrictions on eligibility.

Jury’s assessment and awarding of prizes

An independent jury will assess the proposals submitted. The jury is composed of representatives from the aviation and space industry, from universities and research institutions and representatives of the city of Ulm. Further experts may be called on to assess particular aspects. The competition proposals will be assessed regarding the extent to which they fulfil the requirements listed in the objective. Prize money of € 25,000 will be awarded to the winner. The jury reserves the right to divide the prize money. All costs in connection with participation in the competition shall be borne by the competitor. The decisions of the jury are binding and incontestable. There is no right of appeal.

Award ceremony

The Senior Mayor of the city of Ulm will present the prize(s) in a special ceremony. It is planned to hold an exhibition presenting the projects of all competitors.

Documentation

The city of Ulm intends to publish a documentation of the competition. With their registration, competitors give their consent to the written and pictorial publication of their proposal in connection with publications, promotional and documentation material relating to the Berblinger Prize. Participants provide the information and material to the city of Ulm for this documentation and any possible promotional measures, press releases and reports free of charge. For reasons of data protection, all data, documents and materials of the participants will be stored securely until the date of the award ceremony. The members of the jury and any experts called upon are pledged to secrecy accordingly.

Changes in the competition rules and conditions

The city of Ulm reserves the right to amend or supplement the rules and conditions during the competition if deemed necessary by the jury in order to respect the objectives and spirit of the competition. Such changes will be published on the website at www.berblinger.ulm.de.

Information about the competition

Information about this competition is available from Ulm head office for cultural affairs:

Hauptabteilung Kultur der Stadt Ulm
Frauenstr. 19
D-89073 Ulm
P hone +497311614701
Fax +497311611631
E-mail: kultur@ulm.de.