What Do We Mean by “Make a Sign”?
A sign sits at the very intersection of information, space, and human interaction, and we believe that interactive signage is the most accessible entry point into restaurant digitalization. The future of dining is smart, interactive, and accessible.
Last year, we received 156 innovative projects from 180 makers across 17 countries and 39 regions.
These projects showed how interactive signage can reshape the way we communicate, navigate, and experience our spaces.
This year, we invite global makers, engineers, designers, and innovators to create replicable, commercial-ready restaurant signage solutions. Start small. Think of the sign as your minimum solution unit. Then, rethink it across these four dimensions:
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- Technology: How can you integrate AI, IoT, computer vision, voice recognition, or advanced sensing?
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- Interaction: Can you move beyond the touch screen with gesture controls, touchless interfaces, or dynamic responses?
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- Materials: How can the physical build be more sustainable, modular, or adaptable to different environments?
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- Function: Can your sign be data-driven, context-aware, and actively improve operational efficiency?
Contest Rules & How to Enter
Contest Rules & How to Enter
1) Submit your application via the designated Google form and apply for free hardware samples (up to USD $100 value per approved project, listed at the bottom) before June 30, 2026.
2) Build Your Project: Use any Seeed Studio product as the core of your interactive sign (other brands are allowed as add-ons).
3) Submit a video that is 1 minute or longer demonstrating your smart sign in action. Both horizontal and vertical formats are welcome!
4) Once approved, your project video will be published on Seeed Studio’s official YouTube channel, which will serve as the promotional platform for public voting.
Judging Criteria:
Judging Criteria:
- Participant Voting (2/3 weight): Each semi-finalist receives 5 votes to support other projects.
- Public Voting (1/3 weight): Based on a combined score of YouTube views and likes on your Project video. (The top 50 projects from this stage will advance to the Final Round!)
2. Final Round – Jury Panel:
- Business Potential (30%): Can this realistically be commercialized and deployed in real restaurants at scale?
- Replicability (30%): Can others rebuild and adapt your solution using your documentation and code?
- Innovation (20%): How creatively do you rethink what a restaurant sign can do?
- Fit with Restaurant Scenarios (20%): Does it solve real, practical needs in a dining environment?
Timeline:
Timeline:
● Idea Collection & Sample Application: March 5 – June 30, 2026
● Project Development & Documentation: April – August 2026
● Semi-Final: Community & Public Voting: August 15 – August 31, 2026
● Final Jury Evaluation: September 1 – September 15, 2026
● Winner Announcement: November 16-30, 2026
Prizes and awards:
Prizes and awards:
$1,000 Cash Prize
$1,000 Travel Grant – We’re sponsoring the winner’s trip to Maker Faire Shenzhen 2026 (November)!
● 🥈Second Prize (2 Winners | Value: $600)
$300 Cash Prize
Seeed Product Gift Pack (worth $300)
● 🥉Third Prize (3 Winners | Value: $200)
$100 Cash Prize
Seeed Product Gift Pack (worth $100)
Special Category Awards:
● 🎖Best In-Restaurant Experience Award (1 Winner | Value: $200)
Seeed Product Gift Pack (worth $200)
● 🎖Most Popular Award (1 Winner | Value: $100) (Awarded to the video with the most YouTube likes!)
Seeed Product Gift Pack (worth $100)
● 🌱Sustainable Signage Impact Award – SDG (1 Winner | Value: $100)
Seeed Product Gift Pack (worth $100)
*All the winners could receive the free co-create service to make the prototype become products!
Resources Recommendation
Resources Recommendation
Participants may apply for free samples from selected categories:
PS. If you are working on a project that uses an ink display, we encourage you to use our no-code UI design platform, SenseCraft HMI, to design and deploy the UI for your screen, this is the introduction of our HMI(SenseCraft HMI)
“Make a Sign (for Restaurant)” is more than a contest.
It is an open call to rethink how small hardware solutions can reshape physical spaces.
By focusing on the sign as a minimum solution unit, we lower the barrier for global makers to participate in restaurant innovation.
From small cafés to busy food courts, your sign could become the first step toward smarter dining environments.