Entrepreneurial Spirit Award

What is this award for?

The goal of this award is to support the development of Western Engineering’s Entrepreneurial Spirit, particularly in its undergraduate students.

You can be like Mitchell Godkin who won the award in 2017 and used it to continue the development of Leadbury Bats. Developed and tested at the General Dynamics lab at Western Engineering, his innovative drying method is reinventing baseball bat manufacturing.


Application Process

Go to Awardspring and complete an essay of no more than 1000 words that explains your passion about what you would do with $2000 to further your entrepreneurial idea. Students can be in any undergraduate program, in any year, including first-year. The essay requirements are as follows:

  • Your idea must apply engineering principles in its development.
  • Details matter in how you plan to use the funds but they can be used in a wide range of ways. The funds cannot be used exclusively for travel.
  • You must explain why you have the experience, persistence and initiative to execute your idea during the school year.

Applications are due October 15, 2019.



The Award’s History

gary-motorshead

Gary Mottershead, BESc’75, MBA’77 has coached more than 3000 entrepreneurs over the last 20 years and enjoyed his own success as head of GCP Industrial Products, an international company.  In 2005, Mottershead established the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award in order to recognize a full-time undergraduate student who demonstrates passion, persistence, and achievement in developing an innovative or entrepreneurial idea through the use of engineering principles.