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The 2023 Inventionland®Education Invention Contest, held on May 16-18, 2023, at the world headquarters of Inventionland®in Pittsburgh, was an exciting event that showcased the innovative spirit of elementary, middle, and high school students. The competition brought together young minds from different schools to present their unique inventions and compete for the top prizes in each category to a panel of leading industry professionals.

The Elementary School Invention Contest featured teams from throughout the region. Schools with the most teams that made it to the finals included seven from the Seneca Valley School District and five from the Fort Cherry School District. While Fort Cherry students attended the event in person, Seneca Valley students competed virtually. The Fort Cherry students impressed the judges with their creativity, taking both the 1st and 3rd places. Their winning project, “The Silly Storyteller,” was a device that offered users prompts to come up with fun and imaginative stories. Seneca Valley students secured 2nd place with their innovative project, “A.R.E. Car Umbrella.”

The Middle School Invention Contest had the most teams of all to participate. The top five schools included the Grove City Area School District, the Avon Lake City School District, the Bethel Park School District, Highlands School District, and the Seneca Valley School District. Most schools sent their teams in person, while others competed virtually. Bethel Park students claimed 1st place with their invention, “TECovers,” which provides basketball players with flexible rubber shoe covers to save them the hassle of changing shoes on the court. Avon Lake students took the 2nd place with their “Moldable Cookie Cutter” project, while the Highlands team secured the 3rd place with their “Multi-Sports Carrier.” Seneca Valley students were also recognized with an honorable mention for their project, “C.M.G. Gloves.”

The High School Invention Contest witnessed the participation of multiple teams. The Altoona Area School District high school teams claimed the 1st and 2nd places. Their projects, “Retainer Maintainer” and “Wag Swag,” impressed the judges with their practicality and innovation. The Kiski School secured 3rd place with their project, “Narwhal Adventurer.”

Bella, a talented student from the Altoona Area, took home 1st place in the High School category with her invention, “Retainer Maintainer.” Bella’s creation was a container designed to keep retainers clean, fresh-smelling, and minty, providing a practical solution to an everyday problem.

One of the largest of its kind, the Inventionland®Education 2023 Invention Contest highlights the incredible ingenuity of young inventors and showcases their ability to think outside the box. It is the Capstone event after a semester-long applied STEM invention course, and being able to present to judges at the world headquarters of Inventionland®is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

The contest encourages creativity and innovation and fosters collaboration and problem-solving skills. Congratulations to all the participants and winners for their remarkable achievements and contributions to the world of invention. We can’t wait to witness more groundbreaking inventions from these bright minds in the future.