At Inventionland Education, students do more than talk about innovation. They learn how to spot problems, research possible answers, build prototypes, test their ideas, and explain their inventions to others.

For several young women from Grove City Middle School, that work has gone well beyond a classroom assignment.

Mia Mertz and Madison Mulato are two of those students. Their invention, the No Cry Hair Tie, started with a problem many people know well. Traditional hair ties can pull, snag, and hurt when they are taken out. Mia and Madison wanted to create a better option.

Their solution was practical and easy to understand. They designed a smoother hair tie made to come out more comfortably. After working through the Inventionland Education process, improving their idea, and presenting their product, the No Cry Hair Tie earned a licensing agreement and is now sold online.

That kind of experience can change how students see their own ideas. Engineering does not always start with a large machine, a bridge, or a complicated piece of software.Sometimes it starts with a daily frustration that someone decides to fix.

Olivia Adams and Samantha Preist followed a similar path with their invention, The Untie Not. Their product was created to solve another familiar problem: shoelaces that keep coming untied. Their small, lightweight device helps keep a knot secure without changing the shoe itself.

After earning first place in the middle school division of the national invention contest, Olivia and Samantha’s product moved into final development and is being prepared for a global release. Their work shows how far a student’s idea can go when it is supported by planning, feedback, teamwork, and persistence.

These stories are important because they give students a more accurate picture of engineering. It is not only about formulas, machines, or advanced technology. It often begins with paying attention, asking better questions, testing ideas, and making adjustments when something does not work the first time.

For girls and young women, examples like Mia, Madison, Olivia, and Samantha matter. They show that invention is not out of reach. It can begin in a middle school classroom with a smallteam, a useful idea, and the willingness to keep improving it.

International Women in Engineering Day is a reminder that students need to see themselves in these fields early. When young women see other young women creating products, earning licensing agreements, and preparing inventions for the marketplace, engineering becomes easier to picture as part of their own future.

Mia, Madison, Olivia, and Samantha are not waiting until adulthood to explore invention. They are already doing the work. Their stories show how classroom learning can become something tangible, useful, and ready for the world outside school.

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Held over two days at Inventionland world headquarters in Pittsburgh, May 19 and 20, the national contest gave students the opportunity to share their work with professional judges and celebrate the kind of hands-on learning that can turn a classroom idea into something meaningful.

The event also celebrated the educators and schools that encourage students to ask questions, test ideas, revise their work, and proudly share solutions with others.

On Tuesday, May 19, elementary school teams presented their inventions in the elementary competition.

First place went to Alivia, Scotlyn, Veronica, and Elise for their invention, the Cozy Kitchen Pro Pan. This special pan changes color as you cook meat, so you know exactly when it’s done. It includes five different color progressions for rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well, and well done, and has settings for pork, chicken, and beef.

Second place went to Stella and Maiva for Palm Tree Productions Beach Bucket. This product is made for the beach, so it’s sandproof and waterproof, with a secret compartment for valuable items like your phone or keys.

Third place was awarded to Ty, Logan, and Caleb for Rocket Football Athletics. This is a specially made football with a “super fin” and a propeller inside so it can fly further and faster and make a perfect throw every time.

The elementary student winners set a new standard for the competition, as all three came from Ehrman Crest Elementary, part of the Seneca Valley School District in Pennsylvania. This made the school’s showing at the national contest especially memorable, since the school’s grand prize included a new 3D printer to support future design and prototyping.

Industry-leading judges for the elementary competition, Stephanie Buzzatto, Michele Butler, and Nathan Field, reviewed each student group’s presentation before selecting the top three teams.

The competition continued on Wednesday, May 20, at the middle school level. Grove City Area Middle School took home the grand school prize, a Cricut Explore 5, after two of its student teams finished in the top three.

First place in the middle school competition went to Stash & Sparkle from Grove City Area Middle School. The product helps store necklaces on the go by attaching to a zipper in a purse, backpack, or other item so they don’t get lost or tangled.

 Second place was awarded to Beka and Alida for Snap & Stay, also from Grove City Area Middle School. This ingenious invention helps organize closets by sliding onto the hanger’s head, holding clothing in place for less stress and no mess.

Third place went to Genevieve, Nini, and Ellie for Playful Paws from Neshannock Middle School. Playful Paws Harness is a lightweight and breathable dog harness made from soft mesh and smooth silk materials, designed to reduce frizz and prevent tangling.

Middle school judges, including Dr. Tiffany Nix, Ann Marie Weiss, and John Bitzer, evaluated the presentations and selected three winning teams from a competitive field of young innovators.

For every student group that participated, the contest was about more than earning an award medal or a top placement. It was an opportunity to communicate an idea, explain a problem, present a solution, and see what is possible when creativity is paired with persistence.

These experiences are at the heart of Inventionland Education’s approach to learning. Through invention-based education, students learn to collaborate, think critically, build confidence, and apply STEM skills in real-world settings. In the process, they are becoming creators, presenters, and problem solvers.

Congratulations to the 2026 elementary and middle school winners, their teachers, and every student team that presented during this year’s National Invention Contest. This year’s students showed that great ideas can begin at any age.

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Over the past two years, four student teams have taken that step from classroom concept to marketplace reality.

One of the most recognized examples is the No Cry Hair Tie, created by Mia Mertz and Madison Mulato from Grove City Middle School. Their invention solves a simple but frustrating problem. Traditional hair ties pull and snag, producing discomfort. Their design offers a smoother, pain-free alternative. After developing their idea through the applied STEM course and refining it through the invention process, the product earned a licensing agreement and is now sold online through major platforms.

Another team from Grove City Middle School, Ethan Cooke, Elijah Lawson, and Gavin Purdy, developed the Needle Guard. Athletes often lose or break the small pump needles used to inflate sports balls. Their solution protects the needle and securely stores it. Like the No Cry Hair Tie, their product moved beyond the classroom and secured a licensing agreement, showing real commercial potential. It will be available for sale this year.

In 2025, Olivia Adams and Samantha Preist added to that momentum with their invention, The Untie Not. Anyone who has dealt with constantly untied shoelaces understands the problem. Their small, lightweight device keeps knots secure without changing the shoe itself. After winning first place in the middle school division of the national competition, their product entered final development and is being prepared for a global release.

Innovation is not limited to one region. The Amazing Lid, developed through the Jordan Youth Innovation Project in partnership with student innovators overseas, addresses a global need. The design focuses on creating a coffee mug lid that adjusts for different sizes. It is now available for sale worldwide. This highlights how the same process can be applied across students in K-12 schools.

What connects all four of these teams is not just creativity, but process. Students follow the real-world 9-step inventing method that replicates how products are developed at Inventionland for its corporate and individual inventors. In the Inventionland Education class, student groups identify problems, prototype solutions, test ideas, and present their work to a panel of judges at the end of the course. The outcome is not purely a project that earns a grade. In some cases, it becomes a product that reaches the global marketplace.

For educators and school leaders, this represents a shift in what student work can look like. It moves beyond theory and into application. It shows that middle school students, when given the right structure and environment, can produce ideas with real value.

National Inventors Month is about possibility. These students show what happens when that possibility is taken seriously and supported with the right tools and expectations.

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That outcome did not happen by chance. It is the result of Inventionland Education’s applied STEAM curriculum, intentionally built around creativity, ownership, and real-world problem-solving.

In 2024, students Mia Mertz and Madison Mulato developed the No Cry Hair Tie, a product designed to eliminate a common frustration for users. Their idea moved beyond the classroom and into the marketplace through a licensing agreement. Today, their product is available online through major retail channels, demonstrating that middle school students can create commercially viable solutions when given the right support.

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Every year on National Inventors Day, we celebrate the curiosity, creativity, and perseverance that drive innovation forward. While many people think of inventors as adults working in labs or garages, some of today’s most inspiring inventors are still in middle school, and they’re already achieving what many adults only dream of: turning ideas into licensed products to sell globally.

At Inventionland Education, National Inventors Day represents more than just celebrating famous inventors of the past. It’s about recognizing the next generation of problem-solvers who are learning how to identify real-world challenges, develop practical solutions, and navigate the authentic invention-to-market process.

From Classroom Concept to Licensed Product

One of the most powerful outcomes of the Innovation Science Class is seeing students go beyond prototypes and competitions and into actual licensing success. Over the past two years, multiple middle school teams have done exactly that after participating in Inventionland Education’s national programs.

In 2024, Grove City Middle School students Mia and Madison reached an extraordinary milestone with their invention, the No Cry Hair Tie. Designed to solve a common daily frustration, their invention was developed using Inventionland’s real-world 9-step inventing method, a process used by professional inventors and entrepreneurs.

With the guidance of their teachers, Ms. Karen Garland and Mr. Ben English, Mia and Madison not only won at the national level. They also secured a licensing agreement. Their product has since been brought to market and is now available on major online retail platforms, proving that student-led innovation can compete in the global marketplace.

A New Generation of Shoelace Solutions

Building on that momentum, National Inventors Day 2026 celebrates another success story from Grove City Middle School. This year, Olivia Adams and Samantha Preist earned 1st Place in the Middle School Division of the National Invention Contest with their invention, The Untie Not, and followed it with their own licensing agreement.

“The Untie Not” addresses a frustration nearly everyone has experienced: shoelaces that won’t stay tied. Olivia and Samantha engineered a small, lightweight device that attaches directly to shoelaces and securely holds knots in place. The solution requires no shoe modifications or complicated adjustments and works seamlessly for students, athletes, and people constantly on the move.

Their invention is currently in final development and is scheduled to debut on the international marketplace later this year, an incredible achievement for inventors still years away from high school graduation.

Why National Inventors Day Matters in Schools

These success stories highlight what happens when students are taught how to invent, not just how to brainstorm ideas. National Inventors Day is a reminder that invention is a skill set, one that can be taught, practiced, and refined in K–12 classrooms when students are given the right tools, structure, and encouragement.

Through the Inventionland Education Innovation Science curriculum, students learn to:

• Identify everyday problems worth solving
• Develop and test functional prototypes
• Understand marketability and user needs
• Pitch ideas with confidence
• Experience real-world invention pathways, such as licensing their product

Inspiring Tomorrow’s Inventors Today

On this National Inventors Day, we celebrate Mia, Madison, Olivia, Samantha, their dedicated educators, and the schools that believe in empowering students as creators.

Their stories prove that when students are given authentic innovation experiences, they don’t just learn about innovation; they experience it. And, they become inventors.

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One of the most powerful outcomes of the Inventionland Education Innovation Science Class is seeing the young student inventors win at the national level and then earn actual licensing agreements. Over the past two years, that vision has become reality for multiple student teams who identified everyday problems and engineered smart, market-ready solutions.

Last year, students Mia and Madison achieved a milestone many adult inventors never reach: they earned a licensing agreement for their “No Cry Hair Tie” invention developed through the Inventionland Education program. Their success demonstrated what happens when students are taught the real-world 9-step inventing method and given excellent support from their teachers, Ms. Karen Garland and Mr. Ben English of Grove City Middle School. After earning their licensing agreement, their product was brought to market and is now available on Amazon, Jokari, and other websites worldwide.

See the video about the “No Cry, Hair Tie” inventing method here.

This year, Olivia Adams and Samantha Preist from Grove City Middle School, part of the Grove City Area School District, earned their own licensing agreement after capturing 1st Place in the Middle School Division with their invention, “The Untie Not.”

“The Untie Not” tackles a universally familiar frustration: shoelaces that refuse to stay tied. Olivia and Samantha’s solution is both elegant and practical, a small, lightweight mechanism that attaches directly to shoelaces and secures the knot in place. The design keeps shoes tied throughout the day without altering the shoe or requiring complicated adjustments, making it ideal for students, athletes, and anyone constantly on the move.

Their product is currently in final development ahead of its debut on the international marketplace later this year.

Watch the video about how Olivia and Samantha developed a love for STEM here >

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