To enter, seventh through twelfth grade students design and build devices which are educational, useful or entertaining and powered by one or more Duracell batteries. More than 1,500 students nationwide entered the 1998 competition and were recognized for their innovative ideas. These results show the amazing creativity and scientific prowess of our nation's youth. Nearly 20,000 students entered in 1998. The competition, which has been in existence since 1993, encourages students to combine their imaginations with the study of science and technology to explore visions of the future and find solutions for real-life problems.
Students think of themselves as investigators as they learn new ways to approach problems.
To participate in the program, educators submit lesson plans that have both science and math components and are performed using laptop computers. The winning plans receive Toshiba laptop computers. The Young Inventors Award Program, sponsored by Craftsman, invites fourth through sixth graders to invent a new tool or re-think an existing one. The program is designed to teach students the scientific principles of how tools work and enable them to develop practical solutions to everyday problems. The 1998 regional winner Timothy Belden, from Stamford, CT created the Carton Opener.