Interested in getting involved?
Contact the Chicago Student Invention Convention Program Director:
Do you enjoy solving problems? Do you have a great idea for an invention? If so, you have come to the right place!
If you are in grades K-8 and your school is one of this year’s participants in the Chicago Student Invention Convention, you are eligible to participate!
Basic participant rules and requirements are as follows:
Students may compete as an individual or as part of a team of 2, but not both. There may not be teams of more than 2 people. Both team members must be from the same grade. Both team members must be present for the judging and awards for the team to participate.
The Journal is a necessary step to document each participant’s creative process and is weighed heavily in the judges’ evaluation process; it must include the following:
Students participating as part of a team may complete one Team Journal. Both signatures/inventors must be present on the Team Journal.
The model does not have to work, but must illustrate how the invention would work if the model was operational. Models must fit on a table top, and cannot be larger than 2 feet by 3 feet in size. Electricity will not be available to inventors at the Convention, but students may use batteries. No live animals may be used in the display. Students participating as part of team may complete one model.
Students should be prepared to give a presentation of 3-5 minutes to the judges and briefly explain the problem, the solution ideas (i.e. the process), and how the final invention works. All team members must be present and participate in the presentation.
Suggested, but not required.