Frequently Asked Questions

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Invention Education programs provide an extremely effective and approachable means to teach STEM, Entrepreneurship, and important 21st Century Skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, and communication. Our program is flexible and adaptable, making it accessible to many types of learners and teaching formats. The process is highly engaging because Inventors are encouraged to bring their own unique interests and perspectives to their project. Unlike other STEM programs, invention education does not require expensive materials or specialized training in science and engineering. Educators of many different backgrounds can successfully implement Invention Convention. 

No, the CT and MA Invention Convention is a long-standing K-12 STEMIE (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Innovation and Entrepreneurship) education program. We offer curriculum, professional development and programs for in-school, after school and community groups and organizations. The CT and MA Invention Convention is part of a larger invention education network, connecting inventors to both National and Global competitions. A highlight of our programs are our state finals events, where student finalists from around their state present their inventions to judges from many professional backgrounds. Some state finalists are then selected to move on to National Invention and Innovation events. 

Connecticut and Massachusetts students in grades K-12 can participate in our programs through many avenues, including: in school programs, after school programs, homeschool groups, clubs and organizations, summer programs and as independent inventors. 

Your school or program should first decide which students you would like to participate and who from your school will be running the program. There is no set way to run the program. It can be done in certain grade(s), during science or STEM class, after school, as a club, or in enrichment or talented and gifted programs. The program is flexible and adaptable to the needs of your school and students. 

Once you know who will be participating, the chosen lead at your school should register for the program. From there we will provide curriculum access, support and PD opportunities to help you successfully run Invention Convention at your school.

Students in your program will each come up with an idea for a unique invention, documenting the process in a logbook. In late winter/early spring, your school will decide which projects/inventors will move on to the state finals event. Finalists will then register their projects and attend their state event in the spring. 

Inventors may compete as individuals or as a team of two inventors. No more than two inventors are allowed on a team, and teammates should be no more than one grade apart. 

A science fair project is often based in research and experimentation, while Invention Convention requires students to create a unique solution to a specific problem. While there are some similar elements to a science fair (e.g. doing research, collecting data, communicating ideas) the process follows an engineering design format. While inventors sometimes conduct a scientific experiment to test their ideas, oftentimes user feedback is gathered and used to improve and iterate on a design. Invention is all about trial and error - we encourage failing forward and trying out multiple ideas. 

There is no limit to how many students can participate from your school. It’s up to each school or program to decide who and how many students should be involved.  In January, we let each registered program/school know how many of their students can advance to the state event. This number is a percentage of your overall participating students, and depends on how many programs and students in the state are participating in the given year.

• There is a $250 annual registration fee for each school/site that participates. If you  are new to the program or a small program (less than 25 students) the registration fee is $150. A district discount of 20% is offered to districts that register 4 or more school sites. All participating programs receive access to our curriculum and trainings, year round staff and program support, and access to participate in our state finals events. In-person trainings may be associated with a per person fee. 
• There will be an event fee for each finalist. This finalist fee can either be paid by the inventor’s school, or, the inventor’s parent/guardian. 
• Running the program at your school is generally low cost. We highly encourage students to invent with simple materials they can find around the home. Similarly, our activities require inexpensive and easy to find office materials and supplies. Your school will likely want to provide tri-fold display boards for students to display their work. 

Programs can register from September through December 31st. For programs looking to register after December 31st, please email kerry@ctinventionconvention.org to inquire about participation. While some programs begin in the fall, others choose to teach Invention Convention in the winter, in preparation for the spring finals events. You’ll want to complete your school-based program (and any showcase event your school may want to hold) prior to the  registration deadline for your state event, so that your chosen finalists have time to register and submit any required project materials. 

Invention Convention can be implemented as primarily an at-home, homework-based or extra credit project; however some in-class support and check-ins will be necessary. Educators are also welcome to attend a PD session, serve as a volunteer or judge and/or attend our finals event to learn more about the program in preparation to participate in the future. 

We highly encourage new educators attend a training session to become familiar with the program. Returning educators, and those looking to expand their knowledge of invention education are also welcome to attend. We offer professional development sessions in the fall and winter. Training will provide a solid foundation to run the program and familiarize you with some of our activities. Our staff is also here to support you and your students throughout the process! We can typically also accommodate requests for schools, districts or programs that would like specialized or more in-depth training.  

Invention Convention is approachable for educators of all backgrounds. While having knowledge of STEM is helpful, it is not a prerequisite for success in teaching invention. We offers a range of activities and lessons that help to teach invention skills. You can choose what activities work for you, or bring in your own ideas. 

Your school or program will decide how you’d like to showcase your student’s inventions and who will move on to the state event. You can use our official rubric as a guide, or create your own judging criteria. Your school-based event can be as large or as small as you like. Each school will be allowed to select a certain number of finalists. This number is based on the total number of participants at the school and the total number of participants across the state. 

Finalists will receive an event T-shirt and swag, certificate, and may also win a medal, trophy or special sponsor award. Some sponsor awards include other prizes or opportunities as well. Some invention awards may even include services to help patent their ideas.

Top projects, as determined by our volunteer judges, will be invited to compete on a larger level which may include invitations to:

- The U.S. Innovator virtual challenge - this takes place virtually in summer 

- The National Invention Convention in Dearborn, Michigan - due to program timing, selected MA finalists will attend the same year, while selected CT finalists receive invitations to attend Nationals the following year. 

Inventors may also be eligible and invited to participate in other special events, competitions and summer programs, and may even be asked to showcase their ideas for local and national media. 

Let your school administrators and teachers know that you'd like to see Invention Convention at your school! In the meantime, students who are not eligible to participate through their school can register as an independent inventor, some of which will move on to compete at our state finals. We also offer a virtual inventors club that helps to support independent inventors with their projects. 

School programs can register here. Community programs can register here. For inquiries on participation please contact kerry@ctinventionconvention.org