The Invent It Challenge is an annual competition that inspires students around the world to unleash their inner inventor! The competition was created in 2011 by Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center and Cricket, with the goal of educating, engaging, and empowering kids across the globe to learn and use the invention process to make change in our world. Since then, thousands of kids around the globe have tried their hands at inventing through the Challenge, and many have gone on to patent their ideas!
Every year, students document their use of Smithsonian’s 7-step Spark!Lab Invention Process to brainstorm new inventions to solve global problems. You can learn about past challenges and find information for upcoming challenges on the Cricket website at https://inventitchallenge.cricketmedia.com/past-challenges/.
Often, entire classrooms of students enter, either individually or as teams. Teachers and home school parents love it as their students get to apply their STEM skills in an engaging real-world challenge. The high-quality, free curriculum provided by the Smithsonian and Cricket make participating a smooth learning experience for students, educators, and parents alike.