To participate in Invention Convention Florida,

1. Participate in a school, district, or community based invention competition OR be nominated by an educator/mentor. All of our “in-network” competitions are listed below. If you are unsure how to participant, don’t hestate to reach out at [email protected].
2. After nominated, participants will receive an official invitation to compete. Detailed competition requirements will be provided to help students and their families prepare. Each inventor should be ready with their invention project, including an Inventor Journal or logbook, a pre-recorded video presentation, and a tri-fold/3-panel display board.
3. Inventors will participate in the State Competition judging sessions.

In order to compete, you will need an Inventor’s Journal/Logbook, Display Board, Presentation/Pitch, Video, and Prototype. To learn more about these items individually, see blow.

Inventor Journal/Logbook: The journal/logbook documents the student’s journey and all aspects of their invention process from the time they begin their project until they finish. The journal will describe the evolution of the invention and how it was changed as it developed, including brainstorming ideas, design plans, materials used, tests and observations, and modifications made. It should be a written record of the process of creating the invention and should be written as the invention is being worked on, not written as a report after the project is complete.

TIPS

• Sign and date pages as you add entries during your invention process.
• Use pen or pencil and do not erase. Mistakes and failures are part of the process and it is important to see how the invention changed as it was developed.
• The journal can be messy, but it must be readable. Notes and pages crossed-out are ok to show how you made changes as you worked. You want to show the entire process, even the parts that did not go as expected.

Display Board: A traditional tri-fold/3 panel display board is required to provide a visual aid for presentation. Inventors are encouraged to be creative in their displays to best communicate their ideas. Materials for the display may be handwritten or printed and pasted. Displays may illustrate how the idea was thought up, research performed, tests and results data, other peoples impressions about the usefulness of the invention or personal testimonies of the invention’s uses. Photos and design drawings are strongly recommended. Maximum size: Display boards may be no more than 48 inches wide by 36 inches tall (when laid flat) and should not exceed a footprint of 30 inches wide when displayed on a tabletop.

TIPS

• The display should be balanced and organized in a logical, sequential order.
• Keep the amount of text to a minimum.
• All text should be easy to read (think about size of lettering and bold colors) and neat.
• Photographs, illustrations/drawings, and charts are strongly encouraged.

Presentation/Pitch: Each inventor will be asked to speak about their invention for 3-6 minutes in front of judges and peers during the invention convention. Presentations are an opportunity for the inventor to share their idea and how it was developed. Inventors are encouraged to talk about the steps they took to design and build their model, their tests and results, challenges they faced throughout the project and modifications they made to their invention. Inventors may show models and use their display board as a visual prop as they speak. A brief Question & Answer session will follow each inventor’s presentation to allow judges to ask questions and inventors to share more about their project. Young inventors (grades K-2) may use notecards or be prompted by nearby adult; inventors in grades 3-4 may use notecards; and inventors in grades 5-12 may not use notecards.

TIPS

• Practice out loud in front of a family member, teacher or friend at least 5 times to become familiar with your speech. You can also practice alone in front of a mirror.
• Take a deep breath. If you get nervous, it is ok to pause, take a breath, and start over. There is no rush when speaking and your audience appreciates time to think about what you are saying as well.
• Time yourself. Time yourself as you give your presentation from start to finish. Speak at a normal pace, which will probably seem slower than you think it should.
• Make eye contact with your audience as you speak. Try to make eye contact at least 3 times.
• Summarize and restate. At the end of your presentation, repeat your most important points to summarize your project.
• SMILE! When you smile, your whole body relaxes. And smiling is contagious- if you smile, your audience will too.

Video: All inventors must submit a pre-recorded video presentation for competition. Videos will be used to evaluate originality of the idea and may be used for competition if the format of the competition is changed last minute as deemed necessary by Invention Convention Florida. Videos should introduce the inventor/s by name, school, town and grade and the name of the invention and the problem it solves. The video should address the originality of the invention and the research done to discover what makes it unique or an improvement on a product that already exists. Students should also talk about the steps of the invention process, the challenges encountered, any tests and their results and the modifications made during the invention process.  Inventors are encouraged to stand in front of their display and show their model/prototype during the video.

If students are part of a team, the group may choose one inventor to present the team’s video. That inventor will be responsible for filming the video and sharing the link with team members so that ALL team members submit the video using the same link as part of their individual registration.  The inventor who does the video presentation should have the display board and prototype to use in the video, if possible, and should mention each team member’s name at the start of the video. If your team is able to shoot the video together (using an online social platform, or if you were able to gather together), all members must participate. This is ideal.

TIPS

• Max length- 6 minutes, it’s ok to be less.
• Film horizontally.
• Videos must be recorded continuous- no stopping and re-starting during filming.
• No editing is permitted.
• Reading full script is discouraged. Practice what you plan to say before filming.
• Use your prototype and display board in the video.
• Film with a smartphone or video camera. Remember to hold the phone horizontally.
• Find a quiet, well-lit spot where you can set up your display board, invention and you have room to present. Natural light from windows works well. Do not stand in front of the window, as you will appear as a shadow. The light should be coming toward you, the invention and your display board.
• Use a loud, clear voice. You may want to practice this a few times with the camera.
• Before recording, take a deep breath and relax. Remember, you are the expert on your invention!

Prototype/Model/Design: A 3-D model or prototype of the invention is strongly recommended, but not required for competition. A detailed, labeled drawing of the design is sufficient for the display and presentation. Prototypes and models may be working or non-working. Inventors are encouraged to build models that are “materials neutral”, meaning they can be made of reused and recycled materials and the overall product should not require money to buy materials. Any materials that are used, whether purchased or found/borrowed, should be listed in the Materials List in the inventor’s journal/logbook.

Educators of K-12 school and after-school programs are encouraged to join Invention Convention Worldwide, organize school-wide Invention Fairs, and help students advance to state or regional events. Please let us know if your school has an invention competition (or is interested) and we will add it to our network.

District or Local Florida Invention Competitions:

• Hillsborough County STEM Fair (Tampa)
• Edison Inventors Fair (Fort Myers)
• East Lake Middle Young Innovators Challenge (Tarpon Springs)
• Sarasota STEM Fair
• Manatee STEM Fair
• Panther Run Elementary (Palm Beach)
• Holy Nativity District (Panama City)

Have an invention that may qualify for Invention Convention Florida this year, but not affiliated with an invention competition network yet? Fill out the Nomination Form above and someone on our team will reach out with next steps.

• Each individual or team will be allowed to submit only one invention per ICF season.
• Only those who register and come to the awards show are eligible for prizes and a chance to compete at the national and global competitions. Teammates who do not register or come to the awards show will not be eligible for prizes or compete in the national and global competitions.
• Inventions must be an original idea or an improvement upon a product that already exists on the market.
• Invention submissions must include the following items: an invention logbook, a prototype, a display board, and a pitch. Please see the “General Competition Requirements” section for more details.
• Returning competitors may resubmit the same invention every season only if there is evidence that a significant amount of innovation has occurred since the previous season.
• Invention prototypes must not be flammable, combustible, or at risk of a hazard in any way.
• USF cannot offer electrical power or guarantee WIFI for any inventions during the event.
• The following items are not allowed on your person or in your project: Electric stun guns, martial arts weapons or devices, firearms, replica guns, ammunition, fireworks, mace, pepper spray, razors, box cutters, or knives of any size. Also, no balloons, glitter or confetti are allowed in any form.
• This is a large venue and proper expectations about behavior and projects should be considered.

You can compete individually or as a team. You can’t do both. The requirements for teams are:

• Teams can consist of up to four inventors.
• If team members are in different grades, the team will compete in the grade category of its eldest member.
• Every member of the team must complete registration and be in attendance on competition day.

Teammates who do not register or come to the awards show will not be eligible for prizes or compete in the national and global competitions.

During our event, students will be asked to participate in a judging circle. All inventors will have a predetermined time for their judging circle. They will be given this time when they check in on the first day of the event. During this judging circle, students will be expected to give a short introduction of their invention, sharing their journey throughout the innovation cycle. Judges will ask students questions about their ideas. A rubric will be followed to help judges make their award selections. You can find an example of a sample rubric below.

View this years awards list by clicking here.