Invention Convention
Join us for this year’s regional Invention Convention—an exciting competition that encourages students in grades K–12 to create innovative solutions to real-world problems!
How the Competition Works:
- All K–12 students are invited to join us for an interactive full-day event! Students will present their inventions, explore peers’ projects, connect with other teams, and participate in hands-on activities designed to keep the innovation going.
- The top-scoring team from each grade band (K–4, 5–8, 9–12) will earn an invitation to represent our region at the state competition at Kalahari Resorts on February 10th!
Competition Details
- Event Date: January 6, 2027
- Event Time: 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM
- Event Location: The Conference & Training Center at Lancaster-Lebanon IU13
- Participants:
- Students in grades K–12 (Teams of 1–4)
- Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Students in grades K–12 (Teams of 1–4)
- No cost
How Can I Participate?
- Review Guidelines
- Read and review the competition rules/requirements and “Framework for Invention” components.
- Register your team by December 4th
- Please note: All schools in the IU13 area should register through IU13, not the state competition website.
- Identify & Solve a Problem
- Brainstorm real-world problems and invent creative solutions.
- Keep an Invention Log (a journal of your process).
- Document your journey in an Invention Log. You can access free curriculum materials and log templates through inHub’s Invention Curriculum.
- Test & Refine
- Build, test, and improve your prototype.
- Share your invention
- Participate in the IU13 Regional Invention Convention event to share your invention!
Additional Resources
- A full curriculum, including lessons and materials to guide the invention process can be found at The Henry Ford’s site, K-12 Stem Education Curriculum | Free Invention Lesson Plans.
- For more information about the Pennsylvania Invention Convention competition, visit the Pennsylvania Invention Convention website.
- Pennsylvania Invention Convention Scoring
- Categories include: Invention Process, Invention Impact, Invention Communications
For more information about this academic competition, please email Megan Smith at megan_smith@iu13.org.
Thank you.