K-12 InVenture Prize At the Georgia Tech Patent Awards
The K-12 InVenture Prize program, launched in 2012, is modeled after the Georgia Tech InVenture Prize. The competition encourages elementary, middle school, and high school students to engage with invention and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts.
The mission is to develop the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs by making invention education accessible to all students and teachers across the state of Georgia. To prepare for the competition, students are encouraged to immerse themselves in the engineering design process by identifying real-world problems and designing solutions that consider essential aspects of invention and design – such as ethical issues, environmental sustainability, and marketability.
Students from across the state of Georgia take part in the program, competing in regional qualifiers to earn spots to the K-12 Inventure Prize State Finals hosted at Georgia Tech and televised live on Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB). Industry experts and Georgia Tech faculty judge the inventors and their inventions according to practicality, knowledge base, design-based thinking, creativity, marketability, social responsibility, enthusiasm and communication, and manufacturing. GIPA partners with the program by providing winners with a patent search and, where appropriate, assistance with filing a patent application through the generous pro bono support of local intellectual property attorneys and law firms.
The 2020 InVenture Prize High School Division winning team, Quic-Cric from Walton High School. From left to right, Stephen Justice, former Executive Director of Georgia Center for Innovation; Students Rishab Veldur, Eric Simon, and Katherine McNeice with teacher Ann Baxley; and Scott Frank, CEO of AT&T Intellectual Property and GIPA Chair.