The Patents Office today launched the Junior Inventor Awards 2011. The competition aims to encourage primary school children to demonstrate their creativity and inventiveness within the areas of science and engineering.
The competition, which is now in its fourth year, is seeking entries that can include any idea for an invention that solves an everyday problem, for example the GPS system in cars or the dishwasher.
It was originally launched by the Patents Office to mark its contribution to World Intellectual Property Day, which falls on 26 April every year.
This year’s competition is divided into two class categories with one overall winner who will be presented with the Junior Inventor Award 2011. The categories are First Class to Third Class and Fourth Class to Sixth Class.
Prizes will be awarded in each category and the first-placed winners in each category will also receive a prize for their schools.
Launching the competition, Eamonn Laird, controller of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, said, “The Junior Inventor Awards has proved very popular with primary school teachers and pupils and has gone from strength to strength since its inception. The level of creativity and inventiveness of the children never ceases to amaze me and that is certainly encouraging for the future of innovation in Ireland. I would urge all primary school teachers to enter their pupils in this exciting and challenging competition.”
The closing date for entries is Friday, 15 April 2011 at 5pm. Entries must be posted to: Junior Inventor 2011, Patents Office, Government Buildings, Hebron Road, Kilkenny.
The winners will be announced at a presentation ceremony in Kilkenny on Monday, 16 May 2011.
