Invention Convention
Regional hub competition | Wayne County
Hosted by the STEM Innovation Learning Center at Wayne State University
Invention Convention provides students in grades 3-12 an interactive and interdisciplinary opportunity to use the invention process to create and pitch an original invention project, such as an improvement or a product.
Through Invention Convention, students are introduced to a world in which they will solve their own problems and gain the confidence and 21st-century skills to invent their own future. The STEM + Invention + Entrepreneurship (STEMIE) experiential learning program offers hands-on, real-world, project-based learning activities.
The Regional hub competition for Wayne County is hosted by WSU's STEM Innovation Learning Center who provides ongoing support to educators throughout the journey guiding their students through the invention process in the weeks and months leading up to the competition series every spring.
Starting every fall, educators work with their students through the invention process and prepare them to compete at the regional hub competition in February. Educators continue to support their students should they advance from the regional level (April), to the state level (May), and the national level (June). Resources and support for educators include optional curriculum that is grade-range specific and print-ready, guidance on delivering STEM activities, materials needed to help students develop their inventions, and or technical support with students' pitch videos.
Registration for educators:
Educator registration for 2023-24
Educator registration for the 2023-2024 competition season can be completed at the link above. We will host Educator trainings and monthly Educator check-in meetings through the fall.
Curriculum for educators:
Access the Invention Convention Curriculum at the link below and get excited to begin teaching the Invention Process in your classroom!
Invention Convention Curriculum (on Google Drive)
Competition series timeline:
- Educators register to reserve space for students in the regional hub competition (September - January): Educators complete the registration form to announce their participation and list their rough estimate number of students who will compete
- Educators guide their students through learning the invention process (October - March): To request free logbooks for your students, please complete the educator registration form above
- Regional hub student registration period (April 2024): Educators help their students register and upload recorded pitch videos to be scored by judges prior to the in-person competition
- Regional hub pitch videos judging period (April 2024): Judges review and score the student pitch videos prior to the in-person competition
- Regional hub competition & awards ceremony (April 13, 2024): Students bring their invention project requirements in-person to compete at Wayne State University*; the top scoring projects qualifying to compete at the state level are announced and awarded
- State competition (May 4, 2024): held in person at The Henry Ford*
- National competition (June 2024): held in person at The Henry Ford*
*Details are subject to change as per the condition of public and community health.
Student eligibility:
Under the guidance of an educator, students may work independently on an individual project, or they may work in groups of up to 4 students on a team project. All students on a team project must be in the same grade range.
Qualifying inventions awarded as the top projects at our regional hub competition will advance to compete at the state competition in. The top projects from the state competition will advance to compete at U.S. Nationals.
Download our one-pager PDF to learn more and share this at-a-glance overview!
Click here to learn how students compete!
For more information about our Wayne County regional hub competition at the STEM Innovation Learning Center, please contact us at thezip@wayne.edu.
If your school district is not within Wayne County, and you would like more information about Invention Convention Michigan, please contact inventionconvention@thehenryford.org.