On April 13, the Kansas City Invention Convention (KCIC) welcomed over 220 student inventors to its third annual invention competition.

KCIC is a STEMIE (STEM + Invention + Entrepreneurship) outreach program of the Linda Hall Library that aims to inspire the innovators of tomorrow by teaching problem-solving and creativity skills to Kansas City metro students in grades 5-12 through a project-based curriculum.

On competition day, students from across the metro presented their inventions, showcasing their ideas from concept to prototype, to a panel of professional judges. Judges were tapped from STEM focused Kansas City organizations including title sponsor, Kansas City National Security Campus managed by Honeywell FM&T (KCNSC).

"As a library, we can connect different parts of our community for the common good. It's been exciting to see students work on projects and share them with judges during the competition,” said Matt Reeves, Manager of Public Programs and Linda Hall Library.  “Our judges are STEM professionals and can offer valuable insights. We heard some feedback from inventors who were excited because when they were pitching their inventions, 'the judges listened to everything I had to say.' We know that not every invention will be a runaway success, but we hope that every young inventor participating in KCIC learns that their voice matters and that they are capable of changing our world."  

Following the competition, students, their families, and educators were invited to the Library on April 17 for an award ceremony to recognize the outstanding inventions. Among the awards presented at the ceremony were 3 unique honors presented by KCNSC including the Future Shaper Award, Most Patentable Award, and the Early Innovator Award, awarded to students in grades 5-8 that demonstrated great potential with their invention and passion. The standout of the competition was Best in Show winner, Grayson Moyer with his invention, Aspen Coolers.

Best in Show winner Grayson Moyer with his invention, Aspen Coolers

Grayson along with the 6 other student inventors who placed top of their grade category, are set to represent Kansas City at Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, which will be held in early June at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

To see the full list of winners and photos from competition day click HERE.