The challenge offers the possibility of winning concepts being manufactured and sold on store shelves.
The Chicago Toy & Game Group, alongside sponsors Mattel, Magformers, Scholastic and the American Specialty Retailer Association (ASTRA), has announced the winners of the CHITAG Young Inventor Challenge: Spring Edition.
Launched in May in response to Covid-19, this special edition of CHITAG’s annual autumn Young Inventors Challenge gave kids the opportunity to develop their own original toy and game ideas, and pitch them to toy and game industry heavyweights. The challenge offers the possibility of their concept being manufactured and sold on store shelves. A highlight reel of entrants can be viewed at the end of this story.
Entrants were given access to CHITAG’s Young Inventor Design Guide, which provides step-by-step instructions on how to develop an idea into a marketable concept. Kids aged 6-18 then submitted videos pitching their original toys and games. Professional inventors gave constructive feedback and inventor relations executives from Mattel and Magformers chose both a senior and junior winner. Each winner will receive a $250 prize package of the latest toys and games.
Mattel’s Picks
- Senior Winner: Color Code by Andrew Hebdon, a 5th grader from Forest, VA
- Junior Winner: Cooking Collision by Analise Potsander, a 3rd grader from Goshen, IN
Magformers’ Picks
- Senior Winner: PuzzleBots by Weston Aram, a 7th grader from LaGrange, IL
- Junior Winner: Slap Happy by Emery Alderson, a 3rd grader from Horsham, PA
“We are always amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of the kids who enter the YIC,” said Leila Nosrati, the director of the Young Inventor Challenge. “This year’s spring challenge winners went all out creating detailed prototypes that rival some of the ones that I’ve seen in the professional toy and game industry.”
Past winners of the Young Inventor Challenge have gone on to strike deals with major toy and game companies including Goliath Games and PlayMonster, seeing their inventions licensed, manufactured and sold in stores across the country including Target.
The Young Inventor Challenge is currently accepting entries for the autumn competition, which has a deadline of October 31st. For more information click here. The Chicago Toy and Game Group is also looking for sponsors for the upcoming Young Inventor Challenge. For more information, contact mcouzin@chitag.com.
