Submissions open: 01 October 2025

Submission deadline: 08 January 2025

Winners announced: 20 January 2025

Winners event: TBD (Mar 2 or 9)

Any Central Oregon student (Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties) in grades K-12 may enter. Students may enter as individuals or in groups, but each student can only submit one entry:

• Elementary students (K-5) may enter as individuals or as a team of up to 3. Students submitting a group project must be in the same grade, as each grade level will be judged separately.

• Middle school (grades 6-8) students may enter as individuals or as a team of up to 3. Students submitting a team project can be in different grades, as middle school is judged as a single category.

• High school (grades 9-12) students may enter as individuals or as a team of 2. Students submitting a team project can be in different grades, as high school is judged as a single category.
  

Entries must be submitted through our online portal.

• Participant names and schools must be provided with the submission, however, this information is not used in any other way or made publicly available unless it is a winning entry.

• You can still win should you not wish to be publicly named. Just be sure to notify us at inventerprise@lonza.com when you submit your project.
  

Entries must be received by 11:59pm on the contest deadline.

Entries must be submitted in English.

Entries should be original and should not defy the laws of nature. No AI generated content is allowed.

Just because entries are digital, doesn’t mean you have to use a digital format. Get your hands dirty: make and create! Use whatever format(s) works best to convey your ideas

• Video entries should be no more than 3 minutes in length

• A maximum of 6 files may be uploaded. Accepted file types are pdf, image, and video files
  

Parents and teachers may be consulted, but don’t let grown-ups do your work or talk you out of your great ideas!

A panel of scientists, engineers, and educators will judge entries based on

• Feasibility: Is the idea realistic

• Thoroughness: How well the idea is developed, explained, and presented. Along with the main concept, this also includes things such as why you chose this topic, how the idea came to you, how you developed it, why your invention is important, research you did, and potential challenges.

• Creativity and Presentation: How innovative is the solution. Do the project components demonstrate the idea well.

• Originality: Is the idea unique. Are all components of the submission of the participant’s own work (i.e. not plagiarized, not AI generated, and properly cited as appropriate)

All entrants will receive recognition of their efforts

T-shirts will be awarded to all winners from each category along with an invitation to attend the winners’ celebration. Additional prizes include

• Middle School

  • Honorable mentions will receive a$25 Barnes & Noble gift card

  • Runner-up winner(s) will get their choice between a $250 Barnes & Noble gift card, Apple AirPods, or Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth speaker

  • Grand prize winner(s) will get their choice between the above or a GoPro® camera, Apple or Fitbit watch, 3D printer, inflatable paddle board, or Bose headphones

• High School

  • Up to $2,000 will be split among students submitting the best high-school entry(ies), supplied as a Visa gift card
    

Teachers of grades K-8 with high classroom participation will receive $100 Amazon gift certificates for classroom supplies or books, as part of the Tina McGeary incentive program