X
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use this website, you consent to our use of these cookies.
Program
Gates Invention & Innovation Program

Competition Day

2019 Dates

List of 3 items.

  • Invention Expo

    March 7, 2019, 1-3:30 p.m.
    Graland Fieldhouse

  • Finalist Presentations

    March 8, 2019, 9-11:30 a.m.
    Fries Family Theater
    Click here to see 2019 finalists

  • Awards

    March 8, 2019, 2:20 p.m.
    Graland Fieldhouse

Competition Day

Students use Inventors' Logs to journal, photograph and video record the invention lifecycle. At the expo, they are prepared to display and discuss their hard work from start to finish.

List of 3 items.

  • Judging Process

    1. Before the expo, judges review each Inventor’s Log to become familiar with the inventions and the steps taken to develop the ideas.
    2. At the expo, judges speak with each inventor to evaluate the entries before selecting 10-15 finalists.
    3. The following day, finalists make individual presentations to the judges’ panel, using additional support material such as slide presentations to describe their invention and process in more detail.
    4. Judges convene to determine the contest winners.

    Cash awards up to $500 are given in both the Grades 5/6 and Grades 7/8 categories.

  • Criteria

    All entries are judged on four criteria:
    • Functionality
    • Creativity
    • Marketability
    • Clarity of Communication

  • Patent Support

    In exceptional cases, judges may award a "patent nod" to a particular invention. Those projects receive additional funding for more in-depth research, design and guidance through the patent process.

2019 Competition Finalist & Winners

Grades 5/6
 
First Place: Julie Ryan (5), The TV Remote Sleeve
Second Place: Helen Grace Austin (6), Doggie Wings 2.0

Finalist:
Griffin Adams, Easy Buckle
Avery Anderson, The Tailgator
Addison Chandler, IC Stretch 2.0
 
Grades 7/8

First Place: Camille Cummings (7) and Madison Dennig (7), Ski 2 Boot
Second Place: Cayla Wolf (7) and Remy Wolkov (7), Pole Buddy

Finalist:
Caroline Hughes and Jane Johnson, The Rubber Band Mouth Guard
Andrew Morgan and Luca Siringo, The SOS House Finder
Gus Albright and Owen Robert, No Foggles 2.0

Competition Day Judges

  • Ken Parks

    Ken Parks is an engineering and technical consultant for Arcadia Group International. He previously served as senior vice president of engineering/ research and development for the Gates Corporation.
    Read More

  • Steven Chalmers

    Steven Chalmers is a dedicated and prolific tinkerer, and the inventor of a unique cat drinking fountain called the AquaPurr.
    Read More

  • Vanessa Dunn

    Vanessa Dunn is the director of student engagement and community development in the BOLD Center at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
    Read More
1/3

  • Bill Waelke

    Bill Waelke is vice president of investor relations at the Gates Corporation, where he develops investor communications and maintains relationships with the investment community. 
    Read More

  • Xiao-Jing Wang

    Xiao-Jing Wang MD, PhD, is a professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and an internationally renowned expert on skin biology and oral cancer. 
    Read More

  • Adam Wilson

    Adam Wilson is a Colorado native who grew up obsessed with all things robot. He's the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Sphero, headquartered in Boulder. 
    Read More
1/3

Graland Country Day School

55 Clermont Street    |    Denver, CO 80220    |    303-399-0390
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1924, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.