Purpose: The Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program challenges students to use creativity and imagination along with science, technology, and mechanical ability to invent or modify a tool.

The Young Inventors Awards Program is open to all students in grades 2 5 and 6 8 in the United States and the U.S. Territories. Students must work independently to conceive and design their tool inventions. The student, with guidance from a teacher-advisor, parent, or significant adult, will design and build a tool. The tool must perform a practical function, including (but not limited to) tools that mend, make life easier or safer in some way, entertain, or solve an everyday problem.

The two national winners (one from each grade level) will each receive a $10,000 United States Series EE Savings Bond. The 10 national finalists (five from each grade level) will each receive a $5,000 United States Series EE Savings Bond. The winning teachers and schools will receive prizes from Sears, Roebuck and Co. retail stores.

The 12 second-place regional winners (six from each grade level) will each receive a $500 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond. The 12 third-place regional winners (six from each grade level) will each receive a $250 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond.

More information can be found at this site.

To receive entry materials, write:
Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program
National Science Teachers Association
1840 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington VA 22201-3000
Call:1.888.494.4994 (toll-free)
E-mail:younginventors@nsta.org

ExploraVision is a competition for students of all interest, skill, and ability levels in grades K-12. Entrants must be United States or Canadian citizens or legal residents, living within the United States, U.S. Territories, or Canada. The purpose of the competition is to encourage students to combine their imaginations with the tools of science to create and explore a vision of a future technology.

To prepare an entry, students work in groups of two, three or four, simulating Research and Development (R&D) teams, along with a team coach and an optional mentor. Each team selects a technology, or an aspect of a technology, that is present in the home, school, and/or community or any other technology relevant to their lives. For example, they may choose something as simple as a pencil or as complex as a quantum computer. They will explore what the technology does, how it works, and how, when, and why it was invented. The students must then project into the future what that technology could be like 20 years from now. Finally, they must convey their vision to others through both a written description and five graphics simulating web pages.

All inventions and innovations result from creative thinking and problem solving. When looking for ideas, have students look at the tools and technologies they use every day. Identify a problem that a current technology does not solve, then imagine possible solutions. Encourage original ideas and creative approaches.

There are four entry categories. Each entry category will be judged separately, based on the abilities of students in those grades. Students in a lower grade may be part of a team competing in the next higher entry category. However, students may not move down to a lower grade-level entry category.

Primary Level (Grades K-3) Upper Elementary Level (Grades 4-6) Middle Level (Grades 7-9) High School Level (Grades 10-12)

More Information can be found at this site.

The contest is open to any high school student. Photos must be unmounted, 8"x10" black & white or color and taken by the student. There must be an accompanying paragraph (less than 250 words) describing the physics present in the photo. The paragraph may be on disk in Word, WordPerfect, or ASCII format (PC compatible). Photos must be accompanied by a card with the student's name, home address, high school address, school phone number, and teacher's name printed on the card. There are two categories: Natural and Contrived. The category for each photo will be determined by the committee. Vernier Software has contributed prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention for each category.

Pictures should be sent to Mary Winn, 2623 Watrous Avenue, Tampla FL 33629, to be received no later than June 25 of the appropriate Summer Meeting year. Photography will be displayed and judged at that year's AAPT Summer Meeting. Winning pictures will be added to the AAPT web site, www.aapt.org.

 The contest is open to any student or faculty member. Submitted videos should demonstrate physics in action. The video must have been taken by the submitting student or faculty member. Entries will be judged on suitability for instructional use. Professional editing is not required. Videos must be VHS format. The video may not be longer than five minutes in length. There are two categories: Faculty and Student. Videos must be accompanied by a card with the author's name, home address, school, school address, school phone number, category (and instructor's name if applicable) printed on the card.

Videos should be sent to Beverly Trina Cannon, Laurel School, One Lyman Circle, Shaker Heights, OH 44122, to be received no later than June 25 of the appropriate Summer Meeting year. Photography will be displayed and judged at that year's AAPT Summer Meeting.

  More information can be found at this site.