The Chicago Toy & Game Group, along with sponsors Mattel, Magformers, Scholastic and the American Specialty Retailer Association (ASTRA) are proud to announce 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 fall 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 with the possibility of their concept being manufactured and sold on store shelves.
Inventor relations executives from Mattel and Magformers chose both a senior and junior winner.
Mattel’s Picks:
Senior Winner:
Color Code by Andrew Hebdon
5th Grader from Forest, VA
Junior Winner:
Cooking Collision by Analise Potsander
3rd Grader from Goshen, IN
Magformers’ Picks:
Senior Winner:
PuzzleBots by Weston Aram
7th Grader from LaGrange, IL
Junior Winner:
Slap Happy by Emery Alderson
3rd grader from Horsham, PA
Each winner will receive a $250 prize package of the latest toys and games. Entrants were given access to CHITAG’s Young Inventor Design Guide which gives step-by-step instructions on how to develop an idea into a marketable concept. Kids 6-18 then submitted videos pitching their original toys and games. Professional inventors gave constructive feedback and chose the winners.
“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 to see their inventions licensed, manufactured and sold in stores across the country, including Target.
The Young Inventor Challenge is currently accepting entries for the fall competition. The deadline is October 31st. For more information go to https://link.edgepilot.com/s/f90a28d3/d1vX6Yuto0GIfBqSvAqYfg?u=https://www.chitag.com/yic
The Chicago Toy and Game Group is also looking for sponsors for the upcoming Young Inventor Challenge. For more information, contact mcouzin@chitag.com.