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CONTEST OVERVIEW
Thomas Edison Pitch
Contest Overview
The Thomas Edison Pitch Contest was created in 2010 as a competition to showcase and encourage invention, innovation and entrepreneurship among students before they get to college. Every year, students submit their great ideas to win prizes and gain the hands-on experience exclusive to our contest!
Students in grades 4-12 are invited to compete in this contest honoring innovation & Thomas Edison. We will have an elementary school category, middle school category, and high school category to compete in. Our fun STEM contest will allow students to create their own inventions to solve problems that they see in the world today. You'll have the chance to:
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Learn about STEM, history, & entrepreneurship all in one contest
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Receive a FREE Maker-Kit full of inventing supplies from Picoturbine ($200 value) & a $200 Stipend for your teacher/mentor (Limit of 3 per school)
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Pitch your invention to a panel of judges who are real-life scientists & entrepreneurs
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Work on a team with friends to win the Grand Prize - A 3D PRINTER FOR YOUR SCHOOL
Why Choose Our Competition?
With so much going on during the school year, it is hard to choose exactly what you want to squeeze into your 180 days. Let us help you choose our contest...
COMPLETELY DIGITAL SUBMISSIONS SAVE TIME
By making submissions easier (through our NEW digital programs & materials), we'll save you time doing administrational work, leaving you more time to do the most valuable part of this competition - Work on your inventions!
EVERYONE CAN PARTICIPATE, NO MATTER HOW BIG OR SMALL
From homeschoolers to private schools to under-funded public schools, we have always welcomed teams from all different backgrounds to compete in our contest. We provide all of the supplies that you need to compete with no hidden fees, minimum requirements, or prior experience required.
HANDS-ON LEARNING THAT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR THE REAL WORLD
Hands-on is by no means a “new” movement, in fact Thomas Edison often used this methods in his R&D labs. That being said, even today, many schools find it difficult to incorporate hands-on projects and principles into student work. This contest gives your students the opportunity to engage more, put skills they've already learned into practice, use critical thinking to understand how what they are learning can be used in the real world.
INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING KEEPS THINGS INTERESTING
From history to STEAM to entrepreneurship, this contest is a lot more diverse than your average science competition. Learning about all of this in one project is all about creating something new by crossing boundaries, and thinking across them. Seeing problems in 3D will help students be successful in all walks of learning and life.
HELPFUL & ATTENTIVE STAFF
Although our digital programs have become more advanced and automated over the years, our contest support is more alive than ever! At the other end of the email, question box, and phone line are the staff at the Edison Innovation Foundation who are working hard to keep this competition alive for students and teachers alike. There is no such thing as a stupid question or too many questions for this staff.
STUDENT TESTED, TEACHER APPROVED
We have continuously improved our contest over the years to fit the needs of students, teachers, school, parents, and more with expert help and 10 years of experience. The contest is not only a hit among students, but loved by teachers and parents as well! Don't take our word for it though, see reviews from past competitors below:
Contest Testimonials
The Thomas Edison Pitch Contest has been our silver lining in our distance learning. The students have been able to stay engaged in this long term project. They have stated that it provides a sense of "normalcy" in their day. This has given us an excuse to check in with each other, face to face, almost every day. The students even asked to meet on Saturdays!
2020 TEACHER MENTOR
Thank you for the opportunity that led to this team growing as collaborators, leaders, deep-thinkers, creators, composers and evaluators! The harshness of the distance learning has been softened by having this project available to them. They have led the way in setting up meetings, brainstorming, assigning research, writing, and editing.
2020 TEACHER MENTOR
Our students are so excited and encouraged beyond words. The experience throughout the Pitch Contest will impact their lives for years to come.
2020 TEACHER MENTOR