This year, 77 teams participated in the competition from all across Georgia and 70 judges participated with live video pitches and a Q&A. On Thursday, Students presented their projects to the judges and the projects were then evaluated based on criteria such as practicality, creativity, marketability and design-based thinking. Each team had their own judging rooms where judges could join in and out of to review all the teams. The synchronous virtual setting allowed for students to receive feedback in real time.

“The students and teachers were absolutely thrilled,” said Jasmine Patel, CEISMC Research Associate, “They loved that they were able to keep the interaction with the judges and to pitch them 'Shark Tank' style.”

On Wednesday, March 17th, the award ceremony followed the event and included keynote speaker, Marques Colston. Colston is a former NFL Super Bowl Champion, and he is now an Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist. The keynote incorporated a pre-recorded inspirational message about Colston’s career experience and the hardships he had to overcome. Colton then followed up with a 20-minute live Q&A.

“[Students] asked amazing questions like: What made you want to become an entrepreneur? What other hardships did you face? Did you encounter racism throughout your career, and how did you overcome that?” said Patel.

Following the keynote, the award ceremony announced the advancement of 38 students to the National Invention Convention & Entrepreneurship Expo (NICEE) Competition that will be held virtually this summer.

First-place winners from this year's K-12 InVenture Prize competition included team "Yumshies" from East Side Elementary School, team "R.E.C.Y.C.L.E." from Mount Bethel Elementary School, team "Tech Blizzard" from Malcolm Bridge Middle School, and team “Organization of Students for Innovation” from Alan C. Pope High School.

“The students this year had outstanding inventions!” said Patel. “The qualifying students have been notified that they are eligible to participate and will be working on perfecting their video, invention, and poster board.”

Congratulations to the K-12 InVenture Prize winners who will be moving on to the National Competition:

FIRST PLACE K-2 DIVISION

Team: Yumshies

School: East Side Elementary School

Students: Arya Menon

Teacher: Patricia Morrison

SECOND PLACE K-2 DIVISION

Team: Write On

School: Kennesaw Elementary School

Students: Aahana Butani, Penny McDonald, and Helen Morgan

Teacher: Dr. Valerie King

THIRD PLACE K-2 DIVISION

Team: Candy Dispenser Timer

School: Dunwoody Elementary school

Students: Atharva Jethlia

Teacher: Stacy Mandel

FIRST PLACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: R.E.C.Y.C.L.E.

School: Mount Bethel Elementary School

Students: Zoe Diaz, Dylan Merrill, and Mia Rhea

Teacher: Melissa Danner

SECOND PLACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: Turtle-pellant

School: East Side Elementary School

Students: Harper McGinnis

Teacher: Amy Murray

THIRD PLACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: Handicap Heroes

School: Sharp Creek Elementary School

Students: Corey Dollar, AhKil Williams, and Kennedy Cross

Teacher: Anna Ellis

FIRST PLACE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: Tech Blizzard

School: Malcolm Bridge Middle School

Students: Sam Seward and Luke Eley

Teacher: Carolyn Freeman

SECOND PLACE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: KeyWise

School: Malcolm Bridge Middle School

Students: Jack Horn and Ethan Poole

Teacher: Carolyn Freeman

THIRD PLACE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: The Novid

School: Temple Middle School

Students: Mac Pannell, Austin Speer, and Mason Shepherd

Teacher: Adam Scurr

FIRST PLACE HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: Organization of Students for Innovation

School: Alan C. Pope High School

Students: Armon Mighani, Patrick Astorga, and Tate Smith

Teacher: Col Stephen Williams

SECOND PLACE HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: My Skin App

School: Denmark High School

Students: Ameya Jadhav and Sameer Balhara

Teacher: Phil Kinneer

THIRD PLACE TIE HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: LitPad

School: North Oconee High School

Students: Michelle Li, Barnabas Li, and Tianjie Lu

Teacher: Jackson Huckaby

THIRD PLACE TIE HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Team: A Mechanism to Decrease Rotational Falls in Equestrian Eventing

School: Harrison High School

Students: Liesel Fazekas

Teacher: Paulette Allard

IronCAD AWARD

Team: The Toilet Paper Grab Bar

School: Atlanta International School

Students: Nicky Rea, Jordon Rolley, and AJ Bohanon

Teacher: Neill Ford

MANUFACTURING AWARD

Team: LitPad

School: North Oconee High School

Students: Michelle Li, Barnabas Li, and Tianjie Lu

Teacher: Jackson Huckaby

HEALTH AND MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY AWARD

Team: Organization of Students for Innovation

School: Alan C. Pope High School

Students: Armon Mighani, Patrick Astorga, and Tate Smith

Teacher: Col Stephen Williams

SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY AWARD

Team: Eco-Orbs

School: Walton High School

Students: Cindy Chen and Piper Pearson

Teacher: Amanda Edwards

CONSUMER GOODS AWARD

Team: Whole Otter Love

School: Kennesaw Elementary School

Students: Sami Nichols, Aryan Pour, and Harper Dunkerly

Teacher: Dr. Valerie King

THIRD GRADE HONORABLE MENTION

Team: Kids Face Mask Vending Machine

School: Dunwoody Elementary School

Students: Vikrant Ravi and Dhwanil Dalal

Teacher: Stacy Mendel

By: Shannon Malone – CEISMC Communications