In an effort to foster creativity during the COVID-19 era, the Chicago Toy & Game Group (ChiTAG) kicked off its 15th Annual Young Inventor Challenge (YIC) with its first-ever virtual spring event this year.
Now, ChiTAG, along with sponsors Mattel, Magformers, Scholastic, and the American Specialty Retailer Association (ASTRA), have dropped the curtain on the winners as chosen by inventor relations executives at Mattel and Magformers.
“We are always amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of the kids who enter the YIC,” says Leila Nosrati, 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.”
Mattel’s Picks:
- Senior Winner: Color Code by Andrew Hebdon, 5th grade, Forest, Virginia.
- Junior Winner: Cooking Collision by Analise Potsander, 3rd grade, Goshen, Indiana.
Magformers’ Picks:
- Senior Winner: PuzzleBots by Weston Aram, 7th grade, LaGrange, Illinois.
- Junior Winner: Slap Happy by Emery Alderson, 3rd grade, Horsham, Pennsylvania.
Each winner will receive a prize pack containing more than $250 in toys and games.
Kids are encouraged to participate in the fall competition, in which winners will receive $1,000 in toys and games in addition to the opportunity to have their idea developed and distributed in partnership with leading toy and game manufacturers.
Previous winners and finalists entered into deals with PlayMonster, Goliath/Pressman, and Target. The 2018 winner, Betcha Can’t, recently arrived at retail. Entries for the fall competition are being accepted through Oct. 31 at chitag.com/yic.
