Wondering how to get started?
The Junior and Senior Boards of Engineers explain everything in the video below!
Weekly Process
Once the summer kicks off, each week will follow the same structure. Watch the video for more information.
Complete the Challenge
Every Wednesday, starting June 25, we will release a new engineering challenge for kids ages 12 and under.
You have until Sunday to complete the challenge. Start by brainstorming a few solutions. Now design, experiment, and build. Don’t get frustrated if your solution doesn’t work the first time. Failure is is the best way to learn! Just keep trying and redesigning. That’s what engineers do!
You may work on your own, or in teams of 2-3 people. Larger teams may compete in the challenges, but prizes may be limited in number or choice.
***Remember: there’s more than one way to solve every problem!***
Enter the contest
Create a short video of your solution and enter it into our contest by Sunday night at 9:00pm (eastern standard time). You can find video tips here. Did you have an epic fail? We want to see it! Be sure to enter our epic fail contest too!
You will earn one point for our big end-of-summer prize drawing for every challenge and epic fail contest you enter. You’ll also have opportunities to earn bonus points throughout the summer.
Remember, your video will be visible to anyone with an internet connection, so it’s important to protect your privacy and stay safe. Click here to see our safety tips.
Watch, learn, and VOTE!
You’ll be able see everyone’s solutions and vote for your favorites on Mondays and Tuesdays. Don’t ignore this part! You can learn a lot from other kids, and it’s really fun to see how different people approached the same problem.
- When voting opens you will be able to see the gallery of solution videos submitted by all of our engineers and inventors.
- If you see a video you like, give it a “thumbs up”. That equals one vote.
- You may vote for as many videos as you wish, but you can only cast one vote per video per day.
- If there is a video that you think is truly amazing, share it with your friends and ask them to vote for it too. And be sure to come back the next day and vote for it again!
Several winners are announced every week!
- Audience Choice Award – Selected by YOU! The solution with the most online votes wins!
- Board Choice Awards – Selected by US! The Junior Board will pick solutions in several categories that demonstrate creativity, problem-solving, perseverance, and a growth mindset.
- Wildcard Winner of the Week. Goes to an individual or team that we think stood out for something completely different!
- EPIC FAIL Award. Failure is an important part of the engineering and invention process. It’s how we learn and move forward. Be proud of your failures and show them off. The most impressive failure of the week will also win a prize!
Weekly winners will receive their choice of an Invent the Summer t-shirt, notebook, or drawstring bag.
Note: preference may be given to engineers and inventors who have not yet won a challenge this summer.
Complete the next challenge
We’ll continue releasing challenges every Wednesday until August 13, 2025. Anyone who completes all 8 of our challenges this summer will receive bonus points and be inducted into the Invent the Summer Hall of Fame!
Prizes!
We will award several large prizes at the end of the summer and you have lots of ways to win!
Senior Inventor of the Summer
This prize is awarded to a 10-12 year old who we believe best exemplifies the qualities of an inventor or engineer throughout the summer. These qualities include: creativity, problem-solving, perseverance, and a growth mindset. You don’t need to win a single challenge to win this award, but you must enter at least 5 challenges to be eligible.
Win your choice of a 3D Printer, 3D Pen, or a 1-year subscription to Tinker Crate!
Junior Inventor of the Summer
This prize is awarded to a 9-and-younger participant who we believe best exemplifies the qualities of an inventor or engineer throughout the summer. These qualities include: creativity, problem-solving, perseverance, and a growth mindset. You don’t need to win a single challenge to win this award, but you must enter at least 5 challenges to be eligible.
Win your choice of a 3D Pen, MakeDo Kit, or a 1-year subscription to Tinker Crate!
Sweepstakes Prizes
Every challenge or epic fail contest you enter will earn you 1 point for our End-of-Summer Sweepstakes. You can earn bonus points for things like: completing 3 challenges in a row, completing 5 challenges, completing all 8 challenges, and referring a friend. Note: You must enter at least one challenge in 2025 to be eligible to receive a bonus point.
Grand Prize
Your choice of a 3D Printer, Cricut Maker, MakeDo Kit, 3D Pen, or a 1-year subscription to Tinker Crate.
Other Prizes
We will have several other prizes to be determined throughout the summer.
These could include: robotics kits, circuit sets, and building sets!
A Note About Retired Prizes
For the past six years, we’ve proudly recognized schools and organizations through our School of the Summer and Group of the Summer awards. Beginning in 2025, we’re retiring these two prize categories — but we’re not stepping back from working with schools, camps, libraries, or youth organizations.
This change allows us to expand our reach and direct more attention and resources to the children participating through these programs. We’re excited about the opportunity to welcome more schools, more groups, and more young inventors than ever before.
Our partnerships with educators and community leaders remain at the heart of Invent the Summer’s mission — and we’re excited to support your efforts in even more meaningful ways this year and beyond!