The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation (NIHFF) have teamed with the Ad Council to announce the "Inspiring Invention" public service advertising (PSA) development contest to engage a new generation of children in innovation. This contest is part of the Ad Council’s "Inspiring Invention" campaign, sponsored by the USPTO and NIHFF. The contest is open to school groups at the elementary, middle and high school levels nationwide. In addition to prizes including Sony video and audio production software and hardware, the winning entries will be distributed to media outlets throughout the country in spring of 2009. Entrants to the "Inspiring Invention" PSA contest will submit their video in either the elementary and middle school or high school categories by March 15, 2009.
Initial entries will be submitted to Sony Creative Software on a DVD accompanied by a backgrounder on the production and the theme. If selected as a semi-finalist, contestants will then furnish broadcast-ready components for final judging. One grand prize winner will be chosen from each of the two categories and awarded a prize package featuring Sony Creative Software professional video and audio applications and software, in addition to having the PSA aired on national television.
The contest Web site, hosted by Discovery Education, will link to resources—including downloadable teacher tools, lesson plans, project ideas, inventor biographies and more—that educators can use to teach their students about the history of invention, provide an introduction to intellectual property protection and inspire creative thinking. The Web site will also include full contest rules, regulations and entry forms.