Contest Rules

• Any Central Oregon student (Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties) in grades K-12 may enter. Students may enter as individuals or in groups, but each student can only submit one entry:
  • Elementary students (K-5) may enter in groups of up to 3 students. Students submitting a group project must be in the same grade, as each grade level will be judged separately.
  • Middle school (grades 6-8) students may enter as individuals or as a team of up to 3. Students submitting a team project can be in different grades, as middle school is judged as a single category.
  • High school (grades 9-12) students may enter as individuals or as a team of 2. Students submitting a team project can be in different grades, as high school is judged as a single category.
• Entries must be submitted through the contest website. Submissions are accepted from Oct. 1, 2026 through Jan. 6, 2023
• Just because entries are submitted online, doesn’t mean you can’t still get your hands dirty! Use whatever medium best conveys your ideas. Examples are drawings, dioramas, models, movies, posters and reports. Video entries should be no more than 3 minutes in length.
• Parents and teachers may be consulted, but don’t let grown-ups do your work or talk you out of your great ideas!
• Entries must be submitted in English.
• Entries must not defy the laws of nature.
• Entries should be original.

Prizes and Incentives

• A panel of scientists, engineers, and educators will judge entries based on
  • Feasibility
  • How well the idea is developed
  • Presentation
  • Creativity and Originality
• Winners will be announced no later than January 31, 2022.  Winners’ names and schools will be published publicly unless we are given notice via email to amanda.pluntze@lonza.com to keep this information private.
• All entrants will receive recognition of their efforts. 
• T-shirts will be awarded to all of the winners from each category. Additional prizes include
  • Elementary Winners: Invitation to participate in a Science Night event hosted at the Lonza laboratories in Bend, OR (Pending pandemic situation, local and corporate mandates)
  • Middle School:
    • Runner-up winner(s) will get their choice between registration for a Bend Science Station school-year program or a Barnes & Nobel Gift Card
    • Grand Prize winner(s) will get their choice between the above, or, Apple AirPods Pro, a GoPro^® camera, Apple or Fitbit watch, 3D printer, inflatable paddle board, or registration for a Bend Science Station summer camp.
  • High School: Up to $2,000 will be split among students submitting the best high-school entry(ies)
• Teachers in Grades K-5 will receive $50 gift certificates for classroom supplies or books if more than half the students in their class participate in the contest as part of the Tine McGeary incentive program.

About Inventerprise

The Inventerprise Contest began in 1992 as an outgrowth of a business-education partnership between Bend Research Inc. and the Bend-La Pine School District to promote science education and enrich students' educational experience. In 2003, Central Oregon Community College joined the effort of preparing this contest.

Each year, the contest poses a question to spark the imaginations of would-be scientists, challenging them to pursue inventive solutions to pressing problems. The contest is sponsored by Bend Research Inc., as part of Lonza Pharma Biotech, with assistance from the Bend-La Pine School District and Central Oregon Community College.

Prizes will be awarded at all grade levels. The students submitting the top high-school entries will receive a portion of the $2,000 cash prize. The student submitting the top middle-school entry will choose from among a GoPro® camera, Apple watch, mountain bike, 3D printer, or standup paddleboard. Student winners in grades K-8 will receive specially designed T-shirts.

Teachers in grades K-5 whose classes have greater than 50% participation are eligible for the Tina McGeary Teacher Incentive. This program distributes gift certificates among area teachers for classroom supplies or books. The program is named in memory of Tina McGeary, an Inventerprise contest founder and an unflagging advocate for teachers and the work they do for the community. Details can be found on the Teacher Incentives Program page.

What to Expect During the Fair

The Inventerprise contest is judged by a team of scientists and eduators.  Students are not present for judging. 

​​​​​A panel of scientists, engineers, and educators will judge entries based on

• Feasibility
• How well the idea is developed
• Presentation
• Creativity and Originality

The best entries are ones that are not only inventive and feasible, but is an idea that is well developed with information such as why you chose this topic, how the idea came to you, how you developed it, how your invention works, what problem it solves, and why it is unique. We also take into consideration the overall presentation and effort.