Who can participate in KCIC?

• Inventors must be in grades 5-12 and live in the Kansas City metro.
• You can compete individually or as a team. You can’t do both. The requirements for teams are:
  • No more than three inventors.
  • All must belong to the same grade category – 5th/6th grade, 7th/8th grade, 9th/10th grade, or 11th/12th grade.
  • Every member of the team must complete registration and be in attendance on competition day. Teammates who do not register or come to the awards show will not be eligible for prizes to compete in the national and global competitions.
• You can participate through your school, club, after-school program, or from home.
• A parent/guardian must accompany inventors on competition day.
• There is no cost to participate!

What are the invention rules for KCIC?

• Each individual or team will be allowed to submit only one invention per KCIC season.
• Inventions must be an original idea or an improvement upon a product that already exists on the market.
• Invention submissions must include the following items: an invention logbook, a working or non-working prototype, a display board, and a pitch. Please see the Inventor Toolkit section for more details.
• Returning competitors may resubmit the same invention every season only if there is evidence that a significant amount of innovation has occurred since the previous season.
• Invention prototypes must not be flammable, combustible, or present a hazard in any way.
• The following items are not allowed on your person or in your project: Electric stun guns, martial arts weapons or devices, firearms, replica guns, ammunition, fireworks, mace, pepper spray, razors, box cutters, or knives of any size. Also, no balloons, glitter or confetti are allowed in any form.
• This is a large venue and proper expectations about behavior and projects should be considered.

To compete in KCIC, you will need to create the following items for your project: an invention logbook, a display board, a prototype, and a pitch. Use the following resources to assist you as you envision your project and move through the stages of the invention process.

Invention Checklist

Logbook Guide

• Grades 3-5
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

Pitch Guide

• Grades 3-5
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

Display Board Guide

• Grades 3-5
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

Prototype Guide

Do you need some help getting supplies to create your display board or prototype? We may be able to help! Email invent@lindahall.org to request the supplies you need.

Inventors have the chance to win cash prizes and the opportunity to represent their school and Kansas City at the national and global competitions! At KCIC 2023, students received over $33,000 in cash prizes and awards. Award opportunities include: 

Special Awards 

Most Patentable, $1,000, presented by KCNSC.  
Inventors in our 9th/10th and 11th/12th Grade Tiers are eligible for this award.  

Future Shaper, $1,000, presented by KCNSC.  
Inventors in our 7th/8th and 9th/10th grades are eligible for this award.  

Early Innovator, $1,000, presented by KCNSC.  
Inventors in the 5th/6th grade tier are eligible for this award.

T-Serve Award, $1,000, presented by T-Serve Foundation for Technology Innovation.  

Linda Hall Library Awards 

Best in Show, $2,500, presented by Linda Hall Library.  
Awarded to the highest-scoring invention across all the grade tiers. 

Convention’s Choice Award, $500  
Given by a paper ballot vote of convention participants, including inventors, family members, attendees, and guests.   

Educator Appreciation, $500  
Given by the programming staff of the Linda Hall Library to recognize exceptional support for invention education in the Kansas City metro. Educator appreciation awards are given to educators, not student inventors. 

Grade Tier Awards 

First place, $500 
Second place, $300   
Third place, $150   

First place winners in each grade tier also earn an expenses-paid trip to Dearborn, Michigan to compete at Invention Convention U. S. Nationals in June.  

All awards scale for the size of the invention teams. Every competing team member earns the amount listed, regardless of the size of your invention team. 

Students must be present and compete at KCIC to receive an award.  

We continue to be impressed by the creative and innovative invention submissions we receive every year.

Click here to view all of our past KCIC winners and their inventions!

Each year, Best in Show winners are granted the opportunity to represent Kansas City as they present their inventions at Invention Convention U.S. Nationals!