TORRANCE, Calif.—A third-grade student from Torrance won second place at an international invention competition for dreaming up a different kind of crayon holder, officials announced Aug. 27.
Violet Cummings of Victor Elementary School was honored at the second annual Invention Convention Globals in Dearborn, Michigan. The event was presented by Pratt & Whitney.
“The invention prevents crayons from breaking. It also lets you draw with crayons that are already broken,” Violet said. “My invention is different than existing crayon holders because mine is made out of wood instead of plastic, and mine uses a lever instead of a twist top to pinch the crayon. My invention is better because it is easier for little kids to pinch the lever up and down, which lets more people use it.”
More than 170 students from affiliated Invention Convention Nationals programs in the United States, Mexico, and China were among the participants in the global competition held Aug. 26.
Prior to advancing to the global event, students competed at local, regional, and national levels. Violet won the Education Industry Award at Invention Convention U.S. Nationals 2022.
To participate in Invention Convention programs, students had to submit a video presentation of their invention, a prototype, an inventor’s logbook showing the journey of their invention process, and a poster board highlighting key points of the invention process.
