ESTDEV awards four global education prizes at national student inventor competition

During the opening address, President Karis said that it is possible to find something that can be improved in every profession; you just have to be able to see the possibilities. “That is the main thing about inventing – first, you must notice the problem. Then, you can start thinking about what solution is the smartest and most useful. It doesn’t always have to be a machine; sometimes, you have to start doing things differently. If you know how to start thinking like that, inventing becomes a way of life. And it is a pleasant way of life. It is useful for everyone because our lives will also improve. But it is also pleasant for you because the joy of figuring out and discovering is a powerful drug,” said President Karis.

At the Estonian Research Council’s national student inventor competition, ESTDEV awarded four global education awards to six young inventors. This special award recognised young people who want to contribute to making the world fairer and more sustainable. ESTDEV project manager Annika Leek presented the awards.

“The student inventor competition offers young people the opportunity to develop creativity and innovative thinking while increasing their awareness of global development issues and the importance of being a global citizen. The special global education award recognises school children whose inventions help create a more balanced and sustainable world. For example, it helps ensure a clean natural environment that affects us all,” said Leek.

The youngest special award recipient is Villem Mesila, a 1st-grade student at Kurtna School who invented a robotic pencil case for children with special needs. The pencil case is designed to help children with special needs by providing a user-friendly and independence-supporting solution at school. Large buttons, voice control and coloured indicators make the pencil case easy to use and reduce the need for complex movements or manual operations.

The second global education award was given to Keila School 6th grade students Noora Kulp and Lenna Valtna for their “Water Purification Buoy Sõpsu”. Garbage entering the sea is a significant problem that affects life cycles and harms the environment. The water purification buoy has a garbage screen below the water’s surface, which, in turn, has a small garbage elevator. The garbage gets stuck in the elevator, and it moves the garbage to the upper part of the buoy.

Denis Latõšev, an 8th-grade student at Tallinn Õismäe Russian Lyceum, received the global education award for his “Creative Van for Clothing Redesign or HOT TRUCK”. HOT TRUCK allows people to express their individuality through customising clothes, even if they lack the skills or materials. The novelty is that it is a mobile workshop that travels between second hand stores. It offers all the necessary tools and on-site consultations, allowing people to learn new technologies and use creative solutions to update their wardrobes.

The final ESTDEV special award winners are Hugo Treffner Gymnasium graduates Artur Asi and Ivar Golubenko, who submitted the work “Plant protection product based on vegetable oils” to the competition. The inventors wanted to draw attention to the agricultural sector’s excessive use of plant protection products harmful to nature. Their solution contributes to the sustainable development of the natural environment and makes us think about our impact on biodiversity. A natural plant protection product helps reduce the use of synthetic plant protection products in home gardens and large-scale agriculture, offering an environmentally friendly alternative that helps fight pests without harming the environment.

A total of 55 student inventors received recognition for 46 smart inventions created to solve everyday problems. Fourteen supervisors of the first- and second-prize-winning works were also recognised.

According to Tanel Liira, the chairman of the competition evaluation committee, the students' inventions have become more meaningful over the years. For well-supervised projects, the thoroughness is noticeable. "This year, the themes running through the competition were mood, security and anxiety, which shows that young people directly address what is happening in society in their inventions," Liira said.

A grand total of 583 young inventors from 86 schools, kindergartens and hobby schools participated in the competition, coming up with 476 ideas. The inventions were evaluated by a committee of experts, which included engineers, designers, inventors, teachers and patent officers.