Modern Marvels Invent Now(R) Challenge Begins Search for America's Next Great Invention

Modern Marvels Invent Now(R) Challenge Begins Search for America's Next Great Invention

The History Channel(R) and National Inventors Hall of Fame(R) Foundation kick-off second year of national competition, answering the call of America's independent inventors

NEW YORK, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The History Channel(R) and Invent Now(R) Inc., a division of the National Inventors Hall of Fame(R) Foundation, announced today the kick-off of the second annual Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge, a national competition seeking to answer the call of the nation's unrecognized independent inventors. The Challenge, which is named in part for Modern Marvels(R), the long-running series on The History Channel that celebrates ingenuity, imagination and invention brought to life, has officially opened its call for submissions to everyday inventors across the country in search of the 2007 Modern Marvel of the Year.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/HISTORYLOGO )

This year's Challenge is building upon the successes of the 2005-2006 competition, which proved that America still has a strong hunger for invention with nearly 4,500 submissions from inventors ranging in age from eight to 80 and from all 50 states. After recognizing 100 Honorable Mention recipients, 25 Semi-Finalists and four Finalists, last year's inaugural Challenge ultimately named it's Grand Prize Winner, David R. Ward. Ward's invention -- the Strawjet, a breakthrough process in creating building material from the renewable material straw -- was the "Modern Marvel of the Year" and earned him a $25,000 grant to further develop the project.

"Last year's program proved that America is full of everyday inventors who are looking for a forum to have their ideas recognized," said Judy Klein-Frimer, Director of Consumer Promotion and Strategic Alliances for The History Channel. "Like so many of those profiled in our Modern Marvels series, the everyday tinkerers and dreamers are often the architects of real-life modern marvels that could fill a need in society and change the way we live."

The Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge submissions will be judged by an esteemed panel of National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees and industry experts who will determine winners based on 1) the originality of the invention and the potential of the application, 2) the inventor's overall cleverness and originality of approach and 3) the history behind the invention idea. Submissions will be accepted at www.History.com/invent from today through November 20, 2006 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

"For over 30 years, the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation has recognized and encouraged inventors at all levels of achievement and know firsthand the pressing need for programs like the Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge," said Jeffrey Dollinger, President of Invent Now, Inc. "We're proud to again partner with the History Channel to launch the second year of a competition that truly provides a national stage for these independent inventors to tell their story."

The History Channel and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation have also joined forces with Lexus, this year's corporate partner and a corporation that prides itself on being at the forefront of product innovation and design.

In March 2007, the competition will name 25 new Semi-Finalists, whose invention ideas will be featured in a traveling exhibition, visiting prestigious science centers across the country. Four finalists and the 2007 Modern Marvel of the Year will ultimately win cash prizes and will be featured on The History Channel during Modern Marvels: Great Inventions Week beginning May 14, 2007.

Viewers can catch the highly successful series, Modern Marvels, on The History Channel Wednesdays, starting at 8pm/7c.

Log on to www.History.com/invent for more information on the Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge.

About The History Channel

The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned six News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 89 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at www.History.com.

About the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation

The not-for-profit National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation is the premier organization in America dedicated to honoring and fostering creativity and invention. Each year a new class of inventors is inducted into the Hall of Fame in recognition of their patented inventions that make human, social, and economic progress possible. Founded in 1973 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Associations, the Hall's permanent home is Akron, Ohio, where the inventors in the Hall are honored and from where it administers its national programs and subsidiaries, including Camp Invention(R), Club Invention(R), the Collegiate Inventors Competition(R), Invent Now(R) Inc., and Inventive Education(R), Inc.

Additional Partners

Lexus, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, TIME and The Sharper Image are proud supporters of the Challenge. Additional partners include the American Intellectual Property Law Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, How Stuff Works, Invention Showcase, InventorFest2006 at Cincinnati's Public Library, Intellectual Property Owners Association, Industrial Research Institute, Licensing Executives Society, National Science Teachers Association, Young Inventors International and Yankee Invention Expo.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/HISTORYLOGO
Source: The History Channel

CONTACT: Kate Powers, +1-617-587-2010, kpowers@brodeur.com, or Kevin
Gray, +1-617-587-2851, kgray@brodeur.com, both for The History Channel

Web site: http://www.history.com/
http://www.history.com/invent

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