The Charles C. Gates Invention & Innovation Competition is an academic and afternoon offering at Cardigan made possible by a generous contribution from a past parent.

The Competition offers students in grades six through nine the opportunity to participate in a creative process that identifies and perhaps solves real problems.  The Competition challenges students to identify problems or new business opportunities and to develop practical solutions.  It is designed to encourage creative thinking, risk taking and the entrepreneurial spirit, and develop an appreciation for hard work and accomplishment.

Beginning each fall and concluding with Competition presentations in the spring, each student or student team designs and builds an invention that must perform a practical function, make life easier or safer, entertain, or solve an everyday problem.  Gates coaches oversee the program, provide assistance and ensure safety, but the product ideas, prototype construction, market analyses, and ultimate presentations are the student’s responsibility.

As in the real world, there is a need to inspire and compete; therefore, there is a second objective of being named a Gates Competition winner by a panel of independent judges who are business leaders, engineers, and successful entrepreneurs.  Winners receive monetary awards and may, in outstanding cases, be given additional financial support for prototype development and patent pursuit.