- the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is supporting Taskmaster Education and Kids Invent Stuff to launch a new invention competition for UK children aged 4 to 11 nationwide
- the competition aims to encourage innovation and creativity, develop problem-solving skills, and promote understanding of idea ownership among young people
- the challenge is to create an invention to help Little Alex Horne be the best Taskmaster’s Assistant. The winning entry will be built by Kids Invent Stuff and tested by Little Alex Horne at the Taskmaster House
- the winning invention will be revealed during British Science Week in March 2025
The Intellectual Property Office has joined forces with Taskmaster Education and Kids Invent Stuff to launch an exciting invention competition for children aged 4 to 11 nationwide.
The competition challenges young minds to create an invention to help Little Alex Horne become the best Taskmaster’s Assistant ever. Children will create inventions to improve Alex’s performance as Greg Davies’ assistant on the BAFTA-winning TV show Taskmaster. The winning invention will be brought to life by Kids Invent Stuff and tested by Little Alex Horne at the Taskmaster House.
The IPO is helping bring the competition to all corners of the UK. The competition aims to encourage creativity, develop problem-solving skills, and nurture an understanding of the ownership of ideas among the UK’s budding young inventors and creators.
The IPO’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adam Williams said
The IPO is delighted to be working with supporters of young innovation to inspire the next generation of UK inventors. It’s great to see a competition for young people that looks to celebrate and develop innovation skills, and I can’t wait to see the ingenious and no doubt pretty wacky and wonderful ideas it will bring.
Young people are fantastic creators and innovators, and this nationwide competition combines entertainment, education, and innovation brilliantly. This exciting venture will encourage them to develop their skills and understanding from an early age, impressing on them the importance of IP in protecting their ideas in a challenging and fun way.
Ruth Amos, Inventor & Director at Kids Invent Stuff said
We are thrilled to be working with Taskmaster Education and the IPO on this very exciting challenge. At Kids Invent Stuff, we believe that every child is an inventor, so to be able to bring to life an idea in the Taskmaster House is a dream come true. We can’t wait to see the entries and build the winning invention.
Dr Ali Struthers, Co-Founder of Taskmaster Education said
We’re so excited to be partnering with the brilliant YouTube channel, Kids Invent Stuff, and the IPO in this exciting venture. Our noble quest is to make Little Alex Horne the best Taskmaster’s Assistant he can possibly be. We can’t wait to see what the kids come up with (the wackier, the better, we think) and then watch as Ruth and Shawn bring it to life. We’re sure Alex is going to have lots of fun giving the invention a whirl at the Taskmaster House.
Little Alex Horne said
It’s brilliant that Taskmaster Education have teamed up with Kids Invent Stuff and the IPO to give children the chance to bring their invention ideas to life. Kids Invent Stuff and Taskmaster Education have similar goals, to make learning really fun and exciting, so we’d encourage entrants to think big and be creative. I can’t wait to road test the winning entry at the Taskmaster House (as long as I don’t get injured in the process…).
Entries can be drawings, pictures, or videos showcasing the children’s most imaginative ideas. The competition welcomes entries from both individuals and from groups.
The winner will see their invention brought to life by Ruth Amos and Shawn Brown, the engineering experts behind the Kids Invent Stuff YouTube channel. With an audience reaching around 70,000 subscribers, the channel is known for turning children’s creative ideas into real inventions.
The deadline for entries is Friday, 13 December 2024. The winning invention will be revealed during British Science Week in March 2025.
For more information and competition resources, visit Cracking Ideas.
Notes to editors
- Taskmaster Education adapts the format of Channel 4’s Taskmaster to create fun and educational experiences for children and young people. In the show, the Taskmaster and his assistant Little Alex Horne challenge comedians with creative tasks. Taskmaster Education uses similar activities to develop important skills in children. These skills include problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking. Taskmaster Education provides a flexible and engaging way to inspire learning in classrooms and beyond
- schools can set up their own Taskmaster Club for pupils. This allows children to try more tasks while developing important life skills. These skills include teamwork, creativity, and reasoning. The Club series that includes the Kids Invent Stuff task is called ‘Bathtub’. To find out more, visit the Taskmaster Education website
- Kids Invent Stuff is an innovative YouTube channel that brings young people’s inventions to life. Founded by engineers Ruth and Shawn, Kids Invent Stuff offers children aged 4 to 11 the opportunity to see their creative ideas transformed into reality. To find out more visit the Kids Invent Stuff website
- the IPO has curated a YouTube playlist showcasing the incredible inventions from past IPO and Kids Invent Stuff competitions
The competition is open to UK residents aged 4 to 11. Competition terms and conditions apply
How to Enter
- Visit Cracking Ideas to access the competition resources.
- Download the competition worksheet from the competition webpage.
- Design your invention and give it a catchy, creative name.
- Describe how it works and its amazing features.
- Write your name and age on the worksheet
- Provide an adult’s full name, email address, and town/city location.
- Submit your entry by either
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emailing to [email protected]
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uploading at kidsinventstuff.com/submit-your-invention
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posting to FAO Ruth Amos, Kids Invent Stuff, Alison Business Centre, 39-40 Alison Crescent, Sheffield, England, S2 1AS
