WHAT: Three finalist teams chosen by a panel of expert judges from a pool of more than 500 student teams across the globe competed in the 2014 FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award Contest. The three finalist teams will present their inventions at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a chance to win a $20,000 cash prize.

• The two runner-up teams will each earn cash prizes of $5,000
• The prize money, courtesy of the XPRIZE Foundation, the event’s Founding Sponsor, will be used to further develop the team’s invention

WHERE/WHEN:

• Tuesday, June 3 - FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award Ceremony
  • 2 – 4 p.m. EST
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Madison Building; 600 Dulany Street; Alexandria, VA
  • Live streaming webcast of event: https://new.livestream.com/uspto/GlobalInnovation
• Wednesday, June 4 - Innovation Ambassadors Event*
  • U.S. State Department Building, 2201 C Street NW, Loy Henderson Room, Washington, D.C. 20520
  • 2 – 3 p.m. EST
  • *RSVP required for attendance, contact Haley Dunn for instructions

WHY: The annual FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award helps students solve real-world problems by supporting the development of their ideas and inventions through the product development process. FIRST LEGO League teams submitted ideas stemming from the 2013-2014 season’s NATURE’S FURY^SM Challenge, which tasked teams in nearly 80 countries to explore natural disasters and develop innovative ways to help people prepare, stay safe, and rebuild following these events.

VISUALS:

• Tuesday, June 3: Fourth annual FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award Ceremony
  • Students presenting their inventions
  • Announcement of winning team and runners-up
• Wednesday, June 4: FIRST Innovation Ambassadors Event
  • Speeches by STEM advocates and other special guests

SPEAKERS:

• Dean Kamen, Inventor and Founder of FIRST
• Donald E. Bossi, President of FIRST

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Dean Kamen founded the not-for-profit FIRST ^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest in science and technology. FIRST^® LEGO^® League is one of four programs in a Progression of Programs offered by FIRST.

Each year, FIRST LEGO League issues a three-part challenge to its teams, which includes building, testing, and programming an autonomous robot using LEGO^® MINDSTORMS^® NXT and conducting a research project working under a set of Core Values. FIRST LEGO League teams can submit their ideas to the FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award competition.

XPRIZE has returned as Presenting Sponsor of the Global Innovation Award for the fourth consecutive year. Partners in Innovation Sponsors include: Booz Allen Hamilton, John Deere, Rockwell Collins, International Association of Emergency Managers, and Qualcomm. Edison Nation is the Go-To Market Sponsor to help winning teams take their products from idea to store shelves.

The FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award is presented in cooperation with the National Building Museum and the USPTO.

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