Innovation Shines At Thomas Edison Pitch Contest Finals In West Orange

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of a Patch West Orange community member. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Despite a steady rain, the 15th annual Thomas Edison Pitch Contest Finals were recently held with great energy and excitement under a large event tent in the courtyard of Edison’s historic labs at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park. This setting, steeped in history and ingenuity, was a fitting backdrop for students from across the nation—and beyond—to showcase their inventive ideas and honor the spirit of one of America’s greatest inventors.

This year’s contest saw over 300 video entries submitted by 981 students representing 152 schools from 32 states and 5 countries. Teams, sponsored either by parents or teachers, competed across multiple categories, from technology and environment to medical innovation and public safety. The finals included 9 of the tom scoring teams in the contest where they pitched their ideas to a panel of judges to win advanced 3D printing equipment for their schools, custom trophies, and gift cards to help fuel their next inventions.

Highlights from the Finalists

The finalists spanned elementary, middle, and high school levels, each presenting creative solutions that combined innovation with real-world impact.

Elementary School Finalists

• Third Place: Advaspire Squad from Malaysia impressed with an automatic pill dispenser and reminder that doubles as a memory game for the elderly, complete with a humorous skit that delighted the audience.
• Second Place: Zoe’s Robotics of KTBYTE Computer Science Academy, MA created an AI-powered device that alerts users if they forget essential items before leaving home.
• First Place: BA Problem Solvers from Brunswick Acres Elementary School, NJ, introduced Obstacle Owl, a smart attachment for canes that helps visually impaired users detect obstacles.

Middle School Finalists

• Third Place: Nature Innovator from STEM School Highlands Ranch created a biodegradable and affordable solution to agricultural flooding, designed to minimize flooding and automatically re-water crops sustainably.
• Second Place: Water Benders from Juan Cabrillo Middle School, CA, presented a smart water quality analyzer that forecasts water conditions to prevent long-term damage.
• First Place: MAVEN from Readington Middle School, NJ, showcased a real-time air quality monitoring system enhanced with AI, offering historical data and community action suggestions via a public website.

High School Finalists

• Third Place: Monsoon Gladiator, a homeschool team from Sindh, Pakistan, a sensor- and image-based analyzation tool for pothole maintenance and early detection inspired by local road safety challenges.
• Second Place: VRK from John P. Stevens High School, NJ, impressed with an an affordable, modular, and 3D-printed prosthetic hand that users can easily upgrade or replace parts.
• First Place: Spectrostroke from Innovation Academy, GA, won with a wearable sweat patch device designed to monitor early stroke risk at home similarly to how blood sugar is monitored in diabetes patients.

This year’s new Edison AI Award, sponsored by the Charles Edison Fund, celebrates an Edison-like approach to artificial intelligence, honoring the team that demonstrated the most creative, responsible, and impactful use of artificial intelligence in their invention. The winner embodies Edison’s spirit by not just using new tools, but mastering them and applying them thoughtfully.

The winning invention from Zoe’s Robotics at KTBYTE Computer Science Academy in Massachusetts, perfectly exemplified this. The student didn’t just incorporate AI into her invention — she taught herself how to code with the help of Ai and improved on existing Ai concepts to create a smarter device than available designed with safety in mind, ensuring it doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi like other similar devices, making it appropriate and secure for children to use.

Meet the Judges

Judging this year’s contest were experts from academia, government, and historic preservation: Dr. Vinnie Walencik of Montclair State University, West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney, and Dave Vago & Shemaine McKelvin from the Thomas Edison National Historical Park.

Looking Ahead

Registrations for the next Thomas Edison Pitch Contest open for free on December 1. The contest welcomes students from all backgrounds and encourages innovation across diverse categories, continuing the legacy of creativity and practical problem-solving.

Nicole Acosta, contest director, captured the spirit of the day in the opening remarks:

“What you’ve created isn’t just inventive—it’s thoughtful. Your solutions don’t just aim to fix problems; they ask deeper questions. They consider people. They consider impact. They solve more responsibly and more effectively than generations before you.”

This enduring contest not only celebrates youth ingenuity but also continues the spirit of Thomas Edison’s legacy—adapting, inventing, and pushing boundaries.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here.