Midlands Maker Challenge seeks innovative young people

Derbyshire has been a hotbed of inspiration and creativity over the years, from the aircraft engines mde in Derby to the upholstery industry in Long Eaton.

Could you be the county’s next great inventor or creator?

If you have great ideas, are aged between 11 and 18, then the Midlands Maker Challenge is for you.

The challenge is running throughout the school summer holidays and its brief is to draw inspiration fro the past to improve how we live in our homes in the future.

Paul Liptrot, who manages the Midland Maker Challenge, said: “The summer challenge is all about supporting young people in developing their future, as well as being a fun and exciting way for them to explore their own skills and ideas. We have all been spending more time in our homes recently, so this could perhaps be a good starting point.”

Look around your houses or supermarkets, go onto museum and art gallery websites and see if those spur you into creating a revolutionary product.

To excite and inspire young people to get involved, the Museum of Making will be providing an ideas pack for anyone that wants to enter including information sheets and guidance on how to make a prototype.

Once you have done that and come up with your idea, you can submit either a one-minute video or up to five photos explaining your idea.

Five winners will be selected by a panel of making experts from the Museum of Making and IMI plc, and will be announced in early September.

The winners will receive a box of making tools and materials and a £100 voucher that can be used to add to the box. They will also be invited to a special makers event for young people in summer 2021, when the new Museum of Making will have opened its doors at Derby Silk Mill.

Entries are now open and the deadline is August 24. For the ideas pack and more details, go to www.midlandsmakerchallenge.co.uk

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