Frequently Asked Questions

Registration opens April 1,2025 and closes May 8, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

All registrations must be completed (with payment) by 11:59 p.m. EST on May 8, 2025. However, after you begin your registration, you can come back and work on it at any time until the closing date. The registration platform will allow changes until the deadline. Changes may include, but are not limited to, uploading a new video or registering another attendee.

Go to national.inventionconvention.org, click on the login button and then click the “Forgot password/username” button. Enter the name and email address you registered with, and you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password.

You will receive an email from our registration system upon completion of your registration.

All finalists will receive:

 

• Official RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals 2025 T-shirt
• Finalist Certificate
• Fun swag bag with goodies.
• Access to The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village
• Access to unique programming for U.S. Nationals
• Transportation to and from The Henry Ford and local event hotels during the event.
• Ability to meet and connect with youth inventors from all over the country.
• Access to the Awards Ceremony on Friday, June 6.
• All meals during the event.
• Transportation to and from The Henry Ford and local event hotels during the event.

 

Inventor T-shirts are available in youth and select adult sizes. The full list is available through your online registration form.

Yes, a team consisting of up to four students can participate in the competition. Teams are judged against other teams and individual inventors, using the grade of the oldest team member. A student may compete as an individual or as part of a team but not as both.

All team members will register independently and will be linked to other team members and the invention with a code. The first person from a team to register will receive this code once they have indicated they are part of a team. That team member should then pass on the code to the other team members to use when they register. Team members will all have access to modify the information about their project.

A team can compete without all of its members present; however, only the team members present at The Henry Ford for the in-person event will be judged and, if awarded a prize, receive the prizes. Team members who do not attend the in-person event at The Henry Ford will not be eligible for any awards or prizes. Those who are not able to attend the in-person event at The Henry Ford may not defer the invitation to a future competition.

No, you do not need to submit a picture of your display board in the registration system, but you do need to bring a physical display board to U.S. Nationals.

Yes. Logbooks should be uploaded with your registration. There is also a specialty award given to the best logbook. Please click here to reference the Rubric and Supporting Materials for logbook upload instructions at the Nationals website. Please note that logbooks also need to be brought to the museum to be judged.

$360 per inventor; $385 per guest (parent, sibling, guest, other); children 4 and under are free.

At the end of the registration form, payment may be made via credit or debit card. Note: All payments must be made by May 8, 2025.

We will offer coupon codes during registration, and there will be a place where you can specify that a third party will pay for the participant.

Each inventor is required to have a registered parent, guardian or chaperone.

Yes, please refer to the event invitation to find information regarding discounts from Delta Air Lines.

There is no charge to families who park in the parking lots of The Henry Ford for this event. Tickets or validation are not required.

Please use links in the event invitation to review accommodations for each hotel. Please only use the links in the event invitation to reserve your room. The discounted rate cannot be reserved using a third-party provider (e.g., booking.com).

Please use links in the event invitation to review amenities for each hotel.

You may stay at a different hotel, but transportation to and from The Henry Ford will only be provided from the official event hotels. Staying at our official event hotels provides our inventors with more opportunities to meet and interact with each other. 

You may arrive as early in the week as you like. Note: Discounted rooms begin as early as Tuesday, June 3, and end Friday, June 6. Free breakfast at the hotels starts Wednesday, June 4.

Transporting inventions and display boards via bus, train or car should not be a problem. If you are flying, check with your airline carrier in advance on the best way to pack your materials for a flight. If you have batteries in your invention, please check the airline regulations about flying with batteries and other regulated materials. You can find information on what you can carry on an airplane here: TSA What I Can Bring.

We will provide shuttles from the event hotels to The Henry Ford and back every day. If you are not staying in one of the event hotels, you will need to find other transportation to The Henry Ford (Uber, Lyft, taxi) at your expense.

It is preferred to store luggage at the hotel. If this is not an option, there will be limited space at The Henry Ford to store luggage. Please check with U.S. Nationals staff for details.

Quiet zone areas during the Nationals event have been noted on the map located in the event app and in the event program. Staff members of The Henry Ford have participated in the Michigan Autism Safety Training provided by the Autism Alliance of Michigan to better understand the characteristics of autism and how to recognize and communicate with someone with autism. Please click here to better understand the museum’s offerings for those individuals on the Autism Spectrum.

The Henry Ford welcomes guests with disabilities to all of our venues. Our staff and volunteers are committed to providing the highest-quality visit for each and every guest to the extent that we are able to do so. Please click here to view these resources.

Students in grades K-12 who have qualified via a state affiliate program and our independent inventor program are sent invitations to compete at Nationals.

All inventors need to have (for their judging circle):

· Logbook

· Display board

· Prototype (if needed)

· And a smile!

Registration and invention setup begin at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4, and the museum closes at 5 p.m. Participants arriving by 4 p.m. will still have time for appropriate check-in and setup.

A parent, guardian or chaperone is an inventor's biggest cheerleader and is required for each student under age 18 during the entire U.S. Nationals event. Additional adults may register to attend along with their inventors.

No, orientation on the first day is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended if you have never been to Nationals before.

Teachers and educators are welcome to attend to support their inventors. Each must register as an attendee.

You will be emailed a schedule; it also will be posted on our website and will be available on our event app.

Breakfast will be served at the hotel. Please see event information for lunch and dinner options, service locations and times.

Yes, registration will be open on Thursday; however, we recommend that inventors arrive on Wednesday if possible since judging begins on Thursday and there would not be a lot of time for inventors to set up their inventions.

LOTS! Visit THF.org to see all the great venues to explore.

Comfortable clothes and shoes. On Friday, please wear your official RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals T-shirt.

Inventors may wear what they would like for their presentation. Remember, you are representing your invention and all of your hard work, and you will want to be taken seriously. Think about what that means to you, and do your best to look nice.

While it is best to have all team members in the video presentation, one team member may film the presentation video on behalf of the entire team. This team member should mention each team member's name at the start of the video. During registration, the first team member to upload the team’s video will also upload it for everyone on the team. Team members do not need to upload the video individually. 

Yes, inventions are judged by a group of online judges prior to the in-person event and also in the judging circles at The Henry Ford.

All inventors will have a predetermined time for their judging circle. They will be given this time when they check in on the first day of the event.

Parents are allowed to be present; however, we ask that they do not interfere with their inventor’s presentation or Q&A time with the judges.

Yes, we encourage students to learn from the experience and judges’ feedback and improve on their invention. If you show significant improvement and your invention is deemed worthy by a local competition, the invention will be welcomed again at Nationals.

Yes, if you are unable to create a prototype, you can still compete; however, you will need to have a picture, drawing or some type of blueprint to show and share during your presentation that describes your invention in detail.

All materials must fit within a space no larger than 36” wide, 75” tall (30" below table and 45” above table), and 42" deep (30" on table, 12" in front of table).

The Henry Ford cannot offer power for any inventions during the event.

No, water cannot be used in the museum.

No, Michigan health and safety laws do not allow participants to use refrigeration storage at the museum.

Inventions can be set up on Wednesday, the first day of the event, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All inventions can be broken down after the Awards Ceremony on Friday.

No. All inventions will be secured in the museum every night.

Inventors may use a laptop or tablet to demonstrate a digital prototype. Note: Power will not be provided for these devices nor is it the responsibility or The Henry Ford to ensure functioning WiFi

No, use of video during the Live Presentation with Q&A is not allowed.

Inventors are welcome to decorate both sides of their display board, but must present from only one side. Moving or turning the display board qualifies as a safety hazard: there is a danger of knocking over other display boards, prototypes, people, and museum artifacts.

The RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals Awards Ceremony will be Friday afternoon at Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

All registered attendees are invited to this private event.

The Awards Ceremony is the culmination of everything inventors have gone through to get to Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, and it is a great way to celebrate their accomplishments at the end of the experience. However, an inventor does not have to be present to accept an award.

It is preferred to store luggage at the hotel. If this is not an option, there will be limited space at The Henry Ford to store luggage. Please check with U.S. Nationals staff for details. 

Yes, we will provide sign language interpretation during the ceremony.

We have event hotels available for attendees to reserve a room. Event hotels have the advantage of transportation every day to and from The Henry Ford. If you would like to stay at one of these hotels; the information on how to reserve a room will be sent to you once your registration is complete and the registration cost is paid. You are not obligated to stay at these hotels for the event and are welcome to find other accommodations near The Henry Ford.