Today we’re excited to announce the winner of our TrooFriend competition to design a futuristic invention! To celebrate the publication of TrooFriend by Kirsty Applebaum – a captivating story about friendship, identity and artificial intelligence – we invited readers of The Week Junior to think big and come up with an idea for an invention for the future that could help people in their everyday lives.
We received hundreds of great entries, from robotic wardrobes to rubbish eaters and medical robots to keep children company in hospital. Kirsty Applebaum faced a tough decision, but we are thrilled to announce that she has selected 9-year-old Alessia as the winner, for her invention of a Solar Powered Micro Fibre Caterpillar!
Kirsty said: “This ocean-cleaning robot caterpillar is brilliant. It addresses a huge real-life problem – the presence of plastic microfibres in our seas – so it’s an invention that would potentially benefit everyone on the planet. It’s also a stylish, appealing and memorable design so people would enjoy using it. Well done Alessia!”
You can see her entry below:
We are also delighted to announce two runners up. First of all, 11-year-old Ezra, for his invention of the E-Chef!
Kirsty said: “The E-Chef looks great, performs lots of useful kitchen tasks and would add so much fun to making dinner. I particularly like the way Ezra has used reviews and advertising phrases, such as ‘so useful in the kitchen’, ‘made life so much easier’ and ‘as seen on Master Chef’. Fantastic, Ezra!”
You can see his entry here:
And our second runner up, 10-year-old Archie, for his invention of the Good Rubbish Collector!
Kirsty said: “The Good Rubbish Collector solves a real-life problem with a clear, simple solution. Years ago, empty bottles could be returned to shops for a small amount of money. Archie has updated this idea with an invention more suitable for today’s world in which many people use bank cards instead of cash. This could be really useful in cleaning up our streets. Thank you, Archie!”
You can see his entry here:
Alessia will receive a signed copy of TrooFriend, along with a Wonder Workshop Dash Robot. Ezra and Archie will both be receiving a signed copy of TrooFriend.
Thank you to all of the children who sent in their inventions. We were delighted to receive so many entries and it was great to see everyone’s creativity!
