Hearing implant manufacturer MED-EL USA announced that the company will be participating in the international 2018-19 Ideas4Ears Children’s Invention Contest. Countries from around the world are participating in the competition which aims to raise public awareness of hearing loss and inspire young innovators.

Launching in celebration of World Inventors’ Day, global winners will be awarded the prize of a trip to MED-EL headquarters in Innsbruck for the winner and one accompanying parent/guardian.

Open to children aged 6-12 years old, the Ideas4Ears contest encourages the youngest generation of inventors to share ideas designed to improve the quality of life for people with hearing loss. Participants are asked to showcase their invention through various media, such as artwork, drawings, videos, or sculptures. The contest is designed to challenge kids with their creative skills: a new invention, an improvement to something that already exists, or a clever idea that helps people with hearing loss and makes their lives easier.

Entries must be submitted toideas4ears.org by January 17, 2019, which is also Kid Inventors’ Day.

Winners will be announced on January 31, 2019. The prize is a trip to MED-EL’s international headquarters in Innsbruck, Austria, where the winners will get a “behind-the-scenes” look at how hearing implants are made, meet with MED-EL inventors, and interact with other Ideas4Ears contest winners/child inventors from around the world.

Innovation is a fundamental part of the MED-EL story, which is based on a powerful idea that has influenced the lives of many people with hearing loss worldwide.

“Children often have a completely different approach to things, bringing entirely new aspects to an idea,” said Geoffrey Ball, Chief Technical Officer at MED-EL and inventor of the VIBRANT SOUNDBRIDGE.

Aside from celebrating talented young inventors and their unique creativity, the Ideas4Ears contest seeks to increase understanding of the challenges that people with hearing loss face on a daily basis.

Source: MED-EL