How do you invent the future? At KID, we think it’s by empowering students to engage in the world around them, ask questions, and gain the skills and confidence they need to make change.
At our June 1, 2025, Invent the Future Expo, more than 200 student inventors showcased the innovative prototypes they developed during our Invention Programs this year.
Sixty volunteer judges stepped up to engage with these teams and provide them with meaningful feedback. We also had 30 national and local organizations exhibiting their innovative products and services, two incredible student bands, hands-on KID Museum activities, and an enormous crowd of about 4,000 attendees who came to celebrate and learn.
Industry and government leaders and young artists and entrepreneurs helped us close out the day by celebrating the work of these students with awards in five categories.
The Teacher Bot.
2025 PEPCO SUSTAINABILITY AWARD WINNER
ECO-WARE
Biodegradable cutlery and cookware.
KID Museum ITF After-School Club
2025 PRESENTATION EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS
TREE DRONE
Planting new forests, one drone at a time.
Eastern Middle School
MULTI-SENSORY FIDGET
The next big thing in neurodivergent accommodations.
The Siena School
PINE-1-1
An in-store emergency response system disguised as a cheerful pineapple.
Montgomery Village Middle School
2025 INNOVATION AWARD WINNERS
FARMBOT
Taking agriculture into the next century.
Rose L. Hardy Middle School
BIOPLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS
Biodegradable replacements for one of the country’s most-used objects.
Parkland Middle School
HANDY DISPOSER
A vending machine designed specifically to meet the needs of homeless people in our community.
Kramer Middle School
2025 DIGITAL DESIGN AWARD WINNERS
SONAR & DOLPHINS
Deep-sea navigation systems that won’t harm wildlife.
Shady Grove Middle School
HELPING MUTE PEOPLE SPEAK
A talking wristband inspired by a close friend’s communication disorder.
Sligo Middle School
SALTSMART
Saltwater runoff filtration system to protect groundwaters.
Shady Grove Middle School
2025 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD WINNERS
FLOODWATER PREVENTION
Protecting vulnerable communities from devastating damage.
Parkland Middle School
LANTERN LOCK
Never get lost again!
Independent Team
Moldy Food Detection in MCPS
Helping the local school system stay safe and healthy.
Shady Grove Middle School
It was our most successful Invent the Future Expo ever, and we are excited to build on the connections, enthusiasm, and partnerships that the event generated to create more innovators and changemakers.
Student Reflections
“Something I learned being part of a team is that everyone has different viewpoints. I can relate that to my school subjects because when you’re looking at history, for example, there’s always two sides of a story.”
Project: Chill Check Team (Moldy Food Detection in MCPS)
School: Shady Grove
“Being on this project, I learned that you have to persevere. Also, we have to test other ideas and build on them, so we get a better project.”
Project: The Flood Wall
School: Parkland Magnet
Exhibitor Highlights
“Thank you for including us in what we can only describe as one of the most powerful, inspiring, and truly unforgettable events we’ve had the honor to attend. It was moving beyond words to be in that space — surrounded by such passion, vision, and innovation.”
-Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service
Speaker Quotes
“Thank you, KID Museum, for giving us this space as young people, a space that reinforced my self-concept as a doer and a maker.”
-Tara Prakash, former Invent the Future participant and MD Youth Poet Laureate
“What you’re building here today isn’t just a science project. It’s a prototype for change. Whether it’s an invention that cleans air, saves energy, connects people, or feeds families—it all starts with a spark. And that spark is already inside you.”
-Emma Ekua-Bedua Hudson, graduate student and founder of the Food for Thought Foundation
Thoughts from Attendees
It was inspiring to see young minds tackling real-world challenges with creativity, compassion, and bold ideas. Attending this event gave me so much hope for the world my son will grow up in, and for the kind of education he’ll have access to—one that nurtures curiosity, civic engagement, and the courage to make a difference, both locally and globally.”
-Invent the Future Expo Attendee
