Young Inventor Challenge Winners find treasure
Did you know over 5,000 new board games are published every year?
That’s a lot of games.
And that makes it really tough to stand out in the game world – especially if you’re a 10-year old game designer!
Thanks to the Young Inventor Challenge, classmates Olivia and Brynna were inspired to invent a 3D board game called Ship of Treasures.
Not only did they design the game, they also got it published and donated the proceeds!
Since winning the challenge at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair in November 2016, they’ve been to the New York Toy Fair and on TV new stories a number of times.
Olivia and Brynna embarked on the mentorship of a lifetime—worked hand-in-hand with experts from Target and Pressman on prototypes, packaging and more to perfect “Ship of Treasures,” and ultimately debut it at Target on October 1, 2017. The game is for 2-4 players, ages 8 and up.
It’s a great story.
So we thought we’d ask Olivia and Brynna a few questions…
What prompted you to design a family board game?
- It has been a part of an ALPS (Advanced Learning Program for Students) program in school.
Do you have an affinity for pirates? Or what gave you the idea for the theme of Ship of Treasures?
- We decided to make Ship of Treasures pirate themed game so that, both, boys and girls can have fun playing.
How did you find out about the Chicago Toy & Game Fair’s annual Young Inventor Challenge?
- It has been a part of our ALPS (Advanced Learning Program for Students) class for the past 11 years now, and we happened to enter the Young Inventor Challenge during the 10 Year Anniversary one (we felt so lucky).
Were you nervous to enter the Young Inventor Challenge and what’s the process like?
- When entering the Young Inventor Challenge we kept a positive attitude and kept saying that we would win and we did! The process really showed us how long it takes to create a product and how much work it takes to accomplish it.
What was it like to be on the TV news?
- Being on TV was really exciting. We got to see what really happens on the other side of the camera.
We understand you’ve decided to donate proceeds from game sales to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital. That’s a fantastic mindset to have at such a young age. Why did you make this choice?
- Our schoolmate Sofie Shields passed away and we’d like to honor her memory by donating 10% of our proceeds to help families in need.
What other activities do you like to participate in?
- Olivia: guitar, ukulele, singing in a school choir and I also really like art
- Brynna: swimming, lacrosse, film club (at school)
Where can people buy a copy of Ship of Treasures?
- The game can be purchased in some Target stores or online here.
You can also check out their story highlighted on TV:
So if your kids are tinkering around with the idea of designing a board game, give them all the encouragement you can!
