2011 a banner year for young scientists. Check out this year's Kootenay Contraption Contest entries

Consider the climate problem solved, Kootenays!

Twin Rivers Elementary's sixth grade genius Finnian Mcintosh took the top prize (an iPad2) in the 2011 Kootenay Contraption Contest, leading a record field of 116 entries with his remarkable household vibrations-capture concept.

KAST and title sponsor FortisBC challenged Kootenay kids to design a contraption that solves a future problem by 2050. This year, we asked: 'thinking about energy, how will we cook, heat and cool our homes?"

We received a whole host of creative solutions and awarded a prize (iPod Nano/Kindle) for each top grade entry. 

Geothermal proved popular, with a great winning system complete with polished website from Mt. Sentinel 8th graders Jasyln Uppal and Petra Hartley, and MacLean 2nd grader Will Ellis-Kusy's "pipes to the middle of the earth with windmills in the pipes."

Simple systems captured the 5th and 6th grade prizes with Sydney Bruce's turbine toilet from Webster Elementary, and a great roof ecosystem from South Nelson's Sophie Bohri.

Zoe Taylor from Wildflower school took the top grade 3 prize for her brilliant bike-powered urban transmission system.

The power of nature was put to creative use: by Trafalgar's 7th grade Bae Lloyd, who created an eco-independant house generating electricity and gas from animal waste, and in a remarkable sci-fi take on photsynthesis from South Nelson 4th grader Harlan Hoffmann-Miller.

CLICK HERE to view the GLOWS Facebook page and see all of the amazing entries

CLICK HERE to watch Finn's winning entry. Truly inspiring.

Congratulations to all our creative contraptioners, and to the sponsors who make this contest possible: