Penn Central Mall center court Saturday was filled with the products of tomorrow.

The scene was the 20th year for the Great Prairie Area Education Agency Regional Invent Iowa competition. Close to 140 children, ages 5 through 13, were on hand to proudly display nearly 110 original inventions or modified designs of an existing product for the judges.

Ron Shafer, who was helping to coordinate the event, said the goal of the competition is to create and foster creativity, problem solving and verbal skills in the children.

“The project is to be a new invention or a variation of something that already exists to solve a problem,” Shafer said. “The students come with their invention and explain to the judges and the other students what they’ve created.”

Shafer said 26 inventions from the Great Prairie AEA Region would be picked to move on to the state competition at Carver Hawkeye Arena on the University of Iowa campus April 5. Besides the prestige of moving on, state winners are eligible for academic scholarships.

“At the state, the top awards received are scholarships from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University from the engineering departments,” Shafer said. “Plus there are some savings bonds awards and other medals; an excellent program.”

Many of the original inventions and modified products showed youthful creativity.

Aaron Shaw, a fourth-grader who lives in Richland and attends Pekin Elementary, combined a tablecloth, grommets and handles to create a display carrier — an idea born out of necessity.

“I came up with the idea because me and my sister do a lot of 4-H projects and different stuff,” Shaw said. “And my sister does history fair and science fair.”

Matt Dawson and Johnny Malicoat, both fourth-graders who attend Eisenhower Elementary in Ottumwa, created the Under the Bed Helper, a combination walking cane and compact flashlight used to reach items under a bed. Malicoat said their invention is for both kids and adults.

“Basically you just turn on the flashlight and put it under and then the broom handle will secure the thing that you want and it’ll get it right out,” Malicoat said. “So we tested it and it worked real good.”

Or how about the Knee Saver Tile Cleaner by Dane Stevenson, a fourth-grader who attends school in Davis County. Stevenson took an existing product — what appeared to be a rag mop — and added a hard scrub brush to one end to create a new product designed to allow users to stand up while doing common household chores.

Or the Boot Heater, by Collin McConnell, a fourth-grader who attends school in Ottumwa. McConnell took sections of PVC pipe and assembled them to accommodate one pair of shoes on one end with a hair dryer attached to the other end to fast dry wet shoes.

Or the Crankavator, by Matthew Starcevic, a fourth-grader who attends school in Albia. Starcevic created a scale-model of an elevator car and shaft and explained how the car could be propelled during a power outage.

AEA Regional Invent Iowa judge and Oskaloosa Christian school fifth-grade teacher Ruth VerMeer praised the children’s creativity and inventiveness.