Henry Carlson was named the K-8 Grade winner of the Genspiration Young Inventors Prize at the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Student Showcase on June 3 for his invention the Grip 'n Slip 2.0, which is a hanger that allows shorter people or anyone in a wheelchair to get to a shirt that otherwise is hanging out of reach.

Henry came up with the idea for this invention after he saw his little brother struggle while getting dressed in the morning. His brother was not tall enough to reach the top of his shirts hanging in the closet so he would just pull down on the bottom of the shirts. This led to broken hangers, stretched out shirts, and frustration.

Henry realized that a collapsible hanger could help little kids, shorter people, and people in wheel chairs get dressed independently. After several iterations, he finally perfected Grip 'n Slip. Congratulations to this young inventor!!

‍The Genspiration Prize awards excellence in student innovation at both K-12 and university levels. The Prize is awarded by the Genspiration Foundation and NAI to student invention teams or individuals whose innovations have impressive potential in creating positive societal impact. Held at NAI’s Annual Conference, Student Showcase participants have the unique opportunity to present their innovation to the world’s leading inventors, university leaders, industry leaders, and inventive institutions and compete for the Genspiration Prize to be recognized on the national level, as well as represent the impressive caliber of innovation happening at their institution or organization.

The Genspiration Prize is made possible by  the Genspiration Foundation and their committment to recognizing student inventors and providing support and mentorship to further advance their ability to translate their innovations to make positive societal and economic impacts.

The Prize consists of two categories. The Genspiration Young Inventors Prizes recognizes outstanding innovation two age groups: K-8th grade (K-8) and 9th grade-12th grade (9-12). Recipients of the Genspiration Young Inventors Prize will receive a cash prize of $5,000 towards the development of their innovation and their affiliated organization receives $3,000 towards innovation programs and assistance with obtaining a provisional patent.

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