IPO Education Foundation Launches 2nd Annual Video Contest and Sweepstakes

Cash Prizes and Scholarships are Available in Multiple Categories

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation announces its 2nd Annual IP Video Contest to educate teens and the public at large about how the patent system protects inventors and promotes progress. Contestants in three age categories (thirteen to fifteen years old; sixteen to eighteen years old; nineteen and over) are invited to illustrate in an original video sixty to ninety seconds in length why they believe the patent system is important. Winners will receive cash prizes or scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 and be honored at the 2012 IPO Education Foundation Awards Dinner in Washington, DC.

The contest website features a promotional video to educate viewers about the patent system and how it fosters innovation: www.ipvideocontest.com. The Foundation encourages contestants to consider how inventors play a critical role in growing the economy and improving the general well being of individuals and societies. The Foundation's mission is to broaden the public's understanding and appreciation of systems for the development, protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

In an effort to increase awareness of the IP Video Contest, the Foundation is also hosting an IP Video Contest Sweepstakes. The public is encouraged to go to www.ipvideocontest.com and enter now to win an all expenses paid trip to Washington, DC. The lucky winner and guest will be invited to attend the 2012 IPO Education Foundation Awards Dinner. More information about the sweepstakes and how to enter can be found at www.ipvideocontest.com.

Winners' videos from 2011 can be found on the contest website. Winners in the youngest age category, Tara Burchmore of Ketchum, ID, and Maya Varma of Cupertino, CA, illustrate how patents create jobs, inspire further innovation, and even enable pigs to fly. In the sixteen to eighteen year old category, winners Simeon Boyle of Hampstead, MD, and Malik Shabazz of Pontiac, MI, show how patents promote competition and progress, and grow businesses. In the nineteen and older category, winners Stephen Boyd of Muncie, IN, and Tyler Short of Portland, OR, demonstrate how patents benefit society by incentivizing research and development and fueling the creation of new technologies.

The deadline to submit entries for the 2012 IP Video Contest is July 1, 2012, via the contest website. Entries to the Sweepstakes will be accepted until April 15, 2012.

About IPO Education Foundation
Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation, a non-profit subsidiary of Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), was established in 2005 to educate the public on the importance of intellectual property rights to the economy.

Donations to the foundation are tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law. To find out more about IPO Education Foundation programs or to make a donation, visit www.ipoef.org or call 202/507-4500.

SOURCE Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation