Skip to main content

Andrew's Invention

Invention contest nears final hours of voting

By Howard B. Owens

Tomorrow (Monday) is the final day of voting in the Dreamvention invention contest sponsored by FritoLay with a $250,000 grand prize.

Andrew Young Jr., a 14-year-old high school student from Alexander, is one of five finalists.

Click here to vote for his invention, the Toaster Shooter.

You can vote once each day (so today and tomorrow) from each of the devices you own -- computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. The contestant with the most votes wins.

Photos: Protest in Batavia against 'burnt fingers'

By Howard B. Owens

img_1824andrewinvention.jpg.jpeg

The protesters chanted "no more burnt fingers" and carried signs in support today of the invention of Andrew Young Jr., which is a toaster that shoots the toast onto a plate after it's perfectly browned.

Andrew came up with the invention after watching his grandma burn her fingers trying to get toast out of a toaster and entered his idea into a national contest sponsored by Frito-Lay that, if he wins, could lead to a $250,000 prize for the Alexander High School student.

"For far too long, people have suffered with burnt fingers from their toaster when the technology has been invented for us," said the young inventor's father, Andrew Young. "According to Andrew, we can make it happen."

The "protest" today was held to draw more attention to his invention and get people to vote for it in the contest.

To vote, go to AndrewsInvention.com and click on the Vote for Andrew button.

Batavia resident Tom Williams, Andrew's Invention supporter said, "I do agree that this protest is long overdue. For far too long, people, especially grandmas, have been suffering from toaster-burnt fingers when the technology to avoid it has been right in front of us. It took Andrew 'Thomas Edison' Young Jr. to bring us out of the Dark Ages."

The protesters want to remind you: You can vote daily and you can vote once each day from every device you own. You have six days left to vote.

Photos and information provided by our news partner, WBTA.

img_1823andrewinvention.jpg.jpeg

img_1820andrewinvention.jpg.jpeg

Andrew's Invention featured on WGRZ

By Howard B. Owens

Andrew Young Jr., the Alexander High School student who came up with the idea of a toaster that shoots toast onto a plate, leading to a spot as one of five finalists in a nationwide contest with a $250,000 prize, was featured on WGRZ's morning news show today.

There are only 12 days left to vote. You can vote every day on every Internet-connected device you access. Visit AndrewsInvention.com for more information and a link to the voting page.

Invention fair rallies support for Alexander's young inventor with a chance to win national contest

By Howard B. Owens

andrewinventionatalexoct2017.jpg

Photo: Andrew Young Jr., center, tries out one of the challenges at an Inventor's Fair at Alexander High School on Friday night as part of a rally to support Andrew's entry into Frito-Lay Dreamvention contest.

Andrew, 14, is one of five finalists in the nationwide contest. His invention is a toaster that shoots out the toast onto a plate. The winner of the contest will receive $250,000.

The fair Friday night featured various activity stations for students to try out their skills at various challenges and included a rally to encourage everybody to vote in the contest and support Andrew's quest to have his invention recognized at the best of the bunch.

To learn more about Andrew's invention, visit AndrewsInvention.com. To vote, click here (you can vote every day).

(The Batavian has added a link to the voting page on the left side of our home page, just above the login box on the left side of the page. You can vote every day.)

andrewinventionatalexoct2017-2.jpg

andrewinventionatalexoct2017-3.jpg

andrewinventionatalexoct2017-4.jpg

andrewinventionatalexoct2017-5.jpg

UPDATE: Voting ongoing for Andrew's Invention

By Howard B. Owens

Fourteen-year-old Andrew Young Jr., from Alexander, is in the running for a $250,000 invention price for the device he dreamed up himself, a toaster that shoots the toast out onto a plate.

Andrew is one of five inventors from around the nation competing for the top prize with the winner picked solely on the votes of people who support their inventions.

A point to clarify: You are allowed to vote more than once. You can vote every day.  Voting ends Nov. 27. To help you cast your vote each day, we've added a link to the voting site to the left side of our homepage, above the login box.

Click here to vote.

Previously: Alexander resident invents 'toaster shooter,' becoming finalist in national competition

Authentically Local