Some of the most outstanding entries in a nationwide invention contest for kids were shown at a Tokyo department store from March 13 to 18. On display were the 10 works that won the Grand Prize along with 185 others, chosen from among the 684 submissions. Most of the items were made using everyday objects and were inspired by real-life experiences or contact with nature.

The top prize of the fifty-ninth Concours (Contest) of Schoolchildren's Inventions for elementary, middle, and high school kids went to Yuriko Yoneki, a fourth grader living in the city of Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, for her creation called "My Large Insect Garden." She built insects with leaves, twigs, and acorns collected at a nearby park after noticing that the veins of leaves resemble those found on the wings of a dragonfly.

"I like insects a lot," Yuriko said of her reasons for building her garden. She referred to an illustrated book of insects and made a large assortment of them. Tiny acorns were used to make the faces of dragonflies and mantises. The insects seem to come to life, moving up and down, when a handle at the side of the box is turned.

Another prize went to third grader Hirotoshi Shibata of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture for his "Spanworm" (caterpillar). It's a battery-powered toy that moves forward by scrunching up and then stretching out again. Hirotoshi came up with a device to prevent the wheels from sliding backward and designed the two eyes so that they open and close one at a time.

"I added the doll to make it look like it's riding the caterpillar," explained Hirotoshi. "Now it looks like a man on a caterpillar monster!"

Takashi Okada, a sixth grader living in the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, won a prize for an invention called a "Slide Fastener for an Umbrella." This device prevents raindrops on an umbrella from dripping when you go inside a building. Using a fastener, the dry, inner side of the umbrella is wrapped around it to zip in the moisture. And a small cup attached at the tip prevents raindrops from trickling.

The top winners got a chance to explain their inventions in front of Prince and Princess Hitachi and other guests at the award ceremony on March 13.

Photos: (top) Yuriko Yoneki won the Imperial Prize for "My Large Insect Garden"; (above) Takashi Okuda won the Prize of the Chairman of Hatsumei Kyokai (JIII) for "Slide Fastner for an Umbrella."(the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation and the Mainichi Newspapers)