Lifejackets and plant potters: two new ways to use water bottles. These are some of the ideas that stemmed from the question of how to change the world with an everyday object.

More than a dozen University of Maine students, in four teams, competed in the Global Innovation Tournament this week.

The Web-based challenge started at Stanford University three years ago. It reaches 55 schools in 12 countries including China, Singapore, Scotland, England, Canada and the U.S. This is UMaine's first year hosting the challenge.

The challenge at UMaine is hosted by the new Foster Student Innovation Center on campus and was open to all students.

As part of Entrepreneurship Week on campus, students who entered the innovation tournament were presented with an everyday object on Nov. 12. Their challenge was to create value out of the object - which could be monetary, social or artistic.

Past objects include rubber bands and sticky notes.

This year, the object was a water bottle. Students could use any size, shape and amount of bottles they chose. There was no limit on the other materials for the project.

Once the object was announced, teams had until Nov. 17 to create a new use for bottles and produce a less than 3-minute video displaying the new product.

A video production session was offered on Nov. 13 at the Innovation Center to help students with the technical aspects.

"Part of being an entrepreneur is coming up with new ideas and products, which may not always be a new invention. They could be an improvement on an existing technology or everyday item," Jesse Moriarity said in an e-mail. Moriarity is the Innovation Center Coordinator.

The videos were posted to YouTube and were judged at UMaine before being entered at the global level.

The top three videos at UMaine were announced Wednesday and will continue on to the global level. The winning teams were presented with a slew of prizes and awards.

Prizes ranged from lunch with former Gov. Angus King, won by the team led by Chuck Drew, to a private concert won by the team led by Dan Pierce. The team led by Evan Manley won the "Best of Orono" package, which included gift certificates from local restaurants and four hockey tickets.

Each team that entered also received a personalized award.

"I learned a lot from this experience and had a great time in the process of making the product," Manley said.

"Part of our goal here at the Foster Student Innovation Center is to help students, faculty and staff start small businesses, work on projects, inventions or ideas," Moriarty said. "A lot of times those new products or ideas involve using an everyday item or a product that we're all familiar with in a new way."

Global winners will be announced Dec. 5. There will not be a global prize, but the winners will have their video posted on a special page on the Stanford challenge Web site.

"We are also hoping to expose as many students as possible to everything the Innovation Center has to offer them, no matter what their major or passion," Moriarity said.

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