PBS is looking for creative kids and young inventors ages 5-19 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this April by participating in the 2010 Trash to Treasure competition. This award-winning series challenges contestants to recycle, reuse, and re-engineer everyday materials into new inventions. Three young innovators will win a trip to Boston to see their designs built and have the process chronicled for an upcoming episode of PBS KIDS GO!.

According to Design Squad executive producer Marisa Wolsky, "This is an opportunity for kids to give a second life to an object they or their household would have otherwise discarded. We expect that this year's entries will run the gamut, from trying to fill a pressing societal need to offering something whimsical and fun."

The rules are simple. The invention should fit within one of the three categories: move things or people (Mobility), protect the environment (Environmental), or be used for indoor or outdoor play (Play). The invention also needs to be made of at least two repurposed materials (such as fabric, paper, plastic, small electronics, wheels, clamps, springs, batteries, hardware, wood, bike parts, string, rubber bands, cardboard, kitchen gadgets, etc.) Kids will be given online tools to sketch out their ideas or upload a photo. (Kids don't need to actually build their invention in order to enter.)

Last year's winner, Max Wallack, 13, inventor of the "Home Dome"--a temporary shelter for homeless people and disaster victims ---gives this advice to this year's entrants, "Identify a problem and then try to come up with a solution to it. Be prepared to make several attempts at designing before one design jumps out as the right one."

The nationwide contest is open for ages 5-19 and will launch online on April 5. Entries will be accepted through September 5, 2010 at PBSKIDSGO.org/designsquad/contest.