City-sponsored competition to test students' creativity

Hoping to catalyze a renaissance generation, Mayor Thomas M. Menino will announce at a press conference today a $100,000 prize competition for Boston public school students that will include a trip to Paris.

The competition aims to promote innovation in the arts and sciences, and it will be open to 2,000 city high school students over the next three years.

The city will be working with the Cloud Foundation, a Boston nonprofit that provides arts education to underserved teenagers. The foundation has pledged $1 million for the competition.

"We will be encouraging young people to learn in a way that is incredibly relevant to the 21st century," said David Edwards, a scientist and founder of the organization.

Menino made reference to the competition last night in his State of the City speech.

"The students will learn how to develop and implement cutting-edge ideas," Menino said in a written statement. "This is exactly what drives Boston's dynamic economy, and what will strengthen our position as a hub of innovation in the years ahead."

Other partners in the competition include the Idea Translation Lab at Harvard University, Le Laboratoire in Paris, and Boston World Partnerships.

Students will work in teams to explore ideas and conduct experiments. They will receive mentoring and present their projects for judging. The winners will go to Paris for more research.