International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN 2026) | Report

The 11th International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN 2026) was held online, bringing together 763 entries from 55 countries and regions and concluding with its online Finals on August 29, 2026. Organized by the Toronto International Society of Innovation & Advanced Skills (TISIAS) and based in Toronto, Canada, the competition marked its seventh year of online delivery.

The program progressed from a six-month application period through preliminary screening and assessment to video-based Finals evaluation. Alongside the competition, the Finals program featured an official presentation movie, two keynote presentations, a catalogue, and the award winners list, bringing together project evaluation, recognition, and knowledge sharing.

Registration opened on January 15, 2026, and continued until July 15, following an extension of the original June 15 deadline. Applicants submitted a separate entry form for each invention or project, including written descriptions and supporting visuals to explain their work.

The competition received 816 applications before initial screening. The Organizing Committee and Jury reviewed submissions for completeness, eligibility, and appropriate content, resulting in 763 entries participating in the Preliminaries. These entries were then assessed for Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal Awards.

Following the preliminary stage, 652 entries qualified to proceed to the Finals. The process provided a clear progression from application and screening to medal assessment and eligibility for further evaluation.

Entrants who qualified for the Finals could choose to submit a video presentation for additional assessment. A total of 445 entries participated in this stage, presenting their inventions through video submissions reviewed by the Organizing Committee, Jury Members, and international delegation leaders. Selected footage was also incorporated into the iCAN 2026 Finals Movie.

The video-based stage complemented the written descriptions and supporting visuals submitted during registration. It gave qualifying participants a further opportunity to present their projects while providing the material used for Finals evaluation and the event’s collective presentation of inventions.

The distinction between the two stages is important to the competition’s results: 652 entries qualified for the Finals, while 445 proceeded to compete through video submissions. Together with the 763 preliminary entries, these figures document the different levels of participation across the 2026 program.

The Finals recognized inventions through several distinctions, including the Grand Prize, Semi-Grand Prize, Best Invention Awards, Canadian Special Awards, and International Special Awards sponsored by participating delegations. These complemented the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medal Awards assessed during the Preliminaries.

The Finals Award Winners List and official catalogue formed part of the August 29 program, alongside the Finals Movie. These resources documented the competition’s outcomes and provided a lasting presentation of the participating inventions and recognized achievements.

Rather than limiting the program to an announcement of awards, the Finals brought together evaluation results, project presentations, and educational content within a shared online format.

The 2026 competition welcomed entries from 55 countries and regions, reflecting participation from invention communities across the world. The official participation poster records the geographical breadth of the edition, with representation extending across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

The participation chart on page 4 of the official show report gives a more detailed breakdown of the 652 entries qualified to proceed to the Finals. Peru accounted for 24.23%, followed by Thailand with 13.04% and China with 9.05%. Hong Kong, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia each accounted for 6.60%. Malaysia, Vietnam, Poland, and Romania were also among the ten largest groups shown individually, while the remaining entries were grouped together.

These figures describe the entries eligible to advance, rather than the smaller group that ultimately competed through Finals video submissions. They offer a detailed picture of the international composition of the competition at the qualification stage.

TISIAS organized iCAN 2026, with national support from Innovation Initiative Co-operative Inc. “The Inventors’ Circle” and international support from the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA) and WIIPA. Patent Invention Magazine was also listed among the competition’s supporting organizations. IFIA’s involvement was that of an international supporting organization within this TISIAS-led event.

The wider network comprised 81 collaborating units and organizations worldwide, including invention associations, universities, research institutes, inventor clubs, and individual collaborators. This cooperation brought together a broad range of participants in the invention community around the competition and its international program.

The online edition of iCAN 2026 combined 763 preliminary entries, 652 Finals-qualified entries, and 445 video-based Finals submissions within a competition representing 55 countries and regions. Its program brought together staged evaluation, multiple award categories, expert presentations, and a collaborative network of 81 units and organizations.

With the August Finals completed, award-package distribution underway, and a year-end participant tribute planned, the eleventh edition continued beyond the evaluation process into documentation and celebration of its participants’ achievements. The resulting program offers a record not only of awards, but also of the international participation and cooperation that shaped iCAN 2026.