Welcome to the Lit & Phil Invention Challenge 2026...

...and get ready to invent your own myths and legends for everyday life!

This year, we will discover how folk tales and legends helped our ancestors and create our own mythical inventions for modern day life.

Long ago, people believed strange creatures, magical places and mysterious inventions existed all around them, hidden in forests, wells, rivers and roads. These stories helped our ancestors understand the world around them.

Today we face different challenges like pollution, loneliness, climate change and misinformation, so perhaps we need new myths for modern life. What mythical inventions, hidden places, or legendary creatures might exist around us today? What do they do? Who do they help? Where are they found? How do they change everyday life?

It’s up to you to create the next legendary tale for modern life.

The Lit & Phil library in Newcastle holds over 200,000 books on all subjects from engineering, sciences to natural history and poetry. It is where Joseph Swan lit a public room with electrical light for the first time, and where the innovators of the day used to come together to debate ideas and demonstrate new inventions. The Lit & Phil will flick the switch of invention, partnering up with Little Inventors to nurture a new generation of North East Pioneers inspired by their legendary collections.

How do I get involved, we hear you ask?

Check out this event page to discover more about our Summer Outreach Programme and Autumn Schools Programme!

Or go to our challenge page to find out more details about this year’s theme, and to upload your idea.

On Saturday 12th July 2025, we unveiled the three inventions brought to life from our 2025 wildlife challenge as part of a day of celebrations and creative activities at the Lit & Phil.

Watch the short documentary below, capturing the many wonderful moments from the challenge

This project is funded by the Reece Foundation.