Pioneered by the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka in 1980, the Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY) competition promotes creativity and ingenuity among school children in the age group 12 to 19 years from schools all over Sri Lanka participate.  Awareness creation sessions conducted by the IESL precede the competitions. Those selected at the preliminary competitions get to participate in the final competition held in August. JIY finalists are facilitated to display their inventions at the JIY Stall at the annual flagship event of the IESL, the Techno, Sri Lanka Exhibition held in October