Sealed Air Corporation, creator of Bubble Wrap brand cushioning, announced Lillith Bulawa, a seventh grader from Ava, N.Y., as the grand prize winner in the Fifth Annual Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors, a nationwide competition that encourages students in grades six through eight to design an invention that incorporates the use of Bubble Wrap brand cushioning. Bulawa was chosen from entries from all over the and was awarded a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond.

Bulawa was named the grand prize winner for her invention, “Floating ,” a garden that floats on top of water with the aid of Bubble Wrap cushioning. Bulawa developed her invention after reading about the many Americans that lost crops due to recent flooding across the country. This self-watering garden sits in a box atop a raft, which is made buoyant by Bubble Wrap material, and is designed to help save crops in flood zones.

“Lillith’s invention really shined during this competition,” says William V. Hickey, president and CEO, Sealed Air. “Lillith showed exceptional ingenuity and developed a very practical invention that can help with an issue that affects many Americans each year.”

At the Bubble WrapAwards Ceremony on Saturday, May 21, Sealed Air also announced the second and third place winners of the competition:

· Second Place Winner ($5,000 U.S. Savings Bond): Autumn Trogdon, Windsor, Calif.– “Cell Phone Holder” – An inexpensive, lightweight cell phone case made entirely of Bubble Wrap cushioning. It is created as a low cost way for keeping your phone safe.

· Third Place Winner ($3,000 U.S. Savings Bond): Mackenzie Conkling, Massapequa, N.Y. – “Uber Bubble Glove” – A glove insulated by two different layers of Bubble Wrap material and covered by a larger glove in order keep the hands of people affected by ailments like Raynaud’s Disease warm in cold weather.

“Each year we find it more and more challenging to select a grand prize winner as all the inventions submitted are outstanding,” says Hickey. “Although only one can go home with the grand prize, all of the inventors in this year’s Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors are winners and should be very proud of what they have accomplished.”

Sealed Air
(201) 791-7600
www.sealedair.com