What is Odyssey of the Mind? 

The Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program whose mission 
is to provide creative problem-solving opportunities for students from 
kindergarten through college. Through solving open-ended problems, students 
develop creative thinking skills that can be applied to real-life situations. 
Teams from throughout the U.S. and more than 25 other countries participate in 
the program.

A Creative Experience

Direct from odysseyofthemind.com 'A Creative Experience' features testimony 
from teachers, parents, coaches, and team members who talk about the benefits 
and rewards of participation. Includes problem footage filmed at past World 
Finals. It's a great way to get others excited about the program!

The 10 minute video can be viewed at:
http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/shop/showitem.php?id=389

Odyssey In-Depth - FLYP Media Profile

An in-depth look at the Odyssey of the Mind experience from 
FLYP magazine. Go inside Odyssey's World Finals and get to know what it is all 
about with video, long-term problems, and photos.

Odyssey In-Depth on FLYP: http://www.flypmedia.com/issues/plus/11/#1/1

How does it work?

Schools or community groups purchase a membership and form teams of up to 
seven students. Each team chooses one of five competitive problems to solve. 
The problems appeal to a wide range of interests; some are technical in 
nature, while others are artistic or performance-oriented. Under the guidance 
of an adult coach, teams work on their solutions throughout the school year 
and, if they choose, present them in organized competitions in the spring. The 
"friendly" competitive aspect encourages students to be the best that they can 
be.

What are the competition levels?

In the U.S., the first level of competition is ususally within a region of a 
state. Teams who place are invited to participate in the annual Odyssey of the 
Mind World Finals, where they compete with tems from countries around the 
world, including Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Kazakhstan, 
Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore and Uzbekistan. New countries join the 
program every year.

How are teams judged in competition?

Thousands of volunteers from around the world judge the competitions and serve 
in various positions to help make the tournaments a success. Teams are scored 
for their long-term problem solution, how well they solve a "spontaneous" 
problem on the spot, and "Stlye" -- the elaboration of their long-term problem 
solution.

Who runs the Odyssey of the Mind?

Not-for-profit organizations administer the Odyssey of the Mind program in 
each participating U.S. state and country. Each organization is run by a local 
Association Director. The organizations are licensed by Creative Competitions, 
Inc. (CCI), which provides all the problems and materials necessary to run 
training sessions and tournaments.

How did Odyssey of the Mind get its start?

Odyssey of the Mind was created by Dr. C. Samuel Micklus, Professor Emeritus 
at Rowan University in New Jersey. In 1978, 28 New Jersey schools participated 
in the very first creative problem-solving competition ever. "Dr. Sam" still 
develops all problems for the program, along with his son, Sammy, President of 
CCI.