Turn junk into $1,500

Sometimes I fall asleep at night thinking of ways I can tweak old objects and give them new purposes. Most of those ideas drift away overnight and never come to fruition.

But when I see that someone is handing out money for those projects, I’m a bit more motivated to wake up and write them down.

Uncommon Goods, that super-cool online store through which I bought my reusable coffee cup a couple years ago, is giving away $1,500 for the best design idea that turns old auto parts into a new product they could sell. You don’t even have to make the product—just send in a sketch (or, do make the product and send in a photo or video of it, if that’s easier for you).

Entries are due April 22, so get crackin’. A panel will choose three finalists that will be voted on by Uncommon Goods’ Facebook fans. The winner will be announced April 30, and then Uncommon Goods will begin manufacturing and selling the triumphant design.

Read Uncommon Goods’ rules for more details, and then belly up to the bar at Zola , where Spokane artist/developer Dan Spalding has creatively transformed junk from his family’s auto-scrap yard into a very cool space. Inspiration galore!