Have you ever made a sound with a soda bottle or banged on a garbage can and tried to imagine what other common place things could generate sounds?  Then the Invent an Instrument Contest is for you. 

It is offered by the Blue Man Group, and it asks students in grades 5-9 to invent an original musical instrument out of re-purposed or everyday objects.

The grand prize is $5,000 and a trip to New York.  The deadline is February 15, 2011.