Grand prize in UW-Whitewater's second annual Inventors Showcase and Competition went to three Baraboo men who developed a small device that attaches to a fishing rod and displays an orange flag when it detects a fish strike.

The men, Darin Carignan, Lawrence Carignan and Mark Carignan, and their company, Carignan Innovations, will receive $2,500 in product development research for their "Firstrike Fish Strike Indicator," (http://www.firstrikefishing.com/) from the Wisconsin Innovation Service Center, a national market research provider at UW-Whitewater.

The contest, with 24 inventors from seven states competing, was part of the center's Ideas to Profits conference held last week in Wisconsin Dells.

Other awards:

• Second place, worth $1,500 in development research. Shane Kendhammer and Frank Hammond of Viroqua, for "Handy Hitch," a trailer alignment system that lets one person hook up a trailer. http://www.handyhitchllc.com/

• Third place, $900 research. Grant Hanson of Glenwood, Ill., for "Snow Blower Push Frame," a cushion release system between a tractor and snow blower that lets the snow blower jump over obstacles.

• Special award for $1,000 in rapid prototyping services from the UW-Stout Center for Innovation and Development. Virgil Mathis of Chicago for "Ergonomic Adjustable Electronic Positioning Device," a push-button, voice-activated adjustment device for televisions, microwave ovens and medical equipment.

• Winner of up to $500 in intellectual property legal services from Boyle Fredrickson, Milwaukee. Craig and Susan Earsley of Nekoosa, for "Traileraway," a motor-driven apparatus that lifts and stores articles on a wall.

Click to read about Ben Hobbins - Featured Inventor & Winner of Popular Science's 2009 Top 10 Inventions