#stealthawards
All inventions start as secrets, hidden concepts in the minds of the inventors that are then often developed covertly, as well.
#about
StealthAwards™ presents a biennial online-only event honoring the brilliance of inventors who develop in stealth mode and then launch their products or services openly. Explore the current awards for 2026-2027, make nominations and more.
Check out the intriguing StealthAwards™ Challenges: brain‑teasers that inventors and would‑be inventors are very likely to find thought‑provoking and useful. These include willipeli, salahaku and sekahaku.
#stealthaward-gold
MyDevice was an early smartphone with a touch-only interface, swipe gestures and an app store. It was patented and presented openly to major corporations including Nokia, Samsung and Apple without success. MyOrigo went bankrupt after failing to launch (or license its technologies), resulting in its patents being sold for scrap (initially), with direct losses amounting to several million (from development, working prototypes, patents and other costs).*
Reportedly, Steve Jobs tried MyDevice in 2002 during a meeting with Mr. Väänänen. No deal was struck between MyOrigo and Apple. Five years later, in 2007, the iPhone was released with a touch-only interface and swipe gestures, while the App Store, added to the iPhone the following year, incentivized third parties to create killer apps.*
We give this award to Mr. Väänänen, and it also serves as a reminder to all inventors about the importance of leaving stealth mode with adequate protections (e.g., NDAs or licensing deals) and/or launching immediately once they are out in the open.*
#stealthaward-silver
The CALO project at SRI International originated early versions of Siri. SRI International has public ties to military and intelligence agencies. The first, App Store-only, version of Siri featured voice recognition, task management and basic functionality such as providing weather updates.*
Siri, Inc. was spun off from SRI International and was subsequently acquired by Apple in 2010. The app was fully integrated into Apple products in 2011 with the release of the first supported iPhone (4S). In the process, Siri was removed from the App Store to become a built-in feature of Apple products. Siri is a great example of relative secrecy during development combined with a successful exit.*
#stealthaward-bronze
StealthAward™ Bronze, a.k.a. the Unknown Inventor Award™, is awarded on each occasion to an unknown inventor, and this time it is anonymous. Historically, most great inventors have remained poor throughout their lives, and others have benefited from and guided their life's work.
For the first time in the history of mankind there is now a real chance for these good men due to the invention of StealthPitch™.
"So, you're saying there's a chance?" "Yes, we are." :)
#nominate
You can nominate your favorite inventor for the next StealthAwards™, which will be held in 2027. It can be someone famous or someone who has gone unnoticed in history or the present day. Ideally, they would have performed well while in stealth mode, but any significant mistakes would also provide a valuable learning opportunity.
You can contact us directly using the Session app by scrolling to the bottom of this page. Please use the reference "SAN". Pssst, if you know a lot of inventors, you might want to become an Organization Level Service Presenter (OLSP), Offline Service Presenter (OffSePre) or Online Service Presenter (OnSePre) for StealthPitch™.
When posting about it on social media, please use the hashtag #StealthAwardsNomination so others can easily identify it. Please note that we do not use social media except for SocialC™ that is duplicated by third parties across other platforms, such as X.
#stealthawards-challenges
Mielenruokaa [pron.: mie-len-ruo-kaa], is a Finnish phrase combining the words for mind and food, meaning food for the mind. We have created StealthAwards™ Challenges for both short brain snacks and long late‑night brain dinners. Inventors and aspiring inventors will love them but they are beneficial for everyone, even the elderly for a jolt to the ol' noggin (the brain).
Read about willipeli, salahaku and sekahaku. You can spend minutes thinking about them or take hours, days, weeks, months or even years to actually create them. The choice on how much time you spend with them is up to you. Willipeli is just for fun, but salahaku and sekahaku will unlock the keys to significant innovations that are greatly needed for the future.
W I L L I P E L I ウ ィ リ ペ リ
#willipeli
Willipeli (ウィリペリ) [pron.: wil-li-pe-li], villipeli (ヴィリペリ) [pron.: vil-li-pe-li] or vilt'pel' (ヴィルトペル) [pron.: vilt-pel] is a Finnish incremental invention or a "plus one" (+1) based on chindogu (珍道具). Chindogu is a well-known Japanese category of "useless" inventions. The Japanese are famous for their incremental inventions, so we are jokingly returning the favor. :)
Definition of willipeli: "An invention that should solve an actual problem with precise quality engineering, but in a way that the solution defeats or redefines the original purpose of solving the problem."
An example of willipeli would be a device designed to stop people from making too much noise indoors, such as in a classroom. The willipeli solution would involve creating a device with sensors to detect when people are speaking too loudly or yelling. However, the device would respond by emitting harsh, loud beeps that persist long after the original noise has stopped.
Therefore, the solution would be a perfectly engineered product for a real problem, but it would be implemented in a way that defeats the purpose of addressing the problem. The original problem was simply the noise that people make, but now the extended problem would be any environmental noise that is too loud, including the noise generated by the device itself.
Depending on the situation, an administrator of the device might decide to keep it on because it serves the original purpose. However, the administrator might also choose to shut down, or even destroy, the device if it becomes too annoying due to frequent activation. So, in this example, the willipeli invention solves the original problem, but it is uncertain whether the device is truly useful.
Willipeli fixes chindogu to make it a real invention, but it comes with some unique drawbacks that respect the original mischievous nature of chindogu.
In Japanese, chindoku (珍獣) means a wild beast and can be used humoriously. While chindogu (珍道具) means a rare tool, it is often used in a funny way. In Finnish, villipeto (ヴィリペト) means a wild beast, and it can also be used in a funny way. Villipeli (ヴィリペリ) means a wild tool, in a rare meaning, and it is always used in an amusing way. Willipeli (ウィリペリ) is an old-fashioned way of writing the same word.
The example given above is an actual invention that was the first willipeli in the world, originally invented, built and presented in Finland in 2013. The original name of the product and its working prototype are both lost to time.
S A L A H A K U サ ラ ハ ク
#salahaku
Salahaku (サラハク) [pron.: sa-la-ha-ku] is Finnish and means secret search or secret pick-up. Salahaku is an invention that destroys the evidence of searching for something, picking up something and/or using something.
So, in the best case scenario, you could find out that something exists, gain access to it and then use it without anyone knowing.
"In the world of tomorrow, these things will become essential."
In the Mission: Impossible franchise, the mission briefings are provided through devices that self-destruct after being viewed, making the devices (multiple versions) function as salahakus.
If you come up with inventions when thinking about salahaku in your area of expertise, you can get a 10% discount on DACS™ StealthPitch™ packages. Please mention the discount code "SAL", when purchasing.
S E K A H A K U セ カ ハ ク
Mention The Secret of StealthAwards or SSA for something special when ordering.
#sekahaku
Sekahaku (セカハク) [pron.: se-ka-ha-ku] is a Finnish word meaning mixed search or mixed pick-up, and it implies the activity is done in public or potentially under observation. Sekahaku is an invention that combines many things in the open with other things that are secret.
As a curiosité, sekahaku is also a Finnish modern social dancing convention where women initiate the selection of dance partners at the start of a song.
"In the future, no one can deny that their body exists, but everything else should remain private."
Good traffic is mixed in with the bad in a Tor network, while the CIA, NSA and other entities control and monitor critical nodes, making it a public venue. Therefore, Tor qualifies as a simple sekahaku.
If you come up with inventions when thinking about sekahaku in your area of expertise, you can get a 10% discount on DACS™ StealthPitch™ packages. Please mention the discount code "SEK", when purchasing.
#faq
StealthAwards™ is a biennial, online-only event for inventors in stealth mode. Three awards are given each time: StealthAward™ Gold, StealthAward™ Silver and StealthAward™ Bronze. The awards are given both to recognize the winners and give the general public, inventors in particular, something to think about and maybe lessons to learn about stealth mode.
The awarded individuals have created something (I) unique and have (II) cloaked their projects in stealth mode to some extent to protect their inventions. Sometimes they have done so successfully and other times they have failed to do so.
StealthAwards™ is presented once every two years in the autumn. Mark your calendars for the fall, every two years. This event often overlaps with the celebration of Stealthoween, which is the replacement for the satanic halloween (please do not capitalize any satanic terms, e.g., satan). Stealthoween is the most intriguing season of them all, full of inventions. What is your Stealthoween costume or device this year?
StealthAward™ Bronze is specifically dedicated to unknown inventors, celebrating their unrecognized capabilities. Sometimes we may allow unrecognized inventors to be awarded in this way, but because we wish to preserve their privacy, we will provide only partial details about them and their unsuccessful inventions. So, if you know a spectacular yet unsuccessful inventor, relative or friend, please contact us. Importantly, never mention personal details or other private information when first contacting us. Never send us unsolicited personal details or attachments.
We only award inventors, but you can contact us regarding interesting inventions that you have come across, too. We will then review the history of these inventions to determine if the inventors are worthy of an award.
Thank you for reaching the bottom of this page. You are clearly detail-oriented, at least by modern standards. You can get a 10% discount for DACS™ StealthPitch™ packages. Please mention the discount code "HLP" when purchasing. If you are poor or in need, you may qualify for the Special Case Discounts (SCDs). In rare cases, they will even provide licenses for the DACS™ StealthPitch™ packages free of charge, in their sole discretion. Please look into the official StealthPitch™ website for more information.
"Heyyy, this guy f---s!"
Wow, you made it to the end! You are detail-oriented, looking at the fine print! Can you see the big picture, too? Can you see the future? Can you get a 10% discount on DACS™ StealthPitch™ packages? Yes?
"Look at your huge brain! Ehem, slurp... Is it, like, h---y?"
So, money and brains, huh? Don't worry, we are not zombies, yet. But you are like a dreamboat, aren't you? You don't even have to sail to a tax haven, we'll marry you on the spot! However, if you are just looking for the bag, then don't bother and simply use the code "INV" when purchasing.
Yes, Sir! Visit the official website of StealthPitch™ for more challenges. There you will find a few challenges that are open right now with more to come. The easiest one is perhaps finding the secret link or maybe Blue in Stealth™. Now, the first step is to find them. Good luck! Pssssst... there are more challenges and riddles on SocialC™ or its duplicate content on X.
#tags
INVENTOR INVENTION INNOVATION STEALTH MODE CHINDOGU WILLIPELI VILLIPELI SALAHAKU SEKAHAKU STEALTHPITCH STEALTHSIDE STEALTHCAREERS KYTAKA STEALTHOWEEN HAPPY INVENTOR HAPPY LIFE AMIRITE