Just days after launching sales of her summer-themed 3D-printed fidgets, Adelaide Martin stood before a panel of judges with an update few young entrepreneurs can give.
She had already received 35 orders.
The Grade 4 student from SLI The Sidney Ledson School shared the milestone during the National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge while presenting Adelaide's Summer Food Fidgets, a growing collection of colourful 3D-printed fidget toys inspired by favourite summer treats. By the end of the competition, Adelaide's combination of creativity, research, perseverance, and real-world execution had earned her two significant honours: 2026 Grade 3/4 Division Winner and 2026 Community Choice Winner, the latter determined through audience voting.
Her business features products including an ice cream pass-through fidget, a watermelon clicker fidget, and a popsicle tracks fidget. Rather than stopping with a single collection, Adelaide has already planned future seasonal releases for fall, winter, and spring, creating opportunities for returning customers and continued growth.
What impressed judges was not simply the product itself, but the thought process behind it.
Adelaide carefully calculated production costs, licensing fees, packaging expenses, delivery costs, maintenance expenses, and profit margins before determining pricing. She also conducted customer surveys to better understand what potential buyers were willing to pay and used the results to guide business decisions.
Judge Mia Torr highlighted the strength of Adelaide's research and praised her use of customer feedback throughout the development process. During the discussion, Adelaide explained that she surveyed classmates, teachers, parents, family members, and older students. She even noticed that older respondents generally suggested higher price points than younger respondents, an observation she incorporated into her pricing strategy.
The project also demonstrated an important lesson that many entrepreneurs spend years learning.
Not every version of a product works perfectly the first time.
During her presentation, Adelaide openly discussed early durability issues that led to customer refunds. Rather than becoming discouraged, she revised her designs, improved the manufacturing process, and continued refining the products.
That experience helped shape one of the lessons she took away from the challenge.
"It's not the making of an idea, it's the remaking of an idea that leads to success."
That philosophy was evident throughout her presentation and resonated with both judges and audience members alike.
Judge Luke Vesz praised the growing collection of seasonal products, Adelaide's website, and the fact that she had already begun generating real sales. He noted that the expanding product lineup creates opportunities for repeat customers and suggested social media and customer-created videos as potential avenues for future growth.
One aspect of the project that particularly stood out was Adelaide's willingness to learn new skills along the way.
When reflecting on her experience after the event, she identified website development as her favourite part of the challenge.
"My favourite part of the challenge was designing the website," she shared. "It was new for me and very exciting to learn."
The website became more than just a place to display products. It gave Adelaide an opportunity to learn about digital marketing, customer communication, and online business operations while building something she could continue growing beyond the competition.
Customers can also request custom colours and designs, allowing Adelaide's business to offer personalized products while maintaining a locally produced, Canadian-made approach.
While the National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge provided an opportunity to present her business to judges, Adelaide's entrepreneurial journey is already continuing beyond the competition.
She plans to host her first public sales booth at the Biidaasige Park Dino Run Market on July 11, 2026, where visitors will have the opportunity to see her products firsthand and meet the young entrepreneur behind them.
For Adelaide, the challenge was never just about creating a product. It was about learning new skills, listening to customers, improving with each iteration, and transforming an idea into something people genuinely wanted to buy.
By earning both the judges' top honour in the Grade 3/4 Division and the support of the audience through the Community Choice Award, Adelaide Martin demonstrated that some of the most valuable entrepreneurial lessons can begin with a simple idea, a willingness to learn, and the determination to keep improving.