Breakthrough Junior Challenge

Scholarship Sponsored by Breakthrough Prize Foundation

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is an annual global competition for students to inspire creative thinking about science. Students ages 13 to 18 from countries across the globe are invited to create and submit original videos (2:00 minutes in length maximum) that bring to life a concept or theory in the life sciences, physics or mathematics. 

The submissions are judged on the student’s ability to communicate complex scientific ideas in engaging, illuminating, and imaginative ways. The Challenge is organized by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, and was founded by Julia and Yuri Milner as part of their Giving Pledge to support science and the communication of scientific ideas.

Breakthrough Prize

The Breakthrough Prize was created to honor important advancements in the categories of Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics. The Breakthrough Prizes are sponsored by foundations established by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. The Breakthrough Prize aims to celebrate the best scientific work and inspire the next generation of scientists.

CRITERIA

Your video will be judged according to the following criteria:

Engagement

• Did the video capture the viewer’s interest? Did the viewer want to keep watching the video to the end?

Illumination

• Did the video explain the subject matter clearly, allowing the viewer to develop a genuine understanding of the video’s content? Did the video demonstrate a rigorous dive into the subject matter?

Creativity

• Did the entrant make an effort to approach the subject matter in an innovative or creative way?

Difficulty

• Is the subject matter challenging? Is the subject typically taught at high school level or beyond?