Breakthrough Junior Challenge
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a HIGHLY prestigious annual global competition for students that is intended to inspire creative thinking about science. Students ages 13 to 18 from countries across the globe are invited to create and submit original videos (3 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. Excellent video editing abilities and the inclusion of video special effects which further explain your concept are a huge advantage.
The Challenge is organized by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. The Breakthrough Prize was created to honor achievements in physics, life sciences and math and was founded by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Yuri and Julia Milner and Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan.
The prizes are seriously incredible. If your video is chosen as the winner, in addition to international kudos and serious resume wow factor, you will receive:
$250,000 post-secondary/college scholarship
$50,000 prize for your math or science teacher
$100,000 Breakthrough Science Lab
How Do I Get Started? Go to their website for instructions on how to participate and what your video should contain.
How do I expand on this narrative arc? Link this competition with some of the following activities to create a seriously impressive story. Ideally, the subject matter of your video will link to one of your specific academic scientific interests and you can make that clear.
Attend a selective maths or science summer program related to the subject of your video like the SUMAC Camp at Stanford.
Enter the Harvard MIT Math Competition.
Pursue a citizen science project that is low effort but linked to the subject of your video. For example if you did a video on particle physics, consider becoming a Muon Hunter and help identify Muons. Then take your interest further and build your own low cost Muon detector at home! For simple step by step directions go to the Cosmic Watch website. The cost? Only around $100!
Hot Tip: As you might imagine competition for this big prize is fierce but there are many runner up and finalist awards that will also add serious resume benefits. Even just participating in this competition would give you a lot to talk about. For an even more cohesive story, link it with an interest in video editing and creation.