Every year, high schoolers around the world create short, compelling videos about science and math in the hopes of winning the Breakthrough Junior Challenge. June 25 was the final date to submit entries for this year’s competition. Now, the countdown begins to see who will become the 2023 Breakthrough Junior Challenge winner.
Along with the Breakthrough Prize and the Breakthrough Initiatives, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a project from the mind of Yuri Milner. The Giving Pledge signatory supports these projects through his Breakthrough Foundation, which also funds his non-profit Tech For Refugees. Tech For Refugees works with major partners like Spotify and Airbnb.org to bring refugees worldwide essential aid.
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge at a Glance
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global competition open to anyone aged 13 to 18. To enter the Challenge, teens must create and submit an original video (two minutes long at most) that illuminates a complex idea from science or math.
The competition welcomes engaging videos that use visual tools (like animation) to bring entrants’ ideas to life.
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge winner receives:
- A $250,000 post-secondary scholarship.
- A science laboratory worth $100,000 for their school.
- A $50,000 prize for their teacher.
Information about how to enter the competition is available on the Breakthrough Junior Challenge website.
Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Foundation
Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Foundation funds and organizes the Breakthrough Junior Challenge. The Tech For Refugees founder established the Breakthrough Foundation in 2012 to follow through on his Giving Pledge.
Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates created the Giving Pledge to encourage the world’s wealthiest to donate to charitable causes. When Yuri Milner signed the Giving Pledge, he committed to supporting fundamental science and scientists.
In addition to the Breakthrough Junior Challenge and Tech For Refugees, the Breakthrough Foundation supports:
- The Breakthrough Prize. The world’s largest scientific award, the Breakthrough Prize celebrates today’s top scientists and mathematicians. Each Breakthrough Prize laureate receives a $3 million prize.
- The Breakthrough Initiatives. A set of five space science programs, the Breakthrough Initiatives seek answers to the mysteries of the Universe. The Breakthrough Initiatives have received support from famous individuals like Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg.
Brilliant Teens Who Have Won the Breakthrough Junior Challenge
In 2015, 18-year-old Ryan Chester from the U.S. became the first-ever winner of the Breakthrough Junior Challenge. His video unpacked Einstein’s special theory of relativity through clever visuals and animation.
Since then, eight more teenagers have won the competition:
- Antonella Masini, aged 18, from Peru, won the Challenge in 2016 with her video about quantum entanglement.
- Deanna See, aged 17, from Singapore, was also a 2016 Challenge winner. Her video explored humanity’s race against antimicrobial resistance.
- Hillary Diane Andales, aged 18, from the Philippines, won the Challenge in 2017 with her video about relativity and the equivalence of reference frames.
- Samay Godika, aged 16, from India, became the 2018 Challenge winner thanks to his video about circadian rhythms.
- Jeffery Chen, aged 17, from the U.S., won the Challenge in 2019 with his video on neutrino astronomy.
- Maryam Tsegaye, aged 17, from Canada, became the 2020 Challenge winner with a video about quantum tunneling.
- Amber Kwok, aged 18, from Mauritius, won the Challenge in 2021. Her video discussed van der Waals forces and the Casimir effect.
- Noor Haideri, aged 16, from the U.S., is the most recent winner of the Breakthrough Junior Challenge. She won the competition in 2022 with her video about how light influences our sleep cycle.
Learn more about the Breakthrough Junior Challenge’s past winners.
