Win $25K in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge!

Lights, camera, action! Grade 6-8 kids entering the 3M Young Scientist Challenge have a chance to win $25,000! Upload a short video for a chance to compete in a live, head-to-head final at 3M Corporate Headquarters. Top 10 winners receive $1,000 each, everyone gets prizes and personalized mentoring from a 3M scientist. See the teacher letter and contest overview for more info. Teachers should encourage specific students and Science Olympiad team members to enter by presenting the Nomination Certificate below. This is an experience of a lifetime! 2023 Contest Due date: April 27, 2023! Finalists announced!

2023 suggested Thought Starters centered around improving life in the future via health, safety, mobility, community, the environment, and energy consumption innovation -- topics aligned to all 23 of the current Division B Science Olympiad events. Here's what you need to enter the 2023 Competition, in partnership with Discovery Education:

2022 Competition

Congratulations to the 2022 3M Young Scientist Challenge winner Leanne Fan from Science Olympiad member school Mesa Verde Middle School in San Diego, CA! She invented Finsen Headphones that detect and treat a mid-ear infection using machine learning and blue light therapy – potentially preventing up to 60% of hearing loss in children. Two other Top 10 Finalists were from Science Olympiad Schools: Stoller Middle School in Beaverton, OR and 3rd Place winner Shanzi Sami from Northwest JHS in Iowa City, Iowa. Congrats to all!

    2021 Competition

    Check out the Top 10 Finalists in the 2021 Competition, announced 6/24/21! Seven of the 10 middle schools are Science Olympiad members! Congrats to Sarah Park from The Bolles School for winning the 2021 3M Young Scientist Challenge with her music therapy innovation. The second and third place winners came from Science Olympiad team schools: Samarth Mahapatra from Dodgen Middle School in Marietta, Georgia, and Snightha Mahanraj from Engineering and Science University Magnet in West Haven, Connecticut. Wow!

      2020 Competition

      Check out the Top 10 Finalists in the 2020 Competition! Congrats to Anika Chebrolu of Nelson Middle School in Texas for winning the 2020 3M Young Scientists Challenge!

      2019 Competition

      Another Science Olympiad School Winner! Kara Fan from Mesa Verde Middle School in San Diego wins $25,000 in the 2019 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her liquid bandage innovation! See more on Kara from the CBS Morning News and Women You Should Know.

      The Top 3 Finalists all came from Science Olympiad team schools: Kara Fan, Caroline Crouchley from Garden City Middle School in Garden City, New York, and Jordan Prawira from Altamont Elementary in Mountain House, California! Other Science Olympiad program schools placed in the top 10 including Canton Charter Academy in Michigan, Harker Middle School in California and Community Middle School in New Jersey. Make sure to check out their inventions and watch for the 2020 competition challenge! The winner could be YOU!

      2018 Competition

      2018 YSC winner

      Another Science Olympiad School Winner! Rishab Jain from Stoller Middle School in Portland, Oregon wins the 2018 3M Young Scientist Challenge! 

      Congrats to all the 2018 Finalists and the winner, Rishab Jain, from Oregon, who won for his Pancreatic Cancer Deep Learning System. The Top 3 Finalists came from Science Olympiad team schools: Rishab Jain from Stoller Middle School in Portland, Oregon; Mehaa Amirthalingam from Sartartia Middle School in Sugar Land, Texas; and Leo Wylonis from Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Other Science Olympiad program schools placed in the top 10 (Paul Revere Middle School in Santa Monica, California and DeSana Middle School in Alpharetta, Georgia). Make sure to check out their inventions and watch for the 2019 competition challenge! The winner could be YOU!

      2017 Competition

      Congrats to all the 2017 Finalists and the winner, Gitanjali Rao from Colorado, who won for her rapid water-based lead detection mobile app. Four of Top 10 Finalists came from Science Olympiad team schools: Laalitya Acharya from Mason Middle School in Ohio, Austin Crouchley from Garden City Middle School in Connecticut, Allie Weber (follow her on Twitter at @robotmakergirl) from Edison Middle School in South Dakota and Devin Willis from Henderson University School in Florida. Their inventions are incredible and inspiring! 

      2016 Competition

      Maanasa Mendu, a Science Olympiad team member from Mason Middle School in Mason, OH, wins the 2016 Discovery 3M Young Scientist Challenge with her Harvest bio-inspired energy device, and Rohan Wagh from Stoller MS in Portland, OR, takes second! 2016 Top 10 Finalists included four Science Olympians in the Top 10 including Maanasa, Rohan, Sofia Tomov from Knoxville, TN and Rohit Mahal from Rochester Hills, MI. Congrats to all who participated!

      2015 Competition

      Hannah Herbst, a Science Olympiad team member from Henderson University School in Boca Raton, Florida, wins the 2015 Discovery 3M Young Scientist Challenge with her Ocean Energy Probe idea! 2015 Top 10 Finalists announced: Science Olympiad team member Sanjana Shah from JFK Middle School in Cupertino, CA, was one of the Top 10 Finalists, and two other finalists hail from schools with Science Olympiad programs: Joaquin Miller MS in San Jose, CA, and Collegiate School in New York, NY. Congrats to all who participated!

      2013 and 2014 Competitions

      Congrats to the 2014 champ, Sahil Doshi of Ft. Couch Middle School in Pittsburgh, PA! Students from two schools with Science Olympiad teams were in the YSC 2014 Top Ten: Stratford Middle School in San Jose, CA and J. Michael Lunsford Middle School in South Riding, VA. When finalists and winners were announced for 2013, Peyton Robertson from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, was crowned the overall champion. Way to go, Peyton! Three Science Olympiad current and former team members were in the Top 10 - Peyton Robertson; Timmy DeMember from Monrovia, MD and Edward Kim from Waco, TX. Science Olympiad finalists won special prize packs in addition to cash awards and prizes.

      2012 Competition

      Congratulations to the three Science Olympiad team members who were Top 10 Finalists in the 2012 Discovery 3M Young Scientist Challenge! Each student won $1,000, an expenses-paid trip to the Finals at 3M headquarters in St. Paul, MN, and an innovation-themed mentoring experience with a 3M scientist. Science Olympiad finalists also received a special prize pack containing autographed items from former Science Olympiad participant and Discovery Channel Storm Chaser Reed Timmer.

      • Placing 3rd overall was Anin Sayana from Challenger School in Cupertino, California
      • Placing 4th overall was Anishaa Sivakumar from Franklin Middle School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania
      • Top 10 Finalist was Brandon Gong from Garden City Middle School in Garden City, New York

      From 2008 to 2010, Science Olympiad qualified 26 semifinalists and eight finalists in the competition - great job, Science Olympiad!

      2010 Competition

      Congratulations to the 2010 Second Place Winner, Science Olympiad's Sydney Clark of the Clark Academy of Science and Art Homeschool in Texas! Sydney won $1,000, a trip to the set of MythBusters, an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City and a prize backpack.

      Semifinalists now announced! Ten Science Olympiad students from the following schools were semifinalists in the 2010 YSC: Phenix City Intermediate School, AL; Horace Mann Arts & Science MS, AR; HB DuPont MS, DE; Mid-Prairie Homeschool, IA; Treasure Valley Math & Science Center, ID; Germantown MS, Madison, MS; Providence Day School, NC; JT Lambert Intermediate, PA; Clark Academy of Science & Art, TX; Sperreng MS, MO. 

      Creative Division B Science Olympiad students entered the Discovery 3M Young Scientist Challenge (YSC) by May 27, 2010 for a chance to show the world their amazing science ideas in a 90-second video. Our special partnership allows all Division B teams advancing to the Science Olympiad State Tournament two nominations for automatic quarterfinal status and one guaranteed Science Olympiad spot in the Top 10!  The 2010 finals will again be held in New York City in October, with prizes including amazing trips and cash scholarships up to $25,000.   

      At the 2010 Science Olympiad National Tournament, middle school students were treated to an on-site movie studio, courtesy of Discovery YSC!  On the Friday before the tournament, top competitors from 60 schools were invited to film their own interpretations of solutions to a range of current science challenges. Cool!

      Topics for the 2010 YSC include preventing the spread of disease, food safety, sun protection and wind resistant structures and align with many Science Olympiad events like Disease Detectives, Physical Science Lab (Wind Power), Bio-Process Lab and Elevated Bridge.

      2008 & 2009 Competitions

      In 2009, two Science Olympiad participants tied for 2nd place in the YSC Competition finals -- Nikita Guarav from Beaverton Valley Catholic School in Oregon and Nico Seamons Cottonwood Valley Charter School in New Mexico!  Congratulations to the other finalists in the Top Ten from HB duPont Middle School in Delaware and Northport Middle School in New York. 

      In 2008, three Science Olympians from IL, NJ and MN placed in the Top 10 and won $1,000 each, a trip to Washington, DC, and extras like a visit to San Francisco's Treasure Island to meet with Discovery engineers on "Prototype This".