The Breakthrough Prize has announced the top 30 student semifinalists in the second annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge, and kicked off the 'Popular Vote' portion of the global competition, posting all videos online for public review at https://www.facebook.com/BreakthroughPrize.

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The 30 semifinalists represent the top submissions after two rounds of judging.

The first round was a mandatory peer review followed by an evaluation panel of Khan Academy judges.  The 30 semifinalists hail from the United States, United Kingdom, India, Canada, Indonesia, Peru, Venezuela, Australia, Brazil, Russian Federation, Costa Rica, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, the Philippines and Singapore.

More than 6,000 entries from 146 countries were received in the 2016 installment of the global competition for science and math students, designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, or mathematics.

All 30 semifinalists will compete in the 'Popular Vote' contest, open until Nov. 9 at 11:59 PM PT. 

The "Popular Vote" contest invites the public to vote for their favorite semifinalist submission at https://www.facebook.com/BreakthroughPrize. Votes can be cast by "liking," "sharing," or issuing a "positive reaction" to the videos on the official Breakthrough Prize Facebook page. 

The top scorer in the Popular Vote challenge will receive automatic entry into the finalist round, which will be revealed on Nov. 10. 

The finalists will be reviewed by the Selection Committee consisting of Breakthrough Prize laureates; author and educator Lucy Hawking; Dr. Mae Jemison, science literacy expert, former astronaut and Principal, 100 Year Starship and Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, The Gene and The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, among others.

The winner of the Breakthrough Junior Challenge will be announced at the 2017 Breakthrough Prize ceremony in early December, and will be awarded a $250,000 scholarship. 

The science teacher who inspired the winning student will win $50,000.  The winner's school will also receive a state-of-the-art science lab valued at $100,000.

For the second year, students ages 13 to 18 were invited to create original videos (up to five minutes in length) that illustrated a concept or theory in the physical or life sciences. The submissions were evaluated on the students' ability to communicate complex scientific ideas in the most engaging, illuminating, and imaginative ways.

Last year's winning submission was from 18 year-old Ryan Chester of North Royalton High School, Ohio.  Ryan's video, "Some Cool Ways to Understand the Special Theory of Relativity and What it Means About Time," explored Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity and was noted by judges for its humor and personality. 

The video was similarly popular among Ryan's peers, and received close to four million online views. In September, Ryan enrolled at Harvard University.

Breakthrough Junior Challenge is funded by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, and Yuri and Julia Milner, through the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, based on a grant from Mark Zuckerberg's fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and a grant from the Milner Global Foundation.

Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global initiative to develop and demonstrate young people's knowledge of science and scientific principles; generate excitement in these fields; support STEM career choices; and engage the imagination and interest of the public-at-large in key concepts of fundamental science.

TagsBreakthrough Junior Challenge, Breakthrough Prize, 'Popular Vote' contest, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Yuri and Julia Milner