Ecowarriors required to make award-winning videos

High school students have the opportunity to be named the University of Adelaide Young Scientist of the Year and win themselves cash prizes by making a short video about an environmental problem or solution.

Entrants have to create a two- to five-minute video addressing one of Australia’s big environmental challenges. The overall winner will win $500 and $1000 for their school.

Professor Laura Parry, interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Adelaide says inspiring the next generation of future scientists to tackle environmental challenges such as climate change is critical in the pursuit of a sustainable planet.

“We are committed to helping young people take action to protect the future of our earth. This competition empowers students to have a platform to share their ideas and to connect them with global scientific leaders at the University,” she said.

“Students can choose any problem area for the video that relates to one of the following three topics - energy and critical minerals, wildlife conservation, or agriculture. Participants, who must be students in years 7-10 attending an Australian school, will develop skills as part of the competition.

“Movie making can show young ecowarriors how science can transform lives while building their communication skills so that they can effectively share their ideas.”

The student-focused website Careers with STEM has teamed up with the University for this competition. The website promotes STEM career pathways. The top prize winner will have their video published on the University of Adelaide and Careers with STEM websites and receive a letter of commendation from the University.

“We are committed to helping young people take action to protect the future of our earth. This competition empowers students to have a platform to share their ideas and to connect them with global scientific leaders at the University.”Professor Laura Parry

Charlotte Brisbin and Prefei Ren who will be entering the competition, are Year 10 students at St Aloysius College in Adelaide.

“We use video editing software across a lot of our curriculum, so the University’s Young Scientist of the Year competition is a great opportunity to present a topic we are passionate about it in a medium we understand and enjoy,” said Charlotte who will be making a video on solar energy.

"Biomass is one of the most effective but underappreciated ways of creating energy through waste. My group has produced a video to examine the ways biomass can be beneficial for the environment," says Prefei.

The top ten finalists will kick start their careers in STEM by having the opportunity to interview a scientist from the University who is an expert in the area of their interest.

Entries are open now and close Friday 29 October. Winners will be announced on Monday 6 December 2021.

For more information about the competition visit. sciences.adelaide.edu.au/young-scientist-of-the-year