Deadline: 7 June 2011
Open to: young scientists who have been designated by their respective national jury aged 14 – 21 from the countries below
Prizes: 3 First Prizes worth €7000 each, 3 Second Prizes worth €5000 each, 3 Third Prizes worth €3500 each
Objectives
The European Union (EU) Contest for Young Scientists, an initiative of the European Commission, was set up to promote the ideals of co-operation and interchange between young scientists. The Contest is the annual showcase of the best of European student scientific achievement and as such attracts widespread media interest.
The EU Contest gives students the opportunity to compete with the best of their contemporaries at European level.
The young scientists also have the chance to meet others with similar abilities and interests and to be guided by some of the most prominent scientists in Europe. In this way, the Commission seeks to strengthen the efforts made in each participating country to attract young people to careers in science and technology.
This year’s contest is being held in Helsinki from 23-28 September.
How to present a project?
The EU Contest for Young Scientists accepts project entries from all fields of scientific endeavour. Only projects that have been nominated by the National Organiser in each participating country are admissible. Contestants shall provide a written project, and a project suitable for display in a public exhibition.
What research can / cannot be accepted?
Contestants will set up their project for display. The project must both conform to the strictest safety requirements and be suitable for public display. A project that in any way can be construed to be a threat to either animal or human health will be withdrawn from the Contest. In particular experiments that involve radioactive substances, dangerous equipment, toxic and carcinogenic materials are all excluded from public display.
Projects that involve experiments with living animals shall only be accepted on non-human vertebrate and invertebrate animals when non-invasive experimentation has been conducted.
Eligibility
Only young scientists who have been designated by their respective national jury can participate in the EU Contest. In each country, the National Organizer is responsible for nominating the projects, and therefore the contestants, which are entered for the EU Contest.
Projects may have been worked upon by individual participants or by teams of not more than three people. The rules concerning age and education requirements are applicable to all members of a project team. Where a team is involved all members of the team must be represented at the Contest so the Jury can conduct a thorough evaluation of their combined efforts.
The contestants must conform to the following requirements:
– must be less than 21 years of age on the last day of the month of the EU contest (September) but more than 14 years of age on the first day of the month of the EU contest (September);
– have not completed more than one year of higher education studies at the time of the Contest;
– have not previously participated in the EU Contest, even if the project intended for presentation is different;
– have completed their project before entering university.
Contestants are drawn from:
– the 27 EU Member States
– associated and other States: Belarus, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.
– European Schools
– international Guests: Canada, China, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, United States of America
Prizes
The contestants compete on the basis of their work and interviews with the Jury for nine Core Prizes.
In addition to this, a limited number of Honorary Awards and Special Donated Prizes are also awarded to the contestants where, in the judgement of the jury, they would benefit from the specific experiences that these prizes offer. The core prizes are:
* Three First Prizes worth €7000 each
* Three Second Prizes worth €5000 each
* Three Third Prizes worth €3500 each
Honorary Awards
Include all-expenses-paid trips to: the London International Youth Science Forum and the Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar.
Special Donated Prizes
Include a five-day visit of a technical and cultural nature to for instance, the European Patent Office in Munich etc.
Application Process
Deadline: 7 June 2011
The National Organisers are responsible for selecting projects, submitting applications, and for all communication with the Commission.
Only National Organisers can put in entries, i.e. the winners of Contests organised at national level.
Each project consists of a technical written report and display materials, models, etc. Each country may submit up to 3 projects, with a maximum of 6 contestants (aged between 14 and 21). At the Contest, the contestants set up their project in a display stand in the Science Exhibition Hall and are required to answer questions from members of the scientific jury. The Science Exhibition is open to the public and contestants are encouraged to explain their projects.
Contacts
DG RTD.L- EU Contest for Young Scientists
DG Research
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
For more information see here and here.
The official webpage.
