YOUTH SCIENCE CANADA
230 Canadian students share $1.3 million in scholarships and awards at 2024 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Ottawa

Being inquisitive pays off. That's the main message coming out of the 2024 Canada-Wide Science Fair held in Ottawa last week, Canada's largest annual youth STEM event. On May 30, close to 900 people attended the awards ceremony where a total of $1.3 million in awards, prizes and scholarships was presented to 230 students from coast to coast. The event's Best Project Award in Discovery went to Ann Wang from Vancouver for her project, "Eradicating Cystic Fibrosis Biofilms by a Novel Non-Toxic, Multi-Pathway Salicylate Therapy", while Best Project in Innovation went to Angela Cao, also from Vancouver, for her project "S2S: AI-Powered Translation Between Sign and Spoken Languages".  

"Congratulations to every finalist who shared their discoveries and innovations this week. Every student who engages their curiosity and develops a project should be celebrated." said Reni Barlow, executive director at Youth Science Canada, organizers of the event. "The awards and scholarships recognize those who dare to ask tough questions and tackle challenging problems. These top winners continue to inspire and underscore the potential for youth to develop innovative solutions for future challenges - this is the why behind what we do."

Top winners, selected by over 250 judges, include:

Best Project Awards

Best Project: Discovery
Ann Wang from Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, for Eradicating Cystic Fibrosis Biofilms by a Novel Non-Toxic, Multi-Pathway Salicylate Therapy.
Link to project

Best Project: Innovation
Angela Cao from Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, for S2S: AI-Powered Translation Between Sign and Spoken Languages.
Link to project

Platinum Awards - Discovery

Best Junior (grade 7/8)
Sarah Bykewich from Edmonton, Alberta, for Electroculture.
Link to project

Best Intermediate (grade 9/10)
Tanvir Mundra from Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, for Reviving Resources: Harnessing Soap Nut Greywater for Sustainable Plant Growth.
Link to project

Platinum Awards - Innovation

Best Junior (grade 7/8)
Evan Budz from Bay Area, Ontario, for Virtual Lifeguard: A Novel AI Approach to Drowning Prevention.
Link to project

Best Intermediate (grade 9/10)
Kathy Han from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for Designing Biomimetic Nanovesicles for Cancer Treatment.
Link to project