Science Art and design Scholarships and challenges
Breakthrough Junior Challenge
Explain a hard scientific idea in a three-minute video, for a $250,000 scholarship package.
Run by Breakthrough Prize Foundation
Key facts
- Eligible grades
-
Not confirmed. Check the organiser's rules before entering.The Breakthrough Prize Foundation sets eligibility by age, not grade. Not converted.
- Recommended preparation
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Deep understanding of one concept in physics, life sciences or mathematics
Why: The entry is a short video explaining a single concept, judged on the clarity of the explanation rather than production quality. What matters is understanding your chosen concept well enough to teach it, which is not tied to a year of study.Based on the published exam or entry format.This is Compete's reading of the competition's documented content, not a requirement stated by the organiser. You may enter without it.
- Compete guidance, not an eligibility restriction. Students outside this are still eligible if the official eligibility above allows them.
- Eligible ages
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Ages 13 to 18. You must be 13 by 11 May 2026 at 12:01 AM Pacific Daylight Time, and cannot be older than 18, meaning not yet 19, by the date stated in the official rules.
Eligibility is strictly date-based. Third-party listings give the upper cutoff as 1 October 2026; the rules page excerpt confirmed the structure but the exact upper date should be checked directly.Source, checked 2026-09-02
- Individual or team
- Individual · Individual entries only.
- Where it runs
- Online · International
- Entry cost
- FreeNo fee is mentioned in the official rules excerpt checked; third parties describe it as free.
- Registration deadline
- Submissions are due no later than 15 September 2026 at 11:59 PM PDT. To be eligible for the scholarship you must also score at least five other submissions in the peer-to-peer review by 30 September 2026 at 11:59 PM PDT. 6 days leftThe Challenge has run on an annual cycle with a summer deadline, but the schedule has shifted between years. Confirm on breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org.
- Competition dates
- The 2026 competition period runs from 11 May 2026 at 12:01 AM PDT to 15 September 2026 at 11:59 PM PDT, with peer review to 30 September.
- Difficulty
- CompetitiveSerious preparation over a season. Advancing past the first round separates prepared students from unprepared ones.
- Prizes
- One winner receives a $250,000 college scholarship, plus renovations to the winner's school valued at up to $100,000 for a science lab, and the winner elects one teacher who inspired them in science or mathematics to receive $50,000.The winner receives a $100,000 post-secondary scholarship, the teacher who inspired them receives $50,000, and their school receives a $100,000 science laboratory. Confirm current amounts on the official site.
What Breakthrough Junior Challenge is
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge asks students to make a video of up to about three minutes explaining a challenging concept in physics, life sciences or mathematics. It is judged on how clearly and engagingly you explain, not on production budget. The prize package is one of the largest available to a teenager anywhere: a scholarship for the student, a prize for the teacher who inspired them, and a science laboratory for their school.
How the competition works
A skill-based competition in which chance plays no part. Entrants submit a video explaining a concept in physics, life sciences or mathematics, then review at least five other entries in the mandatory peer-to-peer review.
Eligibility notes
Open worldwide to students aged 13 to 18. Entrants must complete a peer review round, and skipping it disqualifies the entry.
Is Breakthrough Junior Challenge right for you?
- Experience needed
- Solid understanding of one scientific concept. No filmmaking background needed.
- Time commitment
- A few weekends, more if you animate.
- What you actually do
- You choose one hard idea, work out how to make it genuinely clear to someone who does not know it, and make a short video doing that.
A good fit if
- You are good at explaining things to other people
- You want the largest prize available to a teenager
- You are outside the US and want a genuinely global competition
Probably not for you if
- Students who want to present original research, who should look at ISEF
- Students unwilling to do the mandatory peer review
Common mistakes
- Skipping the peer review round, which is required and disqualifies otherwise strong entries every year.
- Choosing a concept because it sounds impressive rather than because you understand it deeply.
- Spending everything on animation and nothing on the explanation, which is what is actually judged.
- Exceeding the length limit.
How to register
- Pick one concept you genuinely understand. Depth of understanding shows on camera and cannot be faked.
- Watch several past winning videos, which are published free. They calibrate the expected level far better than the rules do.
- Make the video within the stated length limit. Going over is a common disqualification.
- Submit before the deadline, then complete the peer review round, which is mandatory.
What skills you need
- Explaining difficult ideas simply
- Video production and editing
- Scriptwriting
- Physics, biology or mathematics knowledge
- Visual storytelling
Recommended resources
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Breakthrough Junior Challenge (also: past winning videos)
Rules, deadlines, judging criteria and every past winning video. Published free. Watching five is the single best preparation available.
Past problems and materials
Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.
- Archive of winning and finalist videos
Published free by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need animation software?
No. Winning entries have used whiteboards, paper cutouts and simple filming. The judging rewards clarity of explanation, and elaborate production sometimes gets in the way of it.
What is the peer review round?
Entrants are required to watch and evaluate other entries. It is mandatory, and failing to complete it disqualifies your submission regardless of how good your video is.
Reviews, tips and resources from other students
Posts are public. Do not share your full name, school, address or contact details.
Something out of date?
If a deadline, fee or eligibility rule on this page no longer matches the official site, flag it and it goes into the review queue.
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