Eleventh Annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge Opens Today for Student Submissions

2025 Breakthrough Junior Challenge Welcomes Original Science Videos in Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics, and Mathematics

Contest Open to All Students Ages 13-18; Submissions Accepted Through September 15

SAN FRANCISCO – MAY 7, 2025 – The Breakthrough Prize Foundation today announced the launch of its popular, global video competition for students – the Breakthrough Junior Challenge – now in its eleventh year.

To participate in the Challenge, students ages 13 to 18 are invited to create and submit an original short video (up to two minutes) that explains a scientific concept or theory in an engaging and imaginative manner. Submissions will be accepted today through Monday, September 15.

The contest will award a total of $400,000 for the winning entry, including $250,000 in educational prizes for the student winner, $50,000 for their inspirational teacher, and a state-of-the art science laboratory designed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and valued at $100,000.

Since its launch in 2015, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge has received more than 30,000 submissions from more than 200 countries including Canada, India, Mauritius, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States. The Challenge is designed to inspire creative thinking and communications skills about important concepts in the life sciences, fundamental physics, and mathematics among young people. Conducted annually, the contest encourages students to create and submit an original, two-minute video in English that creatively explains a personally favorite or topical scientific theory or concept.

As in years past, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge will hold an opportunity for the public to vote on their favorite videos as part of a “Popular Vote” that will run November 24 through December 9.

During the Popular Vote period, up to 30 “finalist” videos – grouped by geographic region – will be posted online the Breakthrough Junior Challenge website, its Facebook page and YouTube channel. The seven geographic categories are North America (U.S. / Canada); Central America / Mexico / Caribbean / South America; Europe; Asia (including China); India; Middle East / Africa; and Australia / New Zealand. The video that accrues the total highest number of likes and positive reactions (e.g. “love”, “haha”, “wow”) on the Breakthrough Prize Facebook page plus the total of numbers on their video on the Breakthrough YouTube channel will be declared the Popular Vote winner. The Popular Vote winner will automatically bypass the Selection Committee Review and be placed in the final round of judging.

The Selection Committee consists of Ian Agol, professor of mathematics, University of California, Berkeley and Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics laureate; Rachel Crane, former space and science correspondent, CNN; Pascale Ehrenfreund, PhD, president, Committee on Space Research COSPAR; John Grunsfeld, PhD, NASA astronaut and administrator; Mae Jemison, science literacy expert, former astronaut, and principal, 100 Year Starship; Jeffery W. Kelly, professor of chemistry, Scripps Research Institute and Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences laureate; Scott Kelly, retired NASA astronaut; Salman Khan, founder and CEO, Khan Academy; Ijad Madisch, CEO, co-founder, ResearchGate; Samaya Nissanke, University of Amsterdam, Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics laureate; Nicole Stott, NASA astronaut; Andrew Strominger, professor of physics, Harvard University, and Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics laureate; Terence Tao, UCLA professor and Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics laureate; Esther Wojcicki, founder, Palo Alto High Media Arts Center; Richard Youle, National Institutes of Health, and Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences laureate; and S. Pete Worden, chairman, Breakthrough Prize Foundation and executive director, Breakthrough StarShot.

Separately, competitors will participate in a round of peer-to-peer assessments in which they will score some of fellow Challengers’ submissions. An Evaluation Panel will select the overall Breakthrough Junior Challenge winner.

Since launch, the Challenge has awarded more than $2.5 million in college scholarships, $1 million for science labs, and $500,000 in awards to inspiring teachers in science or math. Previous winners have created videos about the Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Circadian Rhythms. Neutrino Astronomy, Quantum Physics, and more. Award alumni have gone on to attend institutions including MIT, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford.

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge will be open for submissions beginning now through September 15, 2025. Students ages 13 to 18 of any nationality are invited to participate by producing and directing an original science video. Submissions may not be longer than two minutes in length and illustrate a concept or theory of a student’s own selection. Submissions will be judged on the individual student’s ability to communicate complex scientific ideas in an engaging, fun and imaginative way.

Partners

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge, founded by Julia and Yuri Milner, is a global science video competition, aiming to develop and demonstrate young people’s knowledge of science and scientific principles and communications skills; 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.

The Breakthrough Prize

The Breakthrough Prize, renowned as the “Oscars of Science,” recognizes the world’s top scientists. Each prize is $3 million and presented in the fields of Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics (one per year) and Mathematics (one per year). In addition, up to three New Horizons in Physics Prizes, up to three New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes and up to three Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prizes are given out to early-career researchers each year. Laureates attend a gala award ceremony designed to celebrate their achievements and inspire the next generation of scientists.

The Breakthrough Prizes were founded by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. The Prizes have been sponsored by the personal foundations established by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner and Anne Wojcicki. Selection Committees composed of previous Breakthrough Prize laureates in each field choose the winners. Information on the Breakthrough Prize is available at breakthroughprize.org.

About Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy is piloting an AI guide called Khanmigo that is a tutor and teaching assistant. Khanmigo is integrated into a platform that includes practice problems, videos and articles that cover a range of subjects. Khan Academy’s free app for young children ages two to eight is Khan Academy Kids. The organization partners with school districts across the country that serve students who are historically under-resourced. Districts use Khan Academy Districts, MAP Accelerator and Khan Academy Kids to help teachers differentiate instruction. Worldwide, more than 160 million registered learners have used Khan Academy in 190 countries and 51 languages. For more information, please see research findings about Khan Academy and our press center.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL)

The Breakthrough Prize Lab for the winning student’s school is designed in partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). Founded in 1890, CSHL is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that powers transformation discoveries in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, artificial intelligence, and quantitative biology. Merging world-renowned science and education divisions, CSHL nurtures a culture of curiosity, discovery, and innovation to make lives better. CSHL’s DNA Learning Center (DNALC) is the largest provider of hands-on instruction in genetics and biotechnology – operating five centers in the NY metro area, encompassing 20 teaching and bioinformatics labs. Each year 36,000 middle and high school students conduct experiments with DNALC faculty; an additional 2,000 participate in intensive, 5-day summer camps and mentored research projects. For more information visit www.cshl.edu.

Contact

For more information, including competition rules, video submission guidelines and queries, go to: breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org.

For press inquiries only, please contact:
Kristen Bothwell, kbothwell@rubenstein.com
Direct: +1-212-843-9227