/ - Science Fair Foundation British Columbia
YIS

The 2022 Youth Innovation Showcase is looking for youth from across BC and the Yukon who are working on the next STEM breakthrough. Innovations big and small are invited to register for this year’s virtual competition by submitting a 45-second pitch video explaining your innovation. Finalists will pitch their ideas live to industry experts in November for a chance to win $5,000. 

The Youth Innovation Showcase encourages youth to explore creative ways to solve everyday challenges, and to see how your theoretical solutions can become real-world change. These young innovators come face-to-face with industry and academic leaders to pitch their great new ideas and inventions, get feedback from experts in the field, and find out where a career in STEM can take them. 

Eligibility: 

To be eligible to participate in the 2022 Youth Innovation Showcase, you must: 

  • Be between 12 and 19 years old 
  • Live in BC or the Yukon 

Individuals and teams (2 people maximum) are permitted to participate. 

Going into its fourth year, the Youth Innovation Showcase was born out of the desire to create a platform to showcase the innovative ideas and solutions from youth + young adults between the ages of 12- 19 from across the province + Yukon.
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Innovators interested in competing are asked to submit a 45-second selfie video outlining: who they are, where they are from, their age and a brief summary highlighting their latest and greatest innovation. Submissions will be adjudicated by industry and academic experts, where the finalists in each age category will be invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges.
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Our goal with YIS is to breakdown barriers and inspire youth by opening the doors for exploration of education and career opportunities.

What to Expect

Registration

Youth ages 12 to 19 are invited to register for the 2022 Youth Innovation Showcase by submitting a 45-second pitch video explaining their latest innovation and why the world needs to know about it. Registration will take place between August 15 and September 30, 2022. 

Note: each participant will need to register separately but if you are working with a partner, please include their name in registration and ensure you submit the same project name. 
 

Project Submission

Once participants have registered, they will be directed to the Project Submission where they will be able to upload their 45s pitch video, a 1-page summary of your innovation and any photos of your innovation. 

Note: Each project needs to be submitted once. If you are working with a partner, please ensure you aren't both submitting the project. 
 

Judging

Judging will take place in 3 phases:  

Phase 1 - Judges review 45s Pitch Video & 1-Page Summary to select semi-finalists 

Phase 2 - Interviews with semi-finalists from each age category. Participants will have two (2) minutes to pitch their ideas followed by up to ten (10) minutes of Q&A with the panel.  

Phase 3 -  Interviews with top 5 projects from each age category. 
 

Awards Show 

Finalists will attend the live Awards Show on November 30, 2022 where they will receive feedback from judges and the winner(s) of each age category will be presented with $5,000. 

Registration

Registration for the 2022 YIS Competition will begin August 15, 2022 and close on September 30, 2022.

Registration will allow us to gather basic information about you and your project. Your project name and a brief description abstract will be required at this time. 

If you are under 18 years of age, a Consent & Release Form will be sent directly to your parent or guardian once you register. 
 

Participant Information  

  • Full Name 
  • Phone 
  • E-mail 
  • Date of Birth 
  • Address 
  • Gender 
  • Are you working with a partner? 
  • Partner Name 

Parent/Guardian Information 

  • Parent/Guardian Name 
  • Parent/Guardian E-mail 

School Information 

  • I am attending: 
    • Elementary School  
    • Middle School 
    • High School 
    • College 
    • University 
    • None of the Above 
    • Other 
  • School Name (if applicable) 
  • Teacher Name (if applicable) 
  • Teacher E-mail (if applicable) 
  • Region 
    • Cariboo/Mainline 
    • Central Interior 
    • Central Okanagan 
    • East Kootenay 
    • Fraser Valley 
    • Greater Vancouver 
    • Northern BC 
    • Northern Vancouver Island 
    • Pacific Northwest 
    • South Fraser 
    • Vancouver Island 
    • West Kootenay 
    • Yukon - Stikine 
  • Have you participated in the Youth Innovation Showcase before? 
  • How did you hear about YIS? 

Opens: August 15, 2022 
Closes: September 30, 2022

YIS STEM Project Grant

Important Dates

Intake Opens April 15, 2022
Intake Closes May 31, 2022
Notification to Successful Applicants June 13 to 17, 2022
Funds Sent to Successful Applicants June 20 to 24, 2022
Student Report Issued to Successful Applicants            December 1, 2022
Student Report Due December 31, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

Judging

Phase 1 - Project Review: Each innovation will receive feedback from members of the evaluation team and be ranked based on the judging criteria. Semi-finalists will be announced on October 12, 2022. 

Phase 2 - Semi-Finals: Up to 20 projects from each age category will be invited to participate in video-interviews with an evaluation panel. Participants will have two (2) minutes to pitch their ideas followed by up to ten (10) minutes of Q&A with the panel. The projects that are selected for the semi-finals will include the top project from each region. Finalists will be announced on November 7, 2022. 

Phase 3 - Finals: The top 5 projects from each age category will be selected to participate in a live interview between November 14 to 23. Participants will have two (2) minutes to pitch their innovation followed by Q&A with industry judges. 
 

Participants' videos and interviews will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

  • Engagement - Did the video capture the viewer’s interest? Did the viewer want to keep watching the video to the end? (25%) 
  • Communication - Did the video explain the subject matter clearly, allowing the viewer to develop a genuine understanding of the video’s content? Did the video demonstrate a rigorous dive into the subject matter? (25%) 
  • Creativity - Did the entrant make an effort to approach the subject matter in an innovative or creative way? (25%) 
  • Difficulty - Is the subject matter challenging for the age category? Is the idea unique? (25%) 

Important Dates

Registration Opens August 15, 2022
Registration Deadline September 30, 2022
Semi-Finalists Announced        October 12, 2022
Finalists Announced November 7, 2022
Awards Show November 30, 2022

Resources

Tips and tricks from past participants, how to come up with an idea and how to prepare for your pitch!
Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

An innovation projects involves designing or creating something new. This can be a brand new product, or integrating several existing products or ideas and applying it in a new way. 

If you’re still not sure if your project is considered an innovation, we encourage you to apply. “Innovation” can be a very broad term and we've used it intentionally to be very inclusive. If you have an idea, we want to hear from you! 

Anyone who resides in the province of BC or the Yukon and is between the ages of 12 and 19 as of August 15th, 2022. 

Yes! We encourage science fair students to revamp their projects and bring them as an innovation to YIS. 

There will be three age categories judged independently: 

  • Ages 12 to 15 
  • Ages 16 to 19 

If you are 18 years of age or younger, your parents will need to sign the Consent & Release Form as well. This form will be sent to you automatically once you register. 

Yes, you can register with one partner. Each team member will need to fill out the registration form and indicate who their teammates are in the appropriate field.