/ - Science Fair Foundation British Columbia
YIS
Calling All Young Innovators!

Do you have a project or idea that can make a difference in the lives of yourself, your family or your community? Have you thought of a new way that science can solve a problem that you’ve seen in the world? Would you like to meet industry experts and get their feedback on your project?

Register for this year's Youth Innovation Showcase to tell the world about your project and for a chance to win $5,000!

The  2023 Youth Innovation Showcase is a virtual STEM competition for youth in BC and the Yukon who have used science to solve a challenge in their life or community. These solutions can be world-shaking or small-scale. Your project can have the potential to help millions of people, or just you and your friends. Big or small, all-encompassing or individual, all projects are encouraged to register. We accept projects in any scientific field and your project can be at any stage of development, from idea all the way up to finished and tested prototype.

Eligibility: 

To be eligible to participate in the 2023 Youth Innovation Showcase, you must: 

  • Be between 12 and 19 years old as of August 14th, 2023, at 12:01am
  • Live in British Columbia or the Yukon 


Individuals and teams (2 people maximum) are invited to participate and will be divided into one of two age categories: 12 to 15 years old, and 16 to 19 years old. The two age categories will be evaluated separately; there is one $5,000 grand prize for each age category. 

Your project must be an innovation. Not sure what an innovation is? Check out the projects that made it to the finals and semi-finals in last year’s competition for some ideas. Projects that have won the Youth Innovation Showcase competition in previous years are not eligible to participate.
 

How To Register: 

To register for the Youth Innovation Showcase, you’ll need: 

  • a 45-Second Pitch Video telling us about your innovation 
  • an About the Innovator bio video telling us more about you
  • a high-resolution profile photo

More information about how to register and what you’ll need will be coming soon. Check back all summer for updates. 
 

Registration opens August 14th, 2023. 

What is the Youth Innovation Showcase?

Going into its fifth year, the Youth Innovation Showcase brings together the passion, ingenuity and scientific creativity that is flourishing in BC and Yukon’s youth. Young people across our province and territory are constantly coming up with new ideas for how to solve some of the world’s problems and we want to show everybody – your school, your town, and the whole scientific community– that the youth of today will be the leaders of tomorrow’s science and technology sector.  

Check out some of the news stories featuring winners from last year’s Youth Innovation Showcase, which were seen all over BC and Yukon. This could be you!

Important Dates

Registration Opens August 14, 2023
Registration Deadline September 24, 2023
Semi-Finalists Announced        October 11, 2023
Finalists Announced November 6, 2023
Awards Show November 29, 2023

Judging

There are three rounds of judging for the Youth Innovation Showcase. 

Round 1: Review – Between September 25th and October 10th, our panel of judges will review the innovation report and 45-Second Pitch Video for each project and submit scores and personalized feedback. Up to 20 projects from each age category will advance to the semi-final round. 
 

Round 2: Semi-Finals – The semi-final interviews will take place virtually on October 24th. Judge scores and feedback will be based on the interview, the 45-Second Pitch Video and innovation report. The five projects with the highest scores will advance to the finals. 
 

Round 3: Finals – Interviews for finalists will take place virtually on November 21st. Judge scores and feedback will be based on the interview, as well as updated 90-Second Pitch Videos and innovation reports. The winners of the 2023 Youth Innovation Showcase will be announced at the live awards show on November 29th. 



Judging Criteria

Judge scores will be based on four criteria: 

Creativity:  

  • How unique is your idea?
  • Does something like your idea already exist? If so, how is your idea different?
  • Did you make an effort to approach the problem in a creative way?

Communication:  

  • How well did you explain your innovation, the problem it solves, and how your innovation solves it?  
  • Were you clear and easy to understand? 
  • Can you explain your idea to someone without any background or knowledge in your topic? 

Engagement:  

  • Did you show how passionate and excited you are about your idea to your judges? 
  • Did you catch the judges’ interest?  
  • Did they want more time to ask you about your innovation? 

Difficulty:  

  • How challenging is your project based on your age group?
  • Did you challenge yourself in the problem you took on, in how you tried to solve it, and in the construction or technique of your innovation?
Sponsors

Thank you to all of our generous sponsors for supporting the next generation of science leaders!

Are you or your company interested in becoming a Youth Innovation Showcase sponsor? Please reach out to us at info@youthinnovation.ca

 

Frequently Asked Questions

An innovation project 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 14th, 2023. 

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

There will be two 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 teammate is in the appropriate field. 

2022 Youth Innovation Showcase Awards Show

Meet the 2022 YIS Finalists and winners of each age category!

2022 Finalist Projects
view projects
2022 Semi-finalist Projects
view projects