Breakthrough Junior Challenge
A global science video competition where students explain a complex concept in physics, life sciences or mathematics through a short original video. Open to young people aged 13–18 worldwide. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from scientific understanding, creative communication and highly competitive international judging.
Verified information
Competition details can change. Always confirm dates, eligibility and entry requirements on the official organiser's website.
Official website ↗OVERALL COMPETITION LEVEL
Advanced Level
6 evaluation dimensions have source-backed automatic scores; 0 dimensions need conflict review.
Competition overview
Key information
Eligible ages
13–18
School level
Secondary school students aged 13-18 worldwide
Registration method
Individual Allowed
Competition stages
Individual video submission, peer review, judging, and final winner selection
Fee
Free
Online / in-person
Online
Dates
Competition timeline
Registration opens
1 May 2025
Registration closes
15 Sept 2026
Competition starts
17 Sept 2026
Competition ends
10 Dec 2026
Editorial perspective
Our Take
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge asks for something more demanding than a polished science video. Entrants have two minutes to make a difficult idea in physics, life sciences or mathematics genuinely intelligible. The four judging criteria—engagement, illumination, creativity and difficulty—pull in different directions: a video can be accurate but inert, beautiful but shallow, or ambitious but impossible to follow. The strongest work makes the explanation and the visual idea support each other. The official winners archive makes that standard concrete. Matea Cañizares won the 2025 competition with a video on quark-gluon plasma, a subject whose scale and unfamiliar vocabulary could easily overwhelm a general audience. The choice reveals an important feature of the Challenge: students are not rewarded merely for selecting a hard topic. They must decide which part of it can be understood in two minutes and build a route into that understanding. Our view is that this competition suits a student who enjoys teaching an idea and is prepared to rewrite, storyboard, record and edit repeatedly. It is less suitable for someone who wants to film a first explanation shortly before the deadline, or whose production is being driven by an adult. The prize is unusually large, but it should not distort the decision. For nearly every entrant, the lasting value will be learning how to compress serious thinking without making it simplistic.
Read full guide →Preparation support
Recommended resources
2026 Official Rules
Open resource ↗Current requirements for content, originality, video length, peer review and judging.
Official · Free · Rules and submission guide · Essential
Judging Criteria and Trait Scoring Rubric
Open resource ↗Exact scoring anchors for engagement, illumination, creativity and difficulty.
Official · Free · Judging rubric · Essential
2025 Winner and Finalist Videos
Open resource ↗Top-scoring examples for studying scope, storytelling, pacing and explanatory depth.
Official · Free · Winning examples · Essential
Entrant FAQ
Open resource ↗Clarifies judging, peer review, eligibility and submission troubleshooting.
Official · Free · FAQ and process guide · Recommended
Source information
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