Ottawa, May 20, 2021 – Projects tackling biogas production, teleophthalmology and antioxidant protectors are among the top winners of the first all-virtual Canada-Wide Science Fair taking place this week. At an online awards ceremony held tonight for 374 finalists and more than 51,000 visitors, Youth Science Canada organizers and ceremony host Dominic Tremblay announced the complete lineup of 188 winners who, collectively, shared medals, award certificates, and scholarships totalling nearly $900,000, as well as details of the grand award winners – seven students whose projects earned the highest praise from the judges.

“Congratulations to all of our winners and every finalist at this year’s unforgettable Canada-Wide,” said Reni Barlow, executive director at Youth Science Canada. “It’s clear from the quality of the projects that the creativity and ingenuity of Canadian youth persists, even during a pandemic.”

Top winners selected by 300 judges include:

Best Project Awards:

Discovery
Calvin Karthik from Peterborough, Ontario, for: A Mighty Mushroom and the Power of Poop: Testing Biogas Production using Spent Mushroom Substrate V2.
Calvin Karthik CWSF 1-Minute Video

Innovation
Hardit Singh from Waterloo, Ontario, for: Speculor: A Comprehensive Teleophthalmology Platform for People Centered Eyecare.
Hardit Singh CWSF 1-Minute Video

Platinum Awards: Best Senior (grade 11/12/Cégep)

Discovery
Allison Engo from Montreal, Québec, for: Saved on the Fly.
Allison Engo CWSF 1-Minute Video

Innovation
Timothy Cai from Surrey, British Columbia for: An Investigation into Active Control for Accessible Orbital Flight.
Timothy Cai CWSF 1-Minute Video

Platinum Awards
Best Junior (grade 7/8)

Discovery
Shreya Plassery from Peterborough, Ontario, for: Unlocking the Legacy: Can Mycorrhizae and Spent Mushroom Substrate activate Legacy Phosphorus?
Shreya Plassery CWSF 1-Minute Video

Innovation
Sophie Filion & Chloe Filion from Fenwick, Ontario, for project: The Automated Chicken Coop.
Sophie Filion & Chloe Filion CWSF 1-Minute Video

The 59th edition of Canada-Wide Science Fair ends this Friday, May 21 at 4:15 p.m., but projects will remain online for viewing even after the event.

“There’s still time to visit the Canada-Wide Science Fair to see all of the remarkable projects and STEM Expo,” said Barlow. “When I look at what we’ve achieved, as a diverse community of educators and students engaged in tackling some of the world’s problems and needs, I cannot help but be hopeful for the future.”

The complete list of Canada-Wide Science Fair award recipients is available at youthscience.ca. The 60th edition of the Canada-Wide Science Fair will take place May 2022.

The general public is invited to meet the winners on Friday, May 21 at 12pm ET. Visit
https://www.facebook.com/ysc.sjc/live to tune in to the live broadcast.

Members of the media are also invited to participate.
Media who wish to pose a question can contact the media contacts below for more information.
Winners will also be made available throughout the week of May 24.

About Youth Science Canada
Youth Science Canada fuels the curiosity of Canadian youth through STEM projects. A registered charity incorporated in 1962, YSC delivers on its mission through national programs including mySTEMspace, the National STEM Fair Network, Canada-Wide Science Fair, STEM Expo, “Team Canada” representation at international fairs and Smarter Science professional development for teachers. Through these programs, YSC provides direct support to the more than 500,000 students who do STEM projects in any given year. For more information, visit youthscience.ca

For more information: 

Mary Moniz Torchia Communications Cell: 647-278-0152 Email: [email protected]

Pénélope Carreau Torchia Communications Cell: 514 984-6123 Email: [email protected]