Google Science Fair facts for kids

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The Google Science Fair was a big online science competition held every year from 2011 to 2018. It was sponsored by well-known companies like Google, Lego, Virgin Galactic, National Geographic, and Scientific American. This competition was open to students aged 13 to 18 from all over the world.

To join, students needed an internet connection and a free Google Account. They had to come up with a scientific question, create a guess (called a hypothesis), do an experiment, and then share their results. Projects could be submitted in English, German, Italian, Spanish, or French. The final project had to include a summary, an "About Me" page, details of their steps, and a list of sources they used.

Judges looked at eight main things: how the student presented their work, their question, hypothesis, research, experiment, data, observations, and conclusion. Top prizes included a trip to the Galapagos Islands with National Geographic and a US$50,000 scholarship. Finalists also received scholarships and gifts from the sponsors. Google believed that science fairs help young people explore their ideas and curiosity.

Meet the Experts: Guest Interviews

The Google Science Fair website also featured interviews with famous scientists. These experts shared their stories to inspire young students. Some of the people interviewed included Mitch Resnick, Spencer Wells, Kevin Warwick, and Mariette DiChristina.

Amazing Winners of 2011

The first Google Science Fair had some incredible winners.

• Shree Bose, a 17-year-old from Texas, won the top prize and $50,000. She researched a chemotherapy drug called cisplatin, which is used for ovarian cancer. Her project looked at how cancer cells can become resistant to this medicine over time.
• Naomi Shah (15-16 age group) from Oregon studied how air quality affects lungs, especially for people with asthma. She measured air quality in homes and workplaces and tested people's breathing.
• Lauren Hodge (13-14 age group) from Pennsylvania researched if marinades could reduce cancer-causing compounds in grilled meat. She found that lemon juice and brown sugar helped a lot, but soy sauce actually increased them.

People from 90 countries voted for their favorite projects online. Nimal Subramanian won the People's Choice Award for his "Cancer Busters" project, receiving a $10,000 scholarship.

Brilliant Winners of 2012

• Brittany Wenger, 17, won the grand prize for her "Global Neural Network Cloud Service for Breast Cancer." This project used computer power to help diagnose breast cancer without needing surgery. It was very accurate, finding over 99% of cancerous tumors in tests. She won $50,000, a trip to the Galapagos, and chances for mentoring and internships.
• Iván Hervías Rodríguez, Marcos Ochoa, and Sergio Pascual from Spain (15-16 age group) used microscopes to study tiny creatures in water.
• Jonah Kohn (13-14 age group) created a device to help people with hearing loss. His invention attached to different parts of the body, turning sounds into feelings.

Inspiring Winners of 2013

• Viney Kumar (13-14 age group) from Australia created "The PART Program." His project aimed to give drivers more warning when emergency vehicles are coming, so they can move out of the way safely.
• Ann Makosinski (15-16 age group) from Canada invented "The Hollow Flashlight." This flashlight works without batteries or moving parts. It uses the heat difference between a person's hand and the air to create light.
• Eric Chen (17-18 age group Grand Prize Winner) from the USA worked on "Computer-aided Discovery of Novel Influenza Endonuclease Inhibitors to Combat Flu Pandemic." He combined computer modeling with biology to find new ways to fight the flu, even new types of flu viruses.

Talented Winners of 2014

The 2014 Google Science Fair had its winners announced.

• The Grand Prize went to a team of three girls from Ireland: Ciara Judge (16), Emer Hickey (16), and Sophie Healy-Thow (17). They were the first group to win the top prize and the youngest winners ever. Their project was about using special bacteria to help cereal crops grow better, which could help with food shortages.
• Mihir Garimella (14) from Pennsylvania won the 13-14 age group with his "Fruit-fly Inspired Robots."
• Hayley Todesco (17) from Canada won the 17-18 age group for her project on "Cleaning up Oil Sands Waste."

Special awards were also given:

• Kenneth Shinozuka (15) won the Science In Action Award for his "Wearable Sensors for Aging Society," which had practical uses.
• Arsh Shah Dilbagi (16) from India won the Voter's Choice Award. He created a device that turns breath into words, helping people who cannot speak to communicate.

Creative Winners of 2015

The 2015 Google Science Fair announced its global finalists from 10 countries. The winners were revealed on September 21, 2015.

• The Grand Prize was won by Olivia Hallisey (16) from the United States. Her project was about a fast, cheap, and easy way to detect Ebola that doesn't need to be kept cold.
• Girish Kumar (17) from Singapore won the Google Technologist Award for his "Revup" project, which automatically creates study questions from educational texts.
• Eliott Sarrey (14) from France won the Incubator Award for "Bot2Karot," a robot that helps manage a vegetable garden using a smartphone.
• Other winners included Anurudh Ganesan (Lego Education Builder Award), Pranav Sivakumar (Virgin Galactic Pioneer Award), Krtin Nithiyanandam (Scientific American Innovator Award), Deepika Kurup (National Geographic Explorer Award), and Lalita Prasida (Community Impact Award).

Innovative Winners of 2016

The 2016 Google Science Fair had its final event in California. This year, the top awards did not separate winners by age group, making it even more challenging.

• The Grand Prize was won by Kiara Nirghin (16) of South Africa for her project "Fighting Drought with Fruit."
• Anushka Naiknaware (13) of the United States won the Lego Education Builder award. She was the youngest person ever to win a top award for her project "Smart Wound Care for the Future."
• Mphatso Simbao (18) of Zambia won the National Geographic Explorer award.
• A team of three from the United States, Ashton Cofer (14), Luke Clay (14), and Julie Bray (14), won the Scientific Innovator Award for "Fighting Foam Waste with Recycled Filters."
• Charlie Fenske (16) from the United States won the Virgin Galactic Pioneer award for "Making Rockets more Efficient."

The 2018 Competition and Winners

After a break, the Google Science Fair returned for 2018-2019. It offered 179 different prizes. Entries opened in September 2018 and closed in December 2018. The final winners were announced in July 2019.

• The Google Grand Prize, with a $50,000 scholarship, went to Fionn Ferreira of Ireland. His project looked at how to remove tiny plastic pieces (microplastics) from water using a special liquid called ferrofluids.
• A U Nachiketh Kumar and Aman K A from India won the National Geographic Explorer award for finding an eco-friendly way to process rubber.
• Daniel Kazantsev of Russia won the Lego Education Award for his work on helping people with hearing problems communicate better.
• Tuan Dolmen of Turkey won the Scientific American Award for finding a way to get energy from tree vibrations.
• Celestine Wenardy of Indonesia won the Galactic Pioneer Award for creating a cheap and easy-to-use device to measure blood sugar levels.

See also

• Science fair