03 Sep 2024
Congratulations to the students worldwide who have won awards in the first phase of the Cambridge Science Competition 2024!
This extra-curricular competition gives Cambridge IGCSE and O Level students an opportunity to develop their passion for science through practical skills that complement their academic studies. In the first phase of the competition, judges saw an impressive 111 Gold projects, representing 457 students from 57 schools in 27 countries.
All teams investigated scientific topics that have practical relevance with a sustainability focus. Students worked together to find sustainable solutions to real-life problems, such as purifying wastewater, harnessing electricity from microbes and creating strong yet degradable bioplastics. Read more about the winning projects.
The judges chose five regional winners, as well as three country winners:
- Best in Europe: A team of three students from Ozel Antalya Toplum Koleji Anadolu Lisesi school in Türkiye investigated the effect of light, temperature and oxygen on concentration of vitamin C.
- Best in Middle East & North Africa: Six students from British Scientific School in Palestine conducted research into heavy metal contamination in untreated wastewater used for irrigation.
- Best in Pakistan: Five students from Bloomfield Hall School Peshawar in Pakistan experimented using vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) as an energy-efficient method of generating electricity.
- Best in Southeast Asia & Pacific: Four students from Anglo Singapore International School in Thailand investigated the efficiency of harvesting water from the atmosphere in response to water scarcity.
- Best in South Asia: Six students from Heritage International Xperiential School in India conducted research into the best way to maximise energy production of microbial fuel cells (MFCs).
- Best in India: Three students from Dr. S. Radhakrishnan International School, Malad West in India experimented with the best way to preserve moringa oleifera – a plant native to India – to maintain its high levels of nutrients.
- Best in Indonesia: Three students from Singapore National Academy in Indonesia researched the effectiveness of different starches in creating bioplastic.
- Best in Malaysia: Four students from The International School of Penang (Uplands) in Malaysia investigated which desalination method produces the highest and purest yield of water.
Well done to all our winners and to everyone who took part. The Best in Region winners will now be judged for the overall Best in World award, announced in December 2024. Find out how to enter the second entry period for this year’s competition which runs from September to November 2024.
Hear more about the competition from Cambridge University PhD student and Cambridge Science Competition judge, Robin Horton: an interview.