Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge 2006

Every year, science fair directors across the country nominate middle school students - grades 5 through 8 - for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, the only competition of its kinds for students in that age range.

The deadline for entering in a given year is June, and between then and September the judges make their selections of the 400 semifinalist and, ultimately, 40 finalists. The selection process evaluates the scientific merit of the work and the student's ability to communicate the scientific principles of their project.

In October, the 40 finalists receive all-expense paid trips to Washington, D.C., to compete in the finals, consisting of team competitions and oral presentations. Scholarships ranging from $500 to $20,000 are awarded to the finalists. Various other prizes are awarded at every stage, including just being nominated and not making it into the 400 semifinalists.

The 2006 semifinalists have been named, all 400 of them, and a full list, including hometown and school, can be found here.

If you or your child might be interested in qualifying for the 2007 Challenge, it's never too early to begin looking for a science project. Keep track of our Physics Experiments page for information that might be useful for planning such a project. (I realize it's a bit slim now, but we're working on it.)

For those in other age groups, you might want to review other national science competitions.