We are delighted to announce the shortlisted schools for the Youth Grand Challenges Competition.

The Youth Grand Challenges is a new STEM competition that inspires young people, aged 11-to-19, to use science and technology to tackle global health issues. The Competition calls on students to come up with innovative solutions that have the potential to change the world, and will reward the best projects from young people created in response.

The finalists and their respective categories are as follows:

Discovery

‘Drop by drop’ - Oldmachar Academy, Aberdeen

‘Using vertical gardens to curb carbon dioxide and repel mosquitoes in malarial zones’ - Overton Grange School, Sutton

‘Stop the spread’ - Felsted Prep School, Essex

‘Stop the spread’ - Fitzalan High School, Cardiff

‘Stop the spread’ - City of London Academy Highgate Hill, London

Bronze

‘Flooding Problems’ - Waingels College, Reading

‘Soap or nope?’ - Overton Grange School, Sutton

‘Ash or Oil?’ - Hutcheson's Grammar School, Glasgow

‘Hypovitaminosis A in South-East Asia’’ - Davison CE High School for Girls, Worthing

‘Period sanitation’ - Davison CE High School for Girls, Worthing

Silver

‘Vaccination: the journey from the laboratory to the world’ - Sheffield High School, Sheffield

‘How do we tackle mosquito-borne diseases?’ - Beauchamp College, Leicester

‘Repelling and trapping insects: protection and prevention’ - Hawthorn High School, Pontypridd

‘Tithonus mosquito trap’ - Marylebone Boys' School, London

‘“Soap & Suds” toys’ - Rainford High Technology College, Merseyside

Gold

‘Maximising the use of Ocimum K in mosquito repellence’ - Overton Grange School, Sutton

‘Quicker, more efficient diagnosis method for Hepatitis’ - Our Lady of Sion School, Worthing

‘Guinea worm disease in West Africa: prevention and eradication’ - Sheffield High School, Sheffield

‘To what extent is vaccination the best way to eradicate disease?’ - Torquay Girls' Grammar School, Torquay

‘Completing the cold chain in developing nations’ - Cults Academy, Aberdeen

Pupils from Bow School in London taking part in the Youth Grand Challenges pilot

The teams were shortlisted as one of the top five in each of their categories after producing a video to describe their project, securing their place in the final round of judging to be held in London in December, hosted by Channel 4's Rick Edwards.

The judges in this final round include, TV presenter, Konnie Huq; Professor James Logan, TV presenter and academic from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera, Head of Nutrition at Action Against Hunger UK.

Katherine Mathieson, Chief Executive of the British Science Association, said: “I’d like to extend huge congratulations to all the finalists of the first ever Youth Grand Challenges Competition, and commiserations to those we had to say goodbye to at this stage. Each project is the result of hours of hard work, ingenuity and dedication, making the judges' decisions very difficult. We look forward to the grand finals event in London this December and wish all the teams the very best of luck.”

Prizes up for grabs include a travel bursary of £1500, a fully-funded place to attend the London International Youth Science Forum - a two-week science enrichment programme, outdoor adventures with Anturus to get experience as a field scientist and visits to research institutes of their choosing.