THEME: Explore health sciences to develop a sustainable innovation to improve your local community.

As part of the You Be The Solution Challenge, teams will create a video investigating health science concepts in which they will form a start-up company that has developed a sustainable solution to improve their local community. Videos will introduce the start-up as a company, discuss who is part of the company’s team, and present the problem and solution the company is addressing. Videos should address how specific concepts of health science explain the problem and solution.

Click here to access Detailed Guidelines and the Video Story Board

Additional Requirements:

1. Format and resolution
a. Videos should be saved in .mp4 – a universal video format that is viewable on all platforms;
b. Resolution should be at least 640 x 480 pixels (HD is 1920 x 1080).

2. Original content and copyrighted material
a. A bibliography listing all sources used in researching and creating the video in APA format must be included in the end titles of the video. Please refer to this resource created by Science Buddies® for more step-by-step directions on creating an APA bibliography.     i. Source list must include title, author, publisher, and copyright date;
    ii. Bibliography must also include internet sources, interviews, images, and videos;

Directions on how to automatically format bibliographies in Microsoft Word

Directions on how to automatically format bibliographies in Google Docs

Use Grammarly’s free Citation Generator

b. All content must comply with copyright rules and regulations. We advise that students use wholly original content in their videos to avoid violation of copyright. However, if using anything other than original content in your video, be sure that one of the following applies:

i. It is in the public domain, meaning it was published in 1922 or earlier; however, be sure that the particular performance of the song you are using is in the public domain. For example, a performance of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” by Taylor Swift probably has its own copyright protections, but you could perform the song with your team and use it freely. For more information about what is in the public domain, visit https://www.pdinfo.com/public-domain-music-list.php.

ii. It has a Creative Commons Attribution license. This license allows you to use a particular work as long as you credit the original author/performer. Be careful when researching a work’s particular Creative Commons license and be sure it is a Creative Commons Attribution license. Visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ for more information.

iii. It is completely royalty-free. If an original author/composer allows their work to be used without restrictions, this is royalty-free. Websites that offer royalty-free music will usually indicate this, so be sure to look for the licensing of a particular work you are interested in using. Be careful! If a song, image, etc. is “royalty-free for educational use,” you may NOT use it in your video submission because the prizes for the You Be The Chemist Challenge® have monetary value which invalidates educational use.

3. Non-team member contributions
a. Adult and/or other non-team member involvement in the video competition must be minimal. Challenge Organizers, Coordinators, teachers, parents, and other non-team members cannot actively participate in the research, storyboarding, filming, or editing of any parts of the project;
b. Non-team member contributions to the storyboard and video may only include:
    i. Helping to organize the team;
    ii. Supporting time management;
    iii. Providing critical feedback or highlighting factual errors;
    iv. Non-team members may point out factual inaccuracies or explanations that are confusing or convoluted, BUT they may NOT contribute ideas, or provide solutions at the risk of disqualifying a team. (Note – this can include pointing out factual errors but NOT correcting those factual errors. Students should be directed to re-check facts or do more research on a specific explanation if an adult sees a misconception or specific factual error.);
v. Providing meeting places;
vi. Ensuring safety:
Please note that adults may instruct students on how to use tools—including lab materials, hardware, and software needed to create the project, BUT they may NOT actively work on the project.
vii. Giving encouragement;
viii. Acting as extras in video.


You may view the videos created by the top teams on the topic of states of matter in space by clicking the links below:

New York, Blue Mountain Middle School
Logan F., Aaarti R., Oona M., Emmett K.

Ohio, Parent-Led Team (Fangming D.)
Jerry D., Grace N., Sherry L., Elena C.

Oregon, Parent-led Team (Padma K.)
Anusha J., Anjali S., Shriya M., Kavin R.

Pennsylvania, Newtown Middle School
Shrey S., Roshan H., Rohan P., Kathan D.

Rhode Island, Western Hills Middle School
Ava R., Nyli Y., Zukaa A., Celina C.

South Carolina, Gold Hill Middle School
Parhan S., Akhil V., Brandon B.

Tennessee, Pleasant View School
Abdurahman A., Mohammad S., Humza S., Farzaan Q.