The Perse School Cambridge wins the 2026 UK You Be The Solution National Challenge
21 June 2026
LONDON, UK - The You Be The Solution Challenge concluded with outstanding success on 21 June 2026, drawing together some of the most inventive young scientific minds from across the United Kingdom. Held in London, the competition invited student teams to form start-up companies and develop sustainable, science-backed innovations to improve their local communities – this year under the theme of health sciences. Participants demonstrated exceptional scientific knowledge, creative problem-solving, and a genuine commitment to addressing real-world challenges.
The competition crowned AeroGuard Solutions from The Perse School as the overall winners. Team members William Reddy, Ronit Kallu, and Alexander Toutoungi took first place for their affordable, three-layer air filtration system – incorporating MERV 7, MERV 10, and MERV 13 filters – designed to combat pollutants ranging from household dust to microscopic airborne particles, with a focus on easy maintenance and accessibility for homes, schools, and workplaces. Second place went to Aqua Vera, a collaborative effort between Upton Primary, Foster's Primary, and Christ Church C of E Primary. Team members Vincent Li, Angela Lin, and Alexander Huang presented a reusable, biodegradable water-filter cartridge that removes heavy metals and microplastics using natural materials including alginate membranes, chitosan gel, biochar, and activated carbon. Third place was awarded to Puff Bar – "From Sawdust to Soap", a joint team from Dane Court Grammar School, Amington Primary, and King Edward VI Camp Hill. Team members Cecilia Cai, Dylan Cai, Jinxi Fu, and Xuanhao Timeo Zhang impressed the judges with their creative project transforming wood waste into a soap-like product, combining real chemistry with sustainable design and strong team operations.
Each team was challenged to investigate health science concepts through the lens of entrepreneurship, presenting their work as a company pitch, complete with a defined problem, a science-grounded solution, and a clear vision for community impact. The breadth and quality of entries this year reflected the extraordinary capacity of young people to engage with pressing public health issues, from air and water quality to sustainable material use, with both rigour and ingenuity.
The event effectively cultivated enthusiasm for health sciences among young participants while demonstrating how the UK's emerging generation of scientists and entrepreneurs can develop practical, sustainable solutions that serve their communities. The wide array of innovations on display reflects the vital role that scientific thinking plays in addressing everyday challenges, and points to a promising future for community-driven innovation across the country.
The event was distinguished by an exceptional judging panel comprising leading figures from both academia and industry. Dr Ruina Liang (Postdoctoral Research Associate in Structural Biology), Mr Alex Ling (Head of Transformation Strategy & Governance at Wise), and Ms Violetta Vedeneeva (Cambridge scholar and entrepreneurship advocate) provided expert evaluation across all presentations, offering students meaningful feedback and encouragement throughout the day.
Catalyst Queens win the 2025 UK You Be The Chemist National Challenge
28 June 2025
CAMBRIDGE, UK - The You Be the Chemist UK National Challenge concluded with outstanding success yesterday, drawing together the brightest young chemistry talent from across the United Kingdom. The competition showcased innovative solutions to pressing environmental challenges, with participants demonstrating exceptional scientific knowledge and creative problem-solving skills.
The event was distinguished by an exceptional judging panel comprising leading figures from both academia and industry. Professor Jonathan Nitschke from Cambridge University's Chemistry Department, Dr Francis Krampa (Biomedical researcher and entrepreneur), Dr Byoung Min (Principal Consultant at PA Consulting), and Dr Saksham Sharma (College Supervisor at Homerton College, Cambridge) provided expert evaluation across all presentations.
The competition crowned Catalyst Queens as the overall winners, with team members Brittany Ooi, Natalie Lai, and Esme Lo taking first place for their innovative tsunami mitigation systems. Second place went to The Noble Guys, comprising Le Gia Bach, Nguyen Thanh Hung, Bui Nam Khanh, and Nguyen Thanh Bach, who presented groundbreaking work on seawater electrolysis for saltwater intrusion. Third place was awarded to CHaT, featuring Louise Chiang, Si Yuet Tung, Hoi Ching Hau, and Sze Ching Hau, for their impressive bentonite clay flood barriers project.
Six outstanding teams advanced to the national round, each tackling pressing environmental issues through chemistry-based solutions. The projects demonstrated remarkable diversity, including Nuclear Boom's zinc oxide air filtration systems, EcoRoot's biodegradable soil restoration capsules, and PLRK's advanced water purification technologies, in addition to the medal-winning entries. Teams approached real-world environmental problems with creativity and scientific rigor.
The event effectively cultivated enthusiasm for chemistry among young participants while showcasing how the UK's emerging generation of scientists can develop practical solutions that protect communities from natural disasters. The wide array of sustainable solutions demonstrated reflects chemistry's essential contribution to hazard mitigation and community safety, pointing to a promising future for scientific innovation that serves both environmental and human protection needs.
The Big Brain Team wins the 2024 UK You Be The Chemist Challenge
23 June 2024
CAMBRIDGE, UK - The highly anticipated 2024 "You Be The Chemist Challenge" concluded with a fantastic display of chemistry knowledge, innovation, and creativity by young minds. This year's event was honoured by the participation of distinguished judges from Cambridge University: Professor George Lomonossoff, Dr. David Hampton, Dr. Francis Krampa, and Miss Maha Wassem. Their expertise and insight added great value to the competition.
The Big Brain team, composed of Jason Lee, Brittany Ooi, and Esme Lo, clinched the top prize with their outstanding project, demonstrating impressive problem-solving skills and a deep understanding of chemistry. The judges were highly impressed with the depth of knowledge displayed by the team.
In second place were the Molecular Mavericks, a talented group of students: Ram Narayanan Pisharody, Aryan Roop Kumar, Dashenka Kariyawasan, and Samuel Siry-Rogerson. The third-place honour went to the Algaemists: Guangze Chen, Lorrin Zhao, Ruiqi Wang, and Xiyao Huang.
The Video Challenge Winner was the team Sunny Sips, consisting of Cecilia Cai, Zoe Jiang, Lucas Jiang, and Peter Xie. Their creative idea focused on revolutionising the beverage industry. The team is dedicated to developing preservative-free, long-lasting, and delicious healthy beverage mix powders for consumers across the United Kingdom. Their innovative approach demonstrates how scientific principles can be used to create healthier alternatives in the food and drink market. The ingenuity of their concept, which combines scientific knowledge with practical consumer needs, earned them the award in this special category.
The Reindeer Chemists win the Inaugural UK You Be The Chemist Challenge®
24 June 2023
SEVENOAKS, KENT – Following a strong performance both in terms of questions answered and their video submission, The Reindeer Chemists (Edie Higgins, Noah Higgins and Muyang Ai) come out on top with the higest marks, securing first place in the first ever UK You Be The Chemist Challenge.
For their video submission, the team detailed their business idea which involved an AI-powered Reindeer Robot capable of working around-the-clock to rid the world of toxic plastic toys, using thermal degredation and pyrilosis.
The competition was heated with second and third places being awarded to The Quads (Yuhan Zhi, Sri Sattiraju, Ishanvi Kavalipurapu and Ramini Choudhary) and Blossom (Michael Zhu, Emily Wang, Brittany Ooi and Johanna Yang).
A big congratulations to all teams involved in the competition. The standard of Chemistry knowledge demonstrated by every participant exceled expections and we hope to see you all again in our next competition.
CEF and Brenntag Work Together to Build the Future STEM Workforce
September 20, 2022
ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation™ (CEF) and Brenntag announced a new project to increase awareness of CEF’s You Be the Chemist® Activity Guides with the aim of encouraging K-8 students to pursue science-related education throughout high school, skilled trades, and college.
Research shows that if more students are to enter the STEM academic and workforce pipeline, access to STEM resources must begin early for all students when enthusiasm is high.
You Be the Chemist Activity Guides, presented by Brenntag, are hands-on, parent and educator-friendly STEM lessons that use common, inexpensive household items so all students can explore foundational science concepts in the classroom and at home.
Massachusetts Team Wins 2022 National You Be The Chemist Challenge®
June 6, 2022
ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation® (CEF) announces a team of four students from Massachusetts, the Chemistry Enthusiasts, who rose to the top of 9,000 students to win the 2022 National You Be The Chemist Challenge and a $12,000 scholarship. When asked what advice they have for future participants, student Srinidhi Iyer said, “It is most important to just have fun, be confident, manage time well and efficiently, and never see the Challenge as a test but rather a major opportunity to grow as a young chemist in the making.”
Chemistry Enthusiasts is one of the teams of fifth- through eighth-graders who participated in the Challenge this year, including in Regional events where they answered 40 questions and produced a 3–5-minute video on states of matter in space.
You Be The Chemist Challenge State and Regional Winners Announced
May 7, 2020
ARLINGTON, VA – CEF today announced the state and regional winning teams of the You Be The Chemist Challenge®.
Teams of fifth- through eighth-grade students from 451 schools participated in the Challenge this year, with 70 Regional Challenge events taking place across the country in 40 states, including Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
This was the inaugural year of a new team-based Challenge format, which allowed students to collaborate to explore science concepts, mirroring the nature of today’s workplaces. Qualifying teams participated at Regional Challenge events where they answered timed questions across four rounds of competition. Read the full press release here.
2019 National You Be The Chemist Challenge Winner Announced
June 20, 2019
ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF) on Monday hosted its 15th annual National You Be The Chemist Challenge® in Washington, DC.
CEF, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring students to pursue chemistry and STEM-related learning and careers, welcomed 42 students to compete onstage at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in a quiz-bowl style chemistry competition hosted by Dr. Calvin Emanuel of Shell Chemical LP. Each of the participants won at the state level before advancing to the national level.
Anurag Sodhi, a seventh-grader from Ellicott City, MD, answered 66 questions over the course of nine intense rounds. He entered a single-elimination tiebreaker round when he and Yuvan Chali, an eighth-grader from Franterac, MO, remained tied at the end of the championship round. Both participants answered seven tiebreaker questions correctly before Anurag secured his spot as the National You Be The Chemist champion on the eighth question. Read the full press release here.
