Abby Mullins, Megan Carroll and Chloe Murphy from Moate Community School in Co Westmeath. Image: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography
Next year’s BT Young Scientist event will be an online affair for the second time, with project entry fees waived for participating students.
For the second year in a row, the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) will take place online. The next edition of the annual student event is scheduled to take place virtually from 12 to 14 January 2022.
Last summer, it was announced that the 2021 event would be an all-virtual affair. It took place in January, with more than 100,000 people from 77 countries accessing the event’s online portal to find out more about students’ science and tech projects.
Projects in last year’s exhibition tackled societal challenges such as the effects of TikTok during lockdown, potential sustainability solutions such as making clothes from nettles in response to fast fashion, and a number of issues around the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cork student Greg Tarr was named the overall winner in 2021 for his method of detecting deepfakes.
Now in its 58th year, the BTYSTE showcases the incredible ability of Irish students to create and test potential solutions that tackle everything from everyday problems to some of the biggest, global issues of our time.
Students that are chosen to present their projects in the virtual exhibition hall will be vying for more than 200 prizes across four categories and age groups.
The overall top prize is a trophy, €7,500 prize money and the opportunity to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists.
Once again, exhibition organiser BT Ireland has waived project entry fees for participating students.
BT Ireland’s managing director, Shay Walsh, said the BTYSTE is a staple of the school calendar in Ireland.
“We are thrilled to give students the opportunity once again to challenge themselves and use their ingenuity to come up with fresh new ideas, solutions and approaches in the world of STEM,” he said.
“It’s very exciting to know that thousands of students across Ireland will be working on projects in the weeks and months ahead.”
BTYSTE 2022 is open to second-level students aged between 12 and 19 years of age. The deadline for submissions is Monday, 27 September 2021. More information can be found here.
