24 Young Innovators advance in the race for two $5000 grand prizes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

VANCOUVER B.C. (October 26, 2026) - The Science Fair Foundation BC (SFFBC) today announced the 24 Semi-Finalists of its eighth-annual Youth Innovation Showcase. The group includes 12 Innovators in the 12–15 age category and 12 in the 16–19 category, each competing for a $5,000 grand prize.

This year's projects span health tech, conservation, clean energy, AI and accessibility, drawn from a record 100+ submissions from students across British Columbia and the Yukon. Semi-Finalists will now prepare for the judging phase, presenting their projects to a panel of experts ranging within education, medical science, engineering, tech and intellectual property. 

The calibre of projects we see at the Youth Innovation Showcase keeps climbing every year and this year is no different,” said Sarah Prade, Executive Director of the Science Fair Foundation BC. “These young innovators are tackling real problems they see in the world and in every industry, from healthcare to education to AI and agriculture. It's absolutely inspiring and makes me so optimistic for the future of science. We can't wait to see them presented to our judges.

2026 Semi-Finalists

Ages 12–15

• Anusha Bassi, CellCast: The 3.5-Hour Test for mRNA Medicines
• Edwin Jiao, Magnetorheological Fluid-Driven Rolling Soft Robot for Tissue-Sparing Minimally Invasive Therapy
• Evan Lin and Paolo Ocampo, Vacuum In Peace
• Cynthia Guo, Proactive Rehabilitation: A Low-Cost Real-Time Movement Feedback System for Home Rehabilitation
• Angela Li, KickSense: A Specialized Computer Vision System for Soccer Biomechanics Analysis
• Doyeon Kim, HemoTrack: A Smart Bandage for Early Bleeding Awareness
• David Shilletto, Smart Wind: AI-Optimized Funnel Design for Portable Wind Turbines
• Wailea Lu and Averil Lu, Biomimicry Inspired Re-Engineering of a 3D Printed Manual Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS) Platform for Endometriosis Surgery
• Eshita Bangur, Elevate
• Neo Chan, UroAlert – Estimating Urostomy Bag Fill Levels Using Flex Sensors and an IMU

Ages 16–19

• Audrey Fan, AIMFit
• Jinia Randhawa, GripSense: A Grip-Sensing Smart Toothbrush for Passive Monitoring
• Helena Bahramirad, LatticeDNA – Glass Sponge–Inspired eDNA Sampling
• Arman Modaresimosala, WaCane: A Phone Free Navigation Cane for the Visually Impaired
• Verity Leung, CHORDnitive Dissonance: Testing the Brain’s Response to Harmonically Deviant Chords in Familiar Music
• Michael Feng, Shuttlecock Spill-Sock: Engineering Badminton Waste into Reusable Oil Sorbents
• Angela Wang, Chitosan-Based Flocculation for Microplastic Removal
• Cameron Tsoi and Asa Liu, HAND – Hearing Activated Navigation Device
• James Chong and Omkar Seth, Be My Arm
• Bella Lu, MycoPure: Mycelium Filtration for Wildfire PM2.5

Project videos will be available here.

Finalists will be announced on November 30, 2026, and will undergo three rounds of interviews with a judging panel. Finalist interviews will take place on January 12, 2027, and then winners will be announced at the Youth Innovation Showcase Awards Show on January 27, 2027.

About Science Fair Foundation of BC

The Science Fair Foundation of BC (SFFBC) is the largest volunteer science outreach network in the province, dedicated to fostering science and technology education by inspiring curiosity through the Science Fair program. Established in 1997, SFFBC supports Science Fairs across British Columbia and the Yukon by uniting over 1,500 educators, industry professionals, and volunteers as mentors, judges, and hosts. This collaboration empowers students to excel at regional, national, and international competitions, where Team BC has consistently achieved outstanding results. With 13 regional fairs in BC contributing to over 100 held annually across Canada, SFFBC plays a vital role in preparing the next generation for success in a knowledge-based economy.

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