Ten teams of young contestants competed for a place in the final of the national Beyond 2030 Challenge science competition at the semi-final held on 14 January. Five teams were selected to the final of the science competition organised by the City of Turku and Bayer. Their ingenious ideas impressive in their applicability, inventiveness and timeliness.

At the semi-final, the teams presented their inspiring ideas with succinct and well-prepared presentations. The competition entries emphasised an open-minded and bold approach to tackling the challenges of sustainable development, breaking down existing thought models and operating methods.  

The following teams made it to the final: LightDrops (Eura upper secondary school), the Syöpäleikkuri hTERT Cas9 (Kulosaaren yhteiskoulu upper secondary school), Älykierrätys (Tulliportin normaalikoulu upper secondary school), dQw4w9WgXcQ (Turun Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu upper secondary school) and Econsult (Lauttasaaren yhteiskoulu). '

Solid work with the help of mentors 

The young contestants did a fantastic job of utilising academic research methods and current social media-tied application development in the implementation of their ideas. The teams’ readiness to answer the jury’s questions highlighted their professional and bold mindset.   The jury’s complex questions challenged the young contestants to analyse their topic from the perspectives of product development, societal impact and production expenses. 

“The teams selected from the semi-final succeeded in challenging the jury with their innovative entries. The jury was tasked with selecting five ideas that would progress to the final. It would be fantastic to also those who did not make it to the final continue developing their ideas,” Mika Hannula, chair of the jury and Vice Rector for the University of Turku stated. 

During the semi-final phase, teams were support by a mentor community made up of upper education students, with each team having its own mentor. The mentors were supported by experts from the LUMA Centre for Southwest Finland. 

Final to weigh young contestants’ inventiveness  

The competition will culminate in its final phase beginning on 17 January, the Monday following the semi-final. During the final, the teams will develop their idea and build a demo or prototype, which will be showcased in the final. During the final phase, the teams will have a tight schedule, as the phase will end on 16 March and the winner will be announced at the final organised on 1 April.  

The final is expected to be close, as the selection of the finalists already resulted in a heated debate. In the final just as in the semi-final, the competition will be decided by the jury. The 12-member jury consists of experts from educational institutions, higher education institutions, and companies sponsoring the competition. All teams participating in the semi-final will be awarded product prizes. 

The competition’s sponsors include: Cadmatic, Genelec, Granlund, PerkinElmer, Turku Energia and Wärtsilä. 

Semi-finalists and competition topics 

LightDrops, Eura upper secondary school: Street lights, dimming and brightening automatically in reaction to traffic   

Smart Recycling, Tulliportin normaalikoulu upper secondary school: A mobile application reading packing labels to inform the user of the correct recycling method.   

dQw4w9WgXcQ, Turun Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu upper secondary school: Blue mussel growing grounds offering a local solution for combating the eutrophication problem in the Finnish Archipelago Sea.  

Econsult, Lauttasaaren yhteiskoulu: Impact of land use and microbes on carbon sequestration: Soil management and correct use to create carbon sinks.   

Syöpäleikkuri hTERT Cas9, Kulosaaren yhteiskoulu upper secondary school: Cessation of the production of telomerase enzyme, which would serve as a cancer treatment.  

Vesikot, Turun Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu upper secondary school: Hydroxio micro-hydroelectric power plant transforming tap water into electricity utilising waste water.  

Sipoo upper secondary school Luma linja, Sipoo upper secondary school: Game of Sustainable Development: Daily challenges, small deeds with large crowds.  

Happi Group, Turun Suomalainen Yhteiskoulu upper secondary school: A device that efficiently supplies pure oxygen to water bodies in order to solve oxygen depletion.  

Maskitiimi, Lauttasaaren yhteiskoulu: Minimising the environmental and health impacts of face masks by using face mask bins and Ioncell masks.   

Datajumalat, Otaniemi upper secondary school: Reducing eutrophication in the Baltic Sea with the help of a floating algae farm.

Additional information

Competition assessment criteria

Competition jury