- Hi, this is Sal Khan of the Khan Academy,
and I just wanted to let all of you know
about a really exciting challenge that's going on.
It applies to any student that is between the ages
of 13 and 18 years old, anywhere in the world.
And so if you're one of them,
you should definitely listen to this.
But, if you know anyone between the ages of 13 and 18,
this could be life-changing for them,
so you should also listen and then tell them about it.
So, what I'm talking about is the
Breakthrough Junior Challenge,
and you can learn more about it at
BreakthroughJuniorChallenge.org
But, it's a partnership that we have
with the Breakthrough Prize.
The Breakthrough Prize is, essentially like
a new Nobel prize for people making breakthroughs
in Math, Science, major contributions to humanity.
And, as part of this, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge
is all about young people between the ages of 13 and 18
creating videos that explain something about the universe
that we didn't, either we didn't appreciate before
or know before, or something that we did know
but explaining it in a pretty cool,
profound, approachable, maybe funny way.
And, this is a really big deal.
The winner of this prize is going to get
a $250,000 scholarship.
Yes, that is four zeros after the 25.
$250,000 scholarship, so it'll pretty much
pay for any college out there.
The winner of last year's prize, Ryan Chester,
he is now able to go to college on this $250,000 scholarship
and he got into Harvard, and I could imagine
that winning this prize was a good part of his application.
But, that's not where it ends.
There's going to be a $100,000 lab for your school,
a $100,000 science lab, and $50,000 for your teacher.
So, all in, we're talking about $400,000 for a video
that's going to be five minutes or less
that explains something in an interesting way.
And, I really want to point out, this doesn't have to be
something with fancy special effects or graphics,
you could look at some of the finalists from last year,
look at Ryan Chester's videos,
we really care about how it's explained, and the content.
It could be a video, like a Khan Academy style of video,
or it could be just a background and some writing
with maybe a few visuals, it could be you at a chalkboard,
or it could be a little bit more produced,
it could be some live action, whatever else.
But, the key is, is it explains something in Math or Science
in a novel way, in an interesting way.
And, someone out there listening is going to win this.
And it's going to be a life-changing event,
and more than just the money and the opportunities
that are going to open up,
it's really the chance to help the world.
Cause the whole reason why this prize exists,
is because we think that young people
can look at the world in a different way,
in a way that maybe people who have been in a field
for a long time, won't see it.
And, by looking at it in a different way
and explaining concepts, it'll open up all of our minds,
and potentially even move the field forward.
And, above and beyond that, outside of the money,
outside of helping the world, which is a really big deal,
the winners of the prize are going
to come to Silicon Valley,
come out here for the Breakthrough Prize ceremony.
They're gonna get their prize on-stage alongside
leaders in their field,
it's going to be nationally televised,
there's all sorts of celebrities from the Silicon Valley,
and Hollywood that are going to be there.
You should look at some of the videos from previous
Breakthrough prizes, it's really a big deal.
I bought a tuxedo just for this event.
So, you could imagine, I don't own a lot of formal wear.
So, once again, if you're interested
and you really should be,
because it's not about production value,
it's about ideas, creativity, humor,
and you're between ages 13 and 18,
the deadline is October 10th.
So, it's about three weeks
from when I'm making this video right now,
go to BreakthroughJuniorChallenge.org,
I think you'd be surprised,
this could be life-changing for you.
And, remember, five minutes max for the video.