ANSTO is delighted to announce the winners of the 2026 Think Science! competition.
Loftus Public School-which is less than 14 kms from ANSTO's Lucas Heights campus-took out the years 3-4 division with their investigation about making wind turbines more effective by using biomimicry. Iqra College from SA won first place in the years 5-6 division with their investigation into how science can help to cool their school's grounds.
Narooma High School in the NSW south coast took out the year 7-8 category with their study on Wood Density and flash points while Sydney's inner city St Andrew's Cathedral School took out first place in the years 9-10 category with their riveting submission on making invisible environmental damage visible.
The 2026 primary rural award went to a year 5-6 group from St Raphael's Catholic School in Cowra who asked a question many kids wonder, "What makes apples go brown?". The senior rural award went to Sathya Sai Secondary College who delved into the impact of multitasking on memory, a question many parents wonder about.
Think Science! is a free national science competition that challenges kids to conduct a scientific investigation and present their findings in video.
More than 1,400 students from 55 schools across Australia took part this year with eighty teachers from 32 primary schools and 23 secondary schools supporting 743 students in creating 229 entries. Homeschool teams are also eligible.
Think Science! is designed to help students practise science inquiry skills. Students investigate the question of their choice, develop a fair test, collect evidence, analyse results and then communicate their investigations and findings in a short video.
Think Science! is also designed to be flexible enough to fit within an existing unit of work, a science rotation or an extension project with students working in teams of two to four.
More than $10,000 in prizes including science education resources, medals and certificates will be awarded schools placing first, second and third.
It's a busy National Science Week at ANSTO. Last week we celebrated Deaf Youth Science Camp and the 20th anniversary of OPAL, Australia's only multipurpose nuclear reactor.
OPAL provides world-class research infrastructure supporting health, industry, the environment and innovation. OPAL is one of the world's premier multipurpose reactors, underpinning Australia's enduring nuclear capability and sustaining the expertise, infrastructure and international confidence needed in a changing strategic environment.
