Pinelands duo wins first prize at Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition

3 April 2025

Team South Africa made a remarkable impact at the Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition (BYSCC) in China, earning prestigious awards for their outstanding scientific projects. As we announced earlier, Christopher Collier-Reed and Adam Gibbon from Pinelands High School were selected to represent South Africa in Beijing, and they have now returned as champions, winning the First Prize (Gold medal equivalent) for their project, "Flies to the rescue: Innovating food waste management using Black Soldier fly larvae."

The duo said the win was an unexpected, but thrilling moment. “Our goal was simply to reach the international level, and we weren't expecting to win anything. The competition was structured very differently from the Eskom Expo International Science Fair, so just participating was already an achievement. When we found out we had won the First Prize, we were completely shocked and overwhelmed,” said Collier-Reed.

Commenting on their win, Gibbon said, “It feels surreal to know that all the hard work we put into our research and experiments paid off.

Holding that Gold medal in my hands was an unforgettable moment, and I was left speechless for a while. For aspiring scientists, my advice is to never give up when things don't go as planned. There were times when experiments didn’t work, or I felt unmotivated but staying disciplined and persistent will help you reach new heights. Also, start early and work steadily over time – small, consistent efforts make a big difference."

The Eskom Development Foundation congratulated Team South Africa on their achievement.

Registration for Eskom Expo 2025 is still open – visit www.exposcience.co.za to register your research project!