Net Zero in 3 competition for physics

And your three minutes start... now! School students: can you explain net zero in a three-minute video or podcast?

Sir David Attenborough once said: “If we bring emissions down with sufficient vigour we may yet avoid the tipping points that will make runaway climate change unstoppable.”

Can you help us to explain why and how we might yet avoid the tipping points with alternative energy sources? We challenge you to create a three-minute video or podcast about any aspect of environmental physics or energy technologies and usage, relating to net zero, that a high-school student can understand.

Environmental physics? Isn’t that just climate change?

No! Environmental physics is far more than just climate change. As a science it incorporates a broad range of differing subjects including studies of local air quality; natural and manmade emissions; the movement of atmospheric constituents; and local, regional and global meteorology. Of course to understand these subjects we also need to observe our planet using a variety of techniques from local weather stations to global observational satellites.

The laws of Net Zero in 3

How to enter

1. Create a video or podcast on any aspect of environmental physics or energy technologies and usage that is no longer than three minutes.
2. You can submit your video or podcast individually or in a team of up to four.
3. The video or podcast must contain accurate information, and if the chosen topic is controversial or under debate, then this should be mentioned.
4. The video or podcast should not promote or disparage a particular company or organisation, though they can be mentioned as examples of who is implementing an energy technology.
5. The video or podcast can be in any format! It could be a single person or a group of people talking into a microphone; a drama; visuals and animation; song, poetry or dance; or something else... all creativity is welcome.

Eligibility

This competition is open to students in the UK and Ireland, in their final two years of pre-university education (as of the closing date). This includes A-level, International Baccalaureate, Scottish Higher and Advanced Higher (S5 and S6), Irish Senior Cycle, or equivalent courses.

We strongly encourage submissions from students with all backgrounds that are underrepresented in the physics community.

Submission deadline

The deadline for submissions has now passed. Check back for more information soon.

Important note about completing your entry

• If all students involved in the entry are under 18, then a parent, guardian or teacher should email [email protected] with the submission (in MP4 format) and their own contact details, stating “I confirm that [full name(s) of all students involved in the submission] is/are a student/s at [name of school] in [year group]”.
• If all students involved in the entry are 18 or over, then one of the students should email [email protected] with the submission (in MP4 format) and their own contact details, stating “I confirm that [full name(s) of all students involved in the submission] is/are a student/s at [name of school] in [year group]”.
• If the entry is a team with a mix of students under 18 and over 18, then a parent, guardian or teacher, or one of the students who is 18 or over, should email [email protected] with the submission (in MP4 format) and their own contact details, stating “I confirm that [full name(s) of all students involved in the submission] is/are a student/s at [name of school] in [year group]”.

Please include a name, telephone number and email address as contact details.

Videos for guidance

Watch Dr Helen Rogers and Dr Francisco Cabrera give a summary of the competition.

Prizes

The winners and runners-up of the competition will all receive cash prizes, with the team cash prizes being shared between the team members. The winners of the “Best individual” and “Best team” prizes will also receive a one-year subscription to Physics World.

Category	Prize
Best individual video	£200 (First Prize) £100 (Highly Commended – up to three will be awarded)
Best team video	£200 (First Prize) £100 (Highly Commended – up to three will be awarded)

Judging criteria

• Creativity: How original is the presentation of the topic?
• Clarity: How understandable is the video to a 16-year-old with no prior knowledge of net zero and its various definitions?
• Engagement: How good is the video at capturing our attention, keeping it, and leaving us with something to think about afterwards?
• Accuracy: How well are environmental physics and/or energy technologies and usage presented in a well-researched and non-misleading way?

Organisers

The Energy Group and Environmental Physics Group are special interest groups with the IOP.