Google launches third annual Google Science Fair

For the past two years, thousands of students from more than 90 countries have submitted research projects that address some of the most challenging problems we face today.

Previous winners tackled issues such as the early diagnosis of breast cancer, improving the experience of listening to music for people with hearing loss and cataloguing the ecosystem found in water.

With the Google Science Fair, Google hopes to inspire scientific exploration among young people and see even more entries for our third annual competition.

Some key information for this year's Science Fair:
●Students can enter the Science Fair in 13 languages (including Arabic).
●The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2013 at 11:59 pm PDT
●In June, Google will recognize 90 regional finalists (30 from the Americas, 30 from Asia Pacific and 30 from Europe/Middle East/Africa).
●Judges will then select the top 15 finalists, who will be flown to Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. for our live, final event on September 23, 2013.
●At the finals, a panel of distinguished international judges consisting of renowned scientists and tech innovators will select top winners in each age category (13-14, 15-16, 17-18). One will be selected as the Grand Prize winner.

Prizes include a $50,000 scholarship from Google, a trip to the Galapagos with National Geographic Expeditions and experiences at CERN, Google or the LEGO Group. Scientific American will also award a $50,000 Science in Action prize to one project that makes a practical difference by addressing a social, environmental or health issue.

For 2013, Google is introducing two new prizes:
●In August, the public will have the opportunity to get to know the 15 finalists through a series of Google+ Hangouts on Air and will then vote for the Inspired Idea Award—an award selected by the public for the project with the greatest potential to change the world.

●Google also recognizes that behind every great student there's often a great teacher and a supportive school, so this year Google will award a $10,000 cash grant from Google and an exclusive Google+ Hangout with CERN to the Grand Prize winner's school.

Lastly, a series of Google+ Hangouts on Air will be hosted on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, these Hangouts will feature renowned scientists including inventor Dean Kamen and oceanographic explorer Fabien Cousteau, showcase exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of cutting-edge labs and science facilities, and provide access to judges and the Google Science Fair team. These Google+ Hangouts aim to inspire, mentor and support students throughout the competition and beyond.