Hillary Diane Andales, an 18-year-old from the Philippines, recently described a part of Einstein's theory of relativity in a little video clip. She earned $400,000 in education-related award money, including $250,000 in scholarship funding, as a result of her efforts.
The Breakthrough Prize, nicknamed the "Oscars of Science" at times, honors individuals who have made significant contributions to physics, life sciences, and mathematics. The program was launched in 2012 and is supported and co-formed by a diverse group of entrepreneurs and science enthusiasts from across the world, including Mark Zuckerberg.
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge invites young people worldwide to create innovative, science-themed videos aimed at sparking people's imaginations with science.
Andales also joined the 2016 competition and won the popular vote, as mentioned in an emailed news release. Although she did not win the top prize back then, Andales soared above the 11,000 other contestants this year.
Rather touchingly, her win will also include a $50,000 check for the scientific instructor who inspired her in the first place. The remainder of the funding will be used to build a custom-designed, state-of-the-art research facility.
Her video tackles a notoriously difficult scientific issue, one that even the most accomplished science communicators struggle to explain to non-scientists.