The 2024 Yau Science Awards Final will be held at Tsinghua University on December 7-8. What is the schedule for this year? What are the rules for the competition?

2024 Yau Science Awards Finals Schedule

The finals of the 2024 Yau Science Awards will be held on December 7-8 at Tsinghua University. Below is the schedule and important participation rules for teams qualified for the finals.

Brief Schedule

1. Date: December 6 (Friday), 14:00-18:00
   Location: B108, Liao Kaiyuan Building, Tsinghua University
   Details: Registration for participating students and mentors. Collect materials and sign in. If students or mentors are unable to attend in person, please fill in the "Special Circumstances" section in the registration system. Representatives must bring the ID of the student or mentor for verification.
2. Date: December 7 (Saturday), 08:30-18:00
   Location: Liao Kaiyuan Building, Tsinghua University
   Interview Rooms:Mathematics: B105、Physics: B110、Chemistry: B101、Biology: B102、Computer Science: B103、Economics and Financial Modeling: B104
   Waiting Room: B122
   Details: Finals—Defenses for Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, and Economics and Financial Modeling Awards.
3. Date: December 8 (Sunday)
4. 08:30-12:00 — Finals: Science Gold Award Defense, attended by the six gold award teams
   Location: Interview Room: B105, Waiting Room: B122, Liao Kaiyuan Building
5. 13:30-16:00 — Science Forum
   Location: Reception Hall, Main Building, Tsinghua University
6. 16:30-18:30 — Awards Ceremony
   Location: Rear Hall, Main Building, Tsinghua University
7. 19:00-20:30 — Dinner
   Location: Beijing Liaoning Hotel

Participants Guidelines

1. Student Members: Each student must attend the finals in person. If any team member cannot attend, please send a “Situation Explanation” to the organizing committee's email for approval. Members absent from the in-person defense will forfeit their eligibility for awards.
2. Guiding Teachers: All guiding teachers must participate in the finals defense to briefly introduce the guidance process and confirm the students' identities. Teachers are expected to attend in person unless there are special circumstances, which must be explained via email for approval by the committee.
3. Accompanying Personnel: If the guiding teacher cannot attend in person due to special circumstances, a team leader or parent may substitute, with a maximum of one per team.

Events

1. Science Forum: Students must attend unless there are special circumstances. Guiding teachers and other accompanying personnel interested in attending can collect viewing tickets and watch the broadcast in Room 6A018, Building 6, Tsinghua University.
2. Awards Ceremony: Students and guiding teachers must attend unless there are special circumstances. A limited number of viewing tickets will be available for other accompanying personnel.
3. Dinner: Open only to participating students and guiding teachers.

Please ensure all participant information for each event is submitted in the registration system by the deadline of November 18 at 24:00. Other personnel will not be registered for campus entry.

2024 Yau Science Awards Finals Defense Guidelines

Finals Format

The finals will be conducted as an English interview defense. This means the team’s final submitted paper title, abstract, full paper, and defense PPT must all be in English. The interview and defense will be in English. Each team has a maximum of 30 minutes for the defense, including:

1. 1-2 Minutes: The guiding teacher briefly introduces the guidance process, confirms the students' identities, and then leaves. The introduction should cover:
2. Whether students paid for guidance;
3. If there are other guiding teachers;
4. Whether any training institutions were involved;
5. The guidance provided by the teacher;
6. The students' level of participation and main contributions.
7. High school guiding teachers must confirm that the participants are students from their school.
8. 13-14 Minutes: Students present their research using a PPT.
9. 15 Minutes: Students answer questions from the judges.

Finals Discipline

Teams must arrive at the waiting room 30 minutes before their scheduled defense time for identity verification and check-in. Failure to arrive on time will be considered a withdrawal from the competition.

1. Participants and guiding teachers must bring valid identification (ID card/passport/Hong Kong-Macau travel permit). Students should also bring their student ID.
2. Maintain order in the waiting area, keep noise to a minimum, set phones to silent or vibrate, and follow staff instructions.
3. Guiding teachers must enter the defense room to give a brief introduction and then leave to wait in the waiting room.
4. All team members must enter the defense room. Presentations can be done by one person or shared among multiple members. Any team member can answer the judges' questions.
5. Team leaders, parents, and other personnel are not allowed in the defense room.
6. Timing begins when team members enter the defense area. The entire session should not exceed 30 minutes. Manage the presentation time carefully.
7. Teams must leave the venue after their defense.
8. Ensure that the paper, defense PPT, and other materials are submitted by the specified deadline.
9. In the defense room, the committee provides a computer with Windows 10, a clicker, and other necessary equipment for presentations. PPTs should be in a 16:9 format. Using personal computers is not recommended. If using a personal computer or updating the PPT on-site, setup time will count towards the team's allotted defense time.

2024 Yau Science Awards Finals Material Submission

1. Required Materials

Final English paper, English PPT, and competition information for the finals stage. If there are additions or modifications to the paper compared to the public version, the revised or supplementary parts must be uploaded separately (please list in detail and upload to "Other Materials").

1. Submission Method

Log in to the Yau High School Science Award official registration system using your account to complete the information and submit materials.

2. Deadlines

Competition information and handbook materials for the finals stage must be completed and submitted in the system by 24:00 on November 18. Confirm team participation, personal bank account details, and submit photos and team introductions for the student competition handbook.

The final English paper, defense PPT, and other presentation materials must be submitted by 24:00 on November 30. Late submissions will not be accepted. *Please strictly adhere to this deadline; the committee will not support any consequences due to late submissions.

2024 Yau Science Awards Finals Prize Distribution

Prize Standards:

Gold Prize: 50,000 RMB per team

Silver Prize: 30,000 RMB per team

Bronze Prize: 10,000 RMB per team

Merit Prize: 5,000 RMB per team

Science Gold Prize: 50,000 RMB per team

Prize Distribution Principles:

In the domestic finals, the prize money is shared between the students and the guiding teacher. The guiding teacher receives 20% of the prize, while the remaining 80% is awarded to the students. In the overseas finals, the entire prize is awarded to the students.

S.-T. Yau High School Science Award

The Yau High School Science Award, initiated in 2008 by renowned mathematician Shing-Tung Yau, is a science innovation award for high school students. It evaluates based on "research academic papers" and "professional academic defense," promoting innovative thinking and teamwork, and moves away from exams and standard answers, focusing on paper submissions.

The award has expanded from a single Mathematics Prize sixteen years ago to include the Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, and Economics and Financial Modeling Prizes. It is listed in the Ministry of Education's competition whitelist for the 2022-2025 academic years and holds significant influence both domestically and internationally.

Yau Award Three Major Divisions

Mainland China Division: Open to high school students from various schools in mainland China, with separate reviews for the southern and northern regions, and an eastern division for the Mathematics Prize.

Asia Division: Open to high school students from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and other Asian countries, excluding mainland China.

North America Division: Open to high school students from countries outside Asia.

Why Participate in the Yau Science Award?

1.International Influence

The Yau Award has been successfully held for fifteen editions, with over 12,000 teams from more than 2,000 schools participating. It covers over 30 provinces and cities in China and several overseas countries like the USA and Singapore. Nearly 850 students from 461 teams have been awarded, with over 450 renowned professors and scientists worldwide serving as judges or advisors.

2.Successful Aid for University Applications

More than half of the award-winning students have been recommended to prestigious universities such as Tsinghua, Peking University, Harvard, MIT, Yale, and Princeton. Many continue their academic research even after entering their dream universities.

Participating in research competitions is a long-term commitment. Students need to invest time weekly to achieve satisfactory outcomes. High school students are often busy, and inadequate preparation time can disrupt the balance between studies and research!

Missed this year's Yau Award? Don't miss the Regeneron ISEF, another internationally recognized research competition highly valued by top US universities!

Embark has helped over 50 students reach the ISEF global finals in the past three years. Moreover, Embark students have claimed their own asteroids for three consecutive years!

Want to know more about next year's ISEF schedule, how to participate in global affiliated competitions, or create a long-term academic plan? Visit the Embark website for more details!

Embark is dedicated to helping students realize their potential through research, becoming future scientists and innovators.