Since its inception in 2005, the Alltech Young Scientist (AYS) has had participation of over 60,000 students from more than 70 countries and has awarded $1 million in prizes. It is considered one of the world’s most prestigious agriscience competitions for university students and has discovered some of the best and brightest upcoming researchers from universities around the world. Applications are now open for the 2019 competition.
The Alltech Young Scientist competition began in 2005 as an expression of Dr. Pearse Lyons’ passion for curiosity and innovation within education. As a scientist, he understood the challenges of research and the excitement that comes with breakthroughs that could solve real problems. Through the Alltech Young Scientist competition, he hoped to create a closer connection between the classroom and the agricultural challenges occurring in the field and on the farm. Most importantly, he wanted to inspire and showcase the talents of university students who represent tomorrow’s solutions for our planet’s shared future.
New for 2019, the AYS competition is open exclusively to university graduate students (master’s degree and Ph.D.) and professor nominations are no longer required. Entrants will compete first within their home regions of North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific or Europe/Africa. Then regional winners will be invited to attend an all-expenses-paid Alltech Young Scientist Discovery Week in Lexington, Kentucky, where they will compete in the global competition during ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference (ONE19), which will be held May 19–21, 2019. The prizes include USD$10,000 for the global graduate winner.
“The Alltech Young Scientist competition provides a global stage for the next generation of agriculture scientists to present their research, further their education and interact with some of the best scientific and agribusiness minds of our time,” said Dr. Karl Dawson, vice president and chief scientific officer at Alltech. “We are proud to offer this once-in-a-lifetime experience in the hopes of highlighting and rewarding those striving to impact the agriculture industry through scientific research and innovation.”
Registration is currently open for the 2019 competition and will close on Jan. 31, 2019. Students may submit scientific papers on topics such as animal health and nutrition, crop science, agriculture analytical methods, food chain safety and traceability, human health and nutrition, and other agriscience-related sectors. Paper submission may be completed online through Jan. 31, 2019, and regional winners will be announced in April 2019.
Although the competition is for graduate students, AYS welcomes other budding scientists, from kindergarten and beyond, to engage with the program on Facebook and Instagram, where we feature special contests and other exciting content. For more information and to register for the Alltech Young Scientist competition, visit AlltechYoungScientist.com.