Other people talk about making the world better. You actually did something.

Nominations for the 2013 Weston Youth Innovation Award are now closed. The winner will be announced here on June 15th, 2013.

Past Winners:

2012 Weston Youth Innovation Award

Charlotte Donaldson and Megan Smith of Nova Scotia, for their work developing an improved "Universal Spinal Board" to aid in the rescue of victims of spinal injuries.

Honourable Mention:

The Award Selection Committee wishes to recognize Shayla Larson and Adam Noble of Ontario for their work using Euglena cells to test the toxicity of nanosilver in Canada's water systems.

Finalists for 2012 Weston Youth Innovation Award included:

• Rachel Brown and Katie van der Sloot of Alberta for their investigations and community activism related to Triclosan and its role in contributing to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• The Sentinels (Lego Robotics Team 3663) of Ontario for their work developing a new biomedical device to aid in diabetes management.
• Marshall Zhang of Ontario for his work researching a possible new drug treatment for cystic fibrosis. 2011 Weston Youth Innovation Award.

2011 Weston Youth Innovation Award

Please note that the Weston Youth Innovation Award was not awarded in 2011. After careful deliberation, the Review Panel determined that none of that year's submissions met all the required criteria.

2010 Weston Youth Innovation Award

Kimberly Gulevich of British Columbia, for her work exploring the use of methane capture as a way to provide energy to small rural households that use sewage lagoons. A clean form of energy and a renewable resource, methane could potentially help reduce the carbon footprint of these households.

Honourable Mention:

The Award Selection Committee recognized Meredith Drieseberg and Kathleen Skyvington for iCCOMMIT, a youth movement to fight climate change.

Finalists for 2010 Weston Youth Innovation Award included:

• Sophia Coulter English and Gillian Walczak for "The Perfect Plastic", a project to develop bio-degradable plastic from simple household products.
• Katrine Masters and Cynthya Peloquin for "Suivi de population de poissons dans le ruisseau Cacouna", a project to assess the health and outcome of a trout-stocking program in Drummondville, Quebec.

2009 Weston Youth Innovation Award

Eden Full of Alberta, for her work with Dynamic Photovoltaics, a passive solar tracker that moves panels towards the sun using inexpensive, environmentally-safe materials that are commonly found in developing countries and elsewhere. The device maximizes the efficiency of solar panels by having them track the sun during the course of the day, and can be easily maintained and repaired with simple instructions.

Finalists for 2009 Weston Youth Innovation Award included:

• Albert Hu, founder of the Northern Secondary Robotic Innovation Team (Toronto, ON).
• Courtney Marshall, Adam Mitchell and Jake Mitchell (Napanee, ON), with the Solar Stirling Engine Project.
• Meredith Drieseberg, Azra Shirji and Meagan McKeen (Oakville, ON) with iCCOMMIT, a youth movement to fight climate change.