Research Competition Finalists


Congratulations on being selected as a Finalist in the 2026 JYEM/NY-CSEF Research Competition. Your dedication, creativity, and commitment to scientific inquiry have earned this recognition. We are pleased to recognize your achievement and wish you continued success in your academic and research journey. The finalists listed below were selected from 1,425 participants representing diverse schools, regions, and countries. We sincerely thank every student, teacher, mentor, and parent for contributing to another successful year of the competition.
Please note: This page will be updated over the next few weeks as additional evaluation results become available. We encourage participants to check back regularly for the latest announcements and competition updates.
  • Notice 1: Projects at all stages of development—including work-in-progress research, preliminary studies, research proposals, and completed projects—were evaluated using the same judging criteria by independent review panels. Each submission was assessed based on its originality, scientific merit, methodology, significance, and overall quality.
  • Notice 2: The 2026 JYEM/NY-CSEF Research Competition received 1,425 submissions from domestic and international participants. Evaluation of late submissions is still in progress. Accordingly, the finalist list may be updated as reviews are completed. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
  • Notice 3: Recognizing that research can be especially challenging for students who are new to independent investigation, we have established a Junior High/Freshmen Awards category to recognize outstanding projects submitted by junior high school or first-year high school students. This initiative is intended to encourage young researchers, celebrate their achievements, and support their continued growth in science, engineering, medicine, and related disciplines. The list will be uploaded soon.
  • Notice 4: Due to the large number of applications received from participants around the world this year, the remaining stages of the 2026 competition will be conducted virtually.
    Please check the updated information on the Competitions page (https://jyem.org/schedule.php). Review only the sections highlighted in red and blue.
  • Notice 5: As of now, the finalist list has been updated, as the review process is nearly complete. Please check the updated finalist list for the latest information.
  • Notice 6:
    • This year, around 20-30% of the finalists will be selected and individually invited by email to submit the 8 required materials (A–H).
    • For the next round of review for the Gold, Silver, Bronze Awards, and Special Awards (multiple awards in each category), selected participants are asked to submit all 8 required materials by email by September 13, 2026. The submission deadline has been extended in response to a number of requests. .
    • Final decisions for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards will be made in mid-October 2026 (exact date: TBD).
    • The required file formats and additional instructions are provided under the Competitions tab: https://jyem.org/schedule.php
  • Notice 7 (Updated):
    • As of September 19, 2026, the list of Virtual Expo participants has been finalized, and 30% of the finalists have been selected to advance to the next round. These finalists have been individually invited by email to participate in the 2026 Virtual Expo and submit the 8 required materials (A–H) by October 3, 2026. Please refer to the bottom of the Competitions page for detailed submission instructions. If you have already submitted all eight required materials by September 13 or 14, you do not need to resubmit them.
    • PDF finalist certificates and PDF awards for Virtual Expo participants will be sent by email during October. ```
    • The recipients of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards have been announced on this page as of October 23, 2026.
    • The recipients of the Freshmen Awards will be announced on this page During mid-November.
    • The recipients of the Special Awards will be announced on this page by November 10, 2026.
Once again, congratulations to all finalists, and thank you for participating in the 2026 JYEM/NY-CSEF Research Competition. We look forward to following your future accomplishments as emerging researchers and innovators.

JYEM/NY-CSEF 2026 Research Competition Finalists

No.
Name

2026 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Award Recipients

Gold Award Silver Award Bronze Award
Aarini SenAlexander MakarovAadya Kanchan
Aidan HeAmanda LiangAurielle Johnson
Anirudh VenkateshArjun SankaranBrynn Elworth
Claire LiBentley LamCaden Billingsley
Claire WangGrace YangDaniel West
David LeeMabel YangElif Ulubek
David WuMadison JingEmily Ginsberg
Diya DasariRegina Eugene ChoEthan Lamb
Emily VuHari Venkat
Gabriel FangHaruka Nagata
Lina HoefKabir Shah
Oscar ZhouKatelynn Cai
Reya SatamKatie McCreary
Sophia FultonMason Woodruff
Sumukh KoundinyaNaya Shah
Vedant KotahwalaZubin Kapadia
Veronica Karwowska
William Zhao
18 Recipients 8 Recipients 16 Recipients

Total: 42 Award Recipients