A free, nationwide science competition for primary and secondary school students in Years 3 to 10, Think Science! encourages students to work as part of a team to perform an investigation using the Science Inquiry skills from the Australian Curriculum and document their process and findings in a video. Over $10,000 in prizes are on offer for winning schools and students.
In 2025, Think Science! will run from Monday 28th April until Friday 4th July. Winners will be announced during National Science Week.
Registrations open Monday 28th April:
What is Think Science!?
At ANSTO, we believe science is for everyone! Think Science! is suitable for students of all levels and abilities. This teams-based competition encourages an interactive learning environment that provides insights into how scientists work. Teachers will be supported with resources to assist with incorporating investigations and the Science Inquiry skills into class lessons. Most importantly, we aim to make science fun.
Think Science! asks students, in small teams of 2 - 4 individuals, to conduct a first-hand science investigation on a topic of their choosing. Students will document how they followed all steps of the Science Inquiry strand of the Australian Curriculum.
Teams will submit a short video, 3 - 4 minutes long for primary students and 4 - 5 minutes long for secondary students, to ANSTO, which summarises and showcases their investigation and science inquiry skills. Communication is an important science skill, and the video that teams create will determine their success in Think Science! 2025. Timing is crucial - videos must not exceed the allocated time. Unleash your creativity and produce a video that showcases how science can be fun, daring and innovative!
The competition is flexible. Any science topic can be chosen, including content being taught in classes, and provides an opportunity to include digital technology skills. No special equipment or materials are required. Schools from any State or Territory across Australia are invited to join in.
Check out our winning entries from 2024 as inspiration!
Teacher Information Video
Find out more about how the Think Science! competition will be running in 2025 and how your students can get involved!
New Think Science Online Resources
In 2025, we have created new online resources to assist you to participate in the Think Science! competition.
We have prepared a series of five modules called Preparing your Think Science Entry. Students (particularly in Years 7-10) can use these modules as a guide to assist them in preparing their Think Science entry. It's like an online logbook that takes them step-by-step from choosing a topic through to creating their video entry.
We hope you find these resources beneficial in creating your Think Science! entries!
Participation Map
Explore registered schools on our map! We will also keep registered teachers up to date with useful information.
How to Enter & Terms/Conditions
Teachers must register themselves and their class to participate and must read the Terms and Conditions carefully before registering.
Registered teachers may submit entries from three student teams per class, using the online Entry Form below. Enter early to allow for any technical difficulties.
A YouTube link for each video entry must be provided on the Entry Form. The visibility setting for each video must be set to ‘unlisted’ (not for public viewing, viewable only with your link).
Prizes
ANSTO is awarding over $10,000 in prizes. There are student prizes for the winning teams and medals for place getters. Winning schools can choose any science education resources to the listed value.
Judging
All entries will be judged by experienced science educators at ANSTO. Every entry will be judged by at least two educators independently, to determine finalists. Finalists will progress to an additional round of judging with an expert panel.
Think Science Judging Rubric Y3-6 2025
Think Science Judging Rubric Y7-10 2025
We have provided the checklist below to assist with making sure your video meets the judging requirements. Print off the checklist, watch your video (you may like to do this with other friends, family or classmates) and tick off all the steps that your video has included. Are there any steps missing? You may like to redo your video before submitting it, to make sure it is amazing and just what the judges are looking for!
Think Science Student Logbooks
All student teams must complete a Logbook during their investigation. This must be retained at the school and a pdf copy made available if requested. The Student Logbooks below can be used for this purpose if needed.
Tips and Supporting Resources
We recommend that you read the “Tips & Tricks” below and information on suitable software to use for presentations. These resources are designed to help teachers incorporate Think Science! into their classes.
Think Science! Tips and Tricks
Think Science! 2025 How to make a video
Think Science! 2025 Video Storyboard Planning
Think Science! Topic examples for Years 3 - 6
Think Science Newsletters for Teachers:
Issue 1: Picking a topic and writing a question.
Issue 2: Planning and conducting
Do you have a question?
Don't hesitate to contact the ANSTO Think Science! Team if you have any questions about the Think Science! event.
Think Science! Team
The ANSTO Think Science! team
Program Coordinator | Program Coordinator | Program Advisor | Program Advisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Mulholland BSc (Hons) Dip Ed | Rochelle Donohue BAnVetBioSc BEd (Prim) GradCertPrimScEd GradCertEdDes | Sarah Tyler BSc Dip Ed
| Rochelle Gadd BMedSc |