The year 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of IUPAC and also the 150th anniversary of the development of the Periodic Law of the Elements. To celebrate these anniversaries, IUPAC is hosting an online, global challenge about the Periodic Table of the Elements. With thousands of players from 130 countries already participated in this activity, this online challenge is aimed at a global audience of young students, encouraging them to become part of a global community that is excited about chemistry.

When contestants successfully complete the Periodic Table Challenge with at least 60 % grade, they can advance to the Nobelium Contest for a chance to win a limited edition Periodic Table autographed by a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry! In the Nobelium Contest, participants are invited to share their passion and creativity about chemistry by highlighting the role of the Periodic Table in a creative manner. The entries can be focused on science, art, or education and outreach.

All entries are shared online and up for vote for People’s Choice and also judged by the IUPAC panel of experts based on three broad categories: creativity, commitment, and impact. Winners of the Nobelium contest will be announced throughout the year in four stages (spring, summer, fall, and winter).

The spring winners were announced on 1 April 2019. The summer winners were announced in sync with the actual 100th anniversary of IUPAC (28 July 2019), and the Fall winners of the Nobelium Contest are:

– Mei-Hung Chiu, a Professor from the National Taiwan Normal University Graduate Institute of Science Education, for her efforts in promoting motivation and awareness of sustainability about chemistry in Taiwan (ROC) during the IYPT2019 IYPT in Taiwan

– Arami Azuaga and Juan Martin, high school students from Florida, USA, for Recycled Periodic Table of Elements

– Serena Cozzolino from Naples, Italy, for her story “Carbon Tale”

– Irina Semenova from Moscow, Russia, for her project “Recycling T-shirts into Periodic Table bags and Russian shawls”

– Alhassane Djamal Toure, a researcher from Conakry, Guinea, for his project Periodic Table from A to N

– Rodrigo Wasmosy from Asuncion, Paraguay, for his project The Periodic Table Jeopardy Game

In addition to the Nobelium Winners, one entry was selected for the People’s Choice Award:

– Regional Science Centre and Planetarium Calicut, India, for their project titled Periodic Pookalam