Do you know a Young Innovator who deserves recognition?

Ontario Science Centre now accepting candidates for the
2012 Weston Youth Innovation Award

TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - The Ontario Science Centre is seeking nominations for the prestigious annual Weston Youth Innovation Award. Created to encourage and recognize young Canadian innovators, the award provides students aged 14 to 18 a unique vehicle to share their ideas and be featured at one of Canada's most popular attractions.

Successful candidates will have used science and/or technology as the basis for developing creative and innovative ideas aimed at solving real-world problems. They will have also put their ideas into action, resulting in a positive impact either in their own community or on a broader scale.

The winning applicant or team will receive a $2,000 prize, travel expenses to attend the award ceremony in Toronto, and an Ontario Science Centre membership. The winner's work will be featured in a professional animation on display in the Weston Family Innovation Centre at the Science Centre in Toronto, which receives over one million visitors each year. It will also be posted online to inspire other youth to think, work and collaborate in new ways.

"There are Canadian youth who are already on the path to effect positive change in our world through innovative use of science and technology, "said Catherine Paisley, Vice President, Science Education at the Ontario Science Centre. "We want to recognize their efforts through this Award by giving them a platform for sharing their work, inspiring others to make a difference."

Know someone who might qualify? Please contact us: [email protected].

The deadline is February 1, 2012. An external jury will make a selection in April 2012 and the winner will be announced on the website by May 31, 2012.

Detailed information about the Weston Youth Innovation Award can be found at www.OntarioScienceCentre.ca/innovationaward.

About the Weston Youth Innovation Award

The Weston Youth Innovation Award was established in 2008 to encourage and recognize young Canadian innovators and was named in recognition of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation's $15 million lead gift to the Ontario Science Centre's 'Agents of Change' initiative. This national award builds on the Foundation's longstanding tradition of support to educational initiatives for Canadian youth.

About the Ontario Science Centre

The Ontario Science Centre delights, informs and challenges the communities we serve, enriching people's lives and understanding through engagement with science of local, national and global relevance. Since 1969, the Ontario Science Centre has welcomed over 45 million visitors, with an interactive approach that was the model for Science Centres around the world. It is the public centre for innovative thinking and provocative dialogue in science and technology, aiming to inspire a lifelong journey of curiosity, discovery and action to create a better future for the planet. The Ontario Science Centre is an agency of the Government of Ontario. Please visit us at OntarioScienceCentre.ca. Facebook: www.Facebook.com/OntarioScienceCentre. Twitter: @OntScienceCtr.

YouTube: www.YouTube.com/user/OntarioScienceCentre.

www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/innovationaward
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SOURCE Ontario Science Centre

Video with caption: "Video: Animation of the winning project by Kimberly Gulevich, winner of the 2010 Weston Youth Innovation Award". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20111117_C6652_VIDEO_EN_6792.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20111117_C6652_PHOTO_EN_6792.jpg&clientName=Ontario%20Science%20Centre&caption=Video%3A%20Animation%20of%20the%20winning%20project%20by%20Kimberly%20Gulevich%2C%0D%0Awinner%20of%20the%202010%20Weston%20Youth%20Innovation%20Award&title=Animation%20of%20the%20winning%20project%20by%20Kimberly%20Gulevich

Image with caption: "Eden Full, winner of the 2009 Weston Youth Innovation Award. (CNW Group/Ontario Science Centre)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20111117_C6652_PHOTO_EN_6770.jpg