They Did What? Australian Student STEM Video Competition 2026

Introduce audiences to an Australian STEM trailblazer worth knowing

Education Services Australia is inviting students to research and creatively profile an overlooked person making a difference in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. The subject may be contributing to STEM inside Australia or may be an Australian working overseas. Entries can be produced by one student, a team, or an entire class.

Contest details

• Deadline: October 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time.
• Who can enter: Australian students from Foundation through Year 10, entering individually, in teams, or as a class.
• Entry fee: No entry fee is stated.
• Video length: Maximum three minutes.
• File requirements: MP4, no larger than 600 MB.
• Categories: Foundation–Year 4, Years 5–6, Years 7–8, and Years 9–10.
• Entry volume: Schools may submit multiple entries.

Prizes

Each of the four age categories has three prize recipients. The winning entry receives a $300 Visa gift card, and two runners-up receive $100 Visa gift cards each.

What judges want

Judges look for compelling and well-researched content, creative storytelling, clear structure, entertainment value, and a strong focus on an unsung STEM star. A phone or basic camera is enough—the originality and clarity of the student’s ideas matter more than expensive production equipment.

Adult assistance is allowed for accessibility, camera setup, software operation, uploading, or typing captions exactly as dictated, but adults cannot develop the concept, write the script, make central creative decisions, or edit the work beyond the student’s intended standard.

Copyright and privacy

Students must secure permission for every third-party image, clip, song, and recognizable person. Parental consent is required for participating children, and entries should protect student privacy by avoiding identifying uniforms, names, or locations when students appear on camera.

Students retain ownership. Entry grants Education Services Australia a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license to use, reproduce, edit, publish, and communicate the work for competition administration and ESA promotion, with acknowledgement of the entrant’s authorship.

Read the official competition page and submit

OnlineVideoContests.com independently summarizes opportunities for creators. Education Services Australia’s official terms control eligibility, adult support, consent, licensing, judging, and prizes.