2014 WHERE Challenge Winners

Best Overall:
'Brace yourself for an Adventure out of this World' ($500)
Julie Krug-MacLeod
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Judges Comments: click to view

• This video shows detailed planning and creativity to the extreme!

• Humorous, entertaining, creative, accurate, detailed, with clear messages.

• Great to see information about metal production from recycling and Deep Ocean drilling for resource extraction. Interesting allusion to the possibility of mining in space.

• Amusing, creative and collaborative – well done!

Best Creative:
'What's in a Crayon?' ($250)
Katie Sell
Georgetown, Ontario

Judges Comments: click to view

• Great video! Well planned and executed.

• Good summary of where petroleum comes from and how it is used.

• Great message about why we need to use non-renewable resources wisely.

• A pleasure to watch! Lots of creative talent, art and videography.

• Pigments are also derived from minerals.

• Oil was formed from the remains of animals and plants that lived millions of years ago.

Best Research:
'The Secret of the Stuffed Animal'
Famke Alberts
Georgetown, Ontario

Judges Comments: click to view

• Very well researched and presented.

• Excellent use of Prezi! Ingenious design using the teddy bear eye to walk the reader through the information.

• Loaded with details, graphs, and information on processes.

• Inventive and engaging!

• As per the submission guidelines, judges were instructed to review only the first 800 words for all written submissions. Although this submission’s total word count exceeded this criteria, the first 800 words addressed each of the questions thoroughly and the scientific background is accurate. The persuasive argument is limited, but is presented briefly in the first half of the entry.

Best Creative:
'What is a pencil made of?' ($250)
Emily Liu and Katrina Stanfield
Toronto, Ontario

Judges Comments: click to view

• Poem was a nice touch to keep the presentation concise.

• Blend of the visual presentation with the voice-over was effective.

• Very creative!

• Natural rubber is a renewable resource that comes from rubber tree sap which contains natural latex. Natural rubber does not come from oil sands. Synthetic rubber is derived from petrochemicals. Many of today’s erasers are made from a flexible plastic made from petroleum products.

• Original presentation, but it does not thoroughly address the questions of the WHERE Challenge.

Best Research:
'From the Earth to Our Kitchen' ($250)
Taeya Nial and Jaiden Csintalan
Maple Ridge, British Columbia

Judges Comments: click to view

• Web site format is effective.

• Thoroughly addresses the WHERE Challenge questions.

• Most stainless steel production today is based on recycling, with the main raw material being recycled steel. It is a very complex processed. Essentially, recycled steel is melted together with iron, nickel, chromium, and other raw materials at very high temperatures and then cast into a solid form.

• During all phases of the mining cycle (exploration, assessment and approval, construction, operation, and mine closure, reclamation and rehabilitation), development must limit impacts to the environment and bring social and economic benefits to the mining company, local communities and region. Consultations with government and communities are intensive.