First Place Winner
Charlotte Quintanar – The Four Fundamental Forces
Best Video about the Physics of Music
Garett Rathsack – Overtones and the Trumpet
Best Video about the Physics of Sound
Josephine Duvall – Physics of Music
Best Video about the Physics of Sports
Katy Gorden – The Physics of High Jump
Second Place Winner, and Best Middle School Entry
Copeland Lietz – How Newton’s 3 Laws Relate To Hitting A Tennis Ball
Best Video from Someone in Wisconsin
Andrew Gee, Isabel Tackman, Aurelia Rutkowski, and Broderic Bredlow – Surface Tension of Water
Best Video about the Physics of the Body
Rachel Graser, Isabella Cook, Rebecca Barber, and Ray Salentine – Why do veins appear blue?
Best Video using the Metric System
Lillian Kamenick – Bees & Decks
Second Place Winner
Kalpajit Roy – LiFi: a Wireless Communication Technology
Best High School Entry
Baily Desing, Tess Nogalski, Chase Nogalski, and Leah Rummery – Why do we see colors on bubbles?
Best Video about the Best Modern Physics
Estefania Olaiz – The Quantum and Gravitational Nature of Black Holes
PASCO Physics Teacher Superhero Award for the teacher whose students sent us the most high-quality videos
Scott Hertting, Neenah High School
Physics is the science of matter and energy, and we experience it all around us. Record some of the physics happening around you and share your videos in the contest!
The Wonders of Physics annual show has brought fun and exciting physics demonstrations to the public for the past 38 years. We’re continuing our annual video contest! We need YOUR help to capture the wonders of physics happening around you.
Record yourself doing an amazing physics demonstration, explain the science behind it, and enter the video in the 2022 Wonders of Physics video contest. We will award various award plaques for the best videos, as well as a grand prize of a $200 prize certificate to Educational Innovations for the absolute best video. Plus, the best videos will be featured in the 2023 Wonders of Physics show!
The 2022 contest is now closed. Please stay tuned to learn who won!
Rules
The rules are simple:
- Create a video demonstrating a physics concept that is approximately 2 minutes long (and preferably in landscape orientation, not portrait).
- You must be 18 years or older to enter a video on your own
- If you’re younger than 18 years old, you can submit a video with adult supervision.
- The video must contain only original work – including any music, sound effects and still photographs, etc.
- Be safe! You must ensure proper protection and prevention measures are taken while producing your video.
- And lastly: the video has to be fun!
Need some help thinking of what physics to record?
Take a look here at some possible experiments, materials, and ideas to help get you started!
Categories
We automatically enter your video in all the categories for which it’s eligible, based on your video and submission form. We think there will be a lot of great videos, so we will probably invent categories in order to be able to nominate many of your great videos. Here are a few examples of the categories:
- Best video in various topics in physics (demos about motion, heat, sound, electricity, magnetism, light, quantum)
- Best video from someone under the age of 18
- Best video from someone over the age of 64
- Best video from a school group/large team
- Physics/science teacher whose students submitted the largest number of high
quality videos (PASCO is awarding a $200 certificate for this category!) - Best video from a teacher
- Best video from someone in Wisconsin
- Best video of a Rube Goldberg machine
- Best and most accurate use of the Metric System (SI) (the US Metric Association has offered a $200 award, but you must use the metric system throughout the entire video to qualify)
- Best video from a physicist
- And likely more!
The first place winner will be awarded with a $200 Prize Certificate from Educational Innovations, which is an online store selling amazing and fun science toys and demonstrations.
Past winners from 2021
You can view all the previous winners from last year here!
Questions?
Still have questions? Reach out to us at wonders@physics.wisc.edu.