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Highlights of the Grade 9 “Element Showcase” Short Video Challenge at SHSID

January 14, 2026

Who says chemistry belongs only in the laboratory? When chemistry meets short video, elements come with their own “BGM.” On January 14, the “Element Showcase” Short Video Challenge came to a successful close. Grade 9 students at SHSID transformed into“chemistry content creators,” using 1–2 minute creative videos to present elements from the periodic table in a way that was both engaging and easy to understand—bringing science onto the screen, into everyday life, and into students’hearts, where a seed of scientific inquiry was planted.


The challenge was conducted in teams of two to three students. Each group independently selected a chemical element and produced a 1–2 minute video. While ensuring scientific accuracy, students employed a range of creative techniques—including subtitles, background music, sound effects, editing transitions, and voice-over narration—to make abstract chemical concepts vivid and accessible. After evaluation, a number of outstanding entries distinguished themselves through both scientific rigor and creative expression.



First Prize: Ibai (Class 9-1) and Tianen (Class 9-10) chose calcium, a familiar yet essential element. From its discovery history to its physical properties and chemical reactions with air and water, their video featured a clear structure, bright visuals, and precise scientific explanations. Second Prize: Sophie and Sophia (Class 9-7) focused on mercury. Beginning with its Latin name Hydrargyrum (“liquid silver”), they integrated discussions of its toxicity, reaction characteristics, and the chemical process by which heating mercury produces mercury(II) oxide. The presentation was professional, tightly paced, and strongly aligned with the spirit of science communication. Third Prize: Linda and Jessica (Class 9-5), and Laura (Class 9-6) brought the spotlight back to everyday life through the element sodium. Using examples such as table salt, baking soda, streetlights, batteries, and saline solution, they demonstrated the omnipresence of sodium and helped viewers understand its physical and chemical properties through familiar contexts.


How can complex chemical knowledge be communicated to a wider audience? From “learning chemistry” to “explaining chemistry,” from students to science communicators, Grade 9 students offered their own answers through the lens of a camera. Chemistry is not expressed only through abstract symbols on the periodic table; it is also carried forward through scientific stories that are told and shared. These vivid element-centered stories showcase the solid scientific literacy and outstanding creative expression of SHSID high school students.


(Written by Min Yang    Picture by Ying Fu    Edited by Cody Turner    Reviewed by Qian Zuo)