The RYSI Award

A national science-awards programme that rewards curiosity, original thinking and hands-on experiments — open to school students across India in grades 3 to 10.

What it is

Science you do, not science you memorise.

The Raman Young Scientist Initiative (RYSI) invites students to choose a real-world question, design and run a hands-on experiment to investigate it, and present what they discover.

Named in honour of Nobel laureate Sir C.V. Raman, RYSI has run every year since 2017. It is built on a simple belief: children learn science best by doing it. Rather than testing recall, the programme rewards observation, reasoning and the courage to test an idea — the habits of a real scientist.

Read the full overview

A young student carrying out a hands-on science experiment

Who it's for

Three categories, one curiosity

Any school student in grades 3 to 10 can take part, entered through their school or independently. Projects are judged within their grade band.

Grades 3–4

Junior

Our youngest scientists explore everyday phenomena through simple, guided experiments and clear observation.

Grades 5–7

Intermediate

Students take on richer questions, design fairer tests, and begin to reason about why their results turn out the way they do.

Grades 8–10

Senior

Senior participants frame a hypothesis, control their variables, and present findings with the rigour of early research.

Why it matters

What students take away

RYSI is not only about the final award. The journey itself builds skills that last well beyond the contest:

Scientific temper — asking questions, testing assumptions and trusting evidence over opinion.
Confidence — presenting an idea to scientists and peers, and defending it with reason.
Resilience — learning that a result that surprises you is a finding, not a failure.
Communication — explaining a complex idea clearly, in words and in a working model.

Read more about the thinking behind the programme on our experiential science page.

The recognition