Competition 2020
The quality of the submissions this year made selecting a winner a real and exciting challenge for the judges. It’s exciting, inspiring and impressive to see the creative and cognitive ability of these students manifest in their submissions.
First Prize: $3,000 Cash Award
Sam Bach
Sam Bach, age 16, George Stevens Academy. This is Sam’s second year as a Pioneer Prize winner. This year, Sam designed, built and programmed a retro-futuristic clock incorporating cathode (nixie) tubes. Sam wowed the judges with his “impressive submission, excellent communication skills and technical execution,” which involved a “great integration of hardware and software.”
Mentor Match: Scott Miller
Second Prize: $1,500 Cash Award
Ian Bowden
Second prize, $1,500, was awarded Ian Bowden, 15, George Stevens Academy. Ian — a first-year Pioneer Prize participant — demonstrated “great initiative and impressive growth during the competition” to create an integrated system incorporating a range of technologies and a back-end database for his cross-platform real-time transportation tracker, so that he and his friends would “never miss the bus again!”
Mentor Match: Eli Baird
Third Prize: $500 Cash Award
Chloe Sheahan
Chloe, age 15, (George Stevens Academy) a second-year participant in the competition, created a web-based, personal environmental-impact tracker. According to Buck, Chloe impressed the judges with her “perseverance, gamified concept and potential for social impact.”
Mentor Match: Eric Sabo
Third Prize: $500 Cash Award
Gavin Eaton
Gavin, age 14, (Deer Isle High School) shined with his prototype for a custom-built fishing boat with an electric-only drivetrain. “His was an outstanding project with an incredible connection to the community.”
Contributing Advisor: Kim Larsen
Honorable Mentions: $100 Cash Award
Colton Harriman
Colton, age 14, (Deer Isle High School) was recognized for his web-accessible boat-driving simulator, demonstrating “great vision and flexibility in the face of challenges.”
Contributing Advisor: Kim Larsen
Honorable Mentions: $100 Cash Award
Daniel Lekan-Salami
Daniel Lekan-Salami, age 15, (George Stevens Academy), was recognized for “the sophistication of his ideas.”
Mentor Match: Scott Miller
Special Thanks
The Pioneer Prize gratefully acknowledges the contributions of so many in the community who breathe life into this initiative.