2025 CAAC Grand Prize Winners

Out of numerous submissions and a competitive pool of semifinalists and finalists, Edison High School students Advik Mishra & Yashasvi Kompella have won top honors in the Grand Prize for their proposal addressing prevention awareness of high risk skin cancer, along with a cash scholarship. Here’s what they had to say about their project:

What was the cancer-related challenge you address in your proposal?

“The cancer-related challenge we addressed was the lack of prevention awareness of high risk skin cancer, particularly melanoma, caused by excessive ultraviolet (UV) exposure during adolescence in teens. Despite being the most common cancer in the United States, prevention efforts of skin cancer are often underemphasized towards teens, the time when up to 80% of lifetime UV exposure occurs and lifelong habits are formed. This gap leaves adolescents, especially those who stay outdoors frequently, such as athletes and band members, vulnerable to long-term UV damage that can easily be prevented.”

What was your call-to-action to focus on this cancer-related issue? What motivated your decision to address this particular topic?

“We first read about the dangers of UV exposure online. Keeping this learning in mind, we were always careful to check UV levels and use sunscreen before going out. Similarly, we assumed that our peers were just as considerate. However, after surveying multiple students at our high school, we discovered that nearly 80% rarely thought about UV exposure or used sunscreen when outdoors. Seeing this gap between a lack of awareness, despite information regarding sun safety being widely available, motivated us to create a teen-led campaign that made sun safety visible, engaging, and relevant in daily high school life.”

What solution did you propose in your submission?

“Our solution is the UV Safe Zones Mapping & Action Campaign, where students map high-risk UV areas on campus using free apps, share results through heat maps and QR codes, distribute UV-sensitive bracelets as real-time reminders, and lead peer challenges and advocacy for sunscreen dispensers and shade policies, thus making sun safety easy, visible, and teen-driven.”

2025 CAAC Finalists

Top five submissions were selected for their stand-out work:

Chanhyuk Lee — Scan to Start: QR stickers and app for teen oral cancer prevention
Arav Jaluka & Aanya Jain — A youth-led initiative against oral cancer in India
Jeel Changela — Systemic inequities in ATC treatment and the potential of youth-led telemedicine intervention
Isabhel Saraza — CANMAP.AI: Using open-access datasets to create localized cancer risk maps and prevention guides.