CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee

The CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee is a competition that brings together top-performing high school students from across the country to test their neuroscience and brain research knowledge. The winner of the national competition advances to the International Brain Bee World Championship, which was founded in 1998 with a mission to build better brains to fight brain disorders.

The Brain Bee is similar to a spelling bee, except that high school students answer questions about intelligence, memory, emotions, stress, brain imaging, sleep, and neurological disease. The Brain Bees and the studying leading up to the competitions aim to inspire students to pursue careers in neuroscience and related fields.

From Brain Bee to Parliament Hill

CIHR is proud to support the next generation of neuroscientists in Canada. Through the CIHR National Brain Bee, teens across the country explore the world of neuroscience and are inspired to pursue careers in brain health.

Anya Sinha and Melisa Eraslan, Ottawa Brain Bee champions, were introduced to neuroscience through the program and are now pursuing opportunities in the field. On February 11, 2026, they helped CIHR mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science by meeting with the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, and members of the women’s caucus on Parliament Hill. Their journey reflects the impact of the CIHR National Brain Bee.

• 2026 Participants

  Hamilton Teen Wins Gold at Record-Breaking CIHR Brain Bee

  

  The 2026 CIHR Brain Bee was the 18th—and the largest—competition in the event’s history, but for Canadian champion Josephine Ankomah of Hamilton, Ontario, it marks the beginning of an exciting journey in neuroscience.

  “When I found out about the Brain Bee in Grade 7, I couldn’t wait to participate! Applying my neuroscience knowledge to answer challenging questions, see real brain specimens, learn from neuroscience students and professors, and meet other students who are just as excited about neuroscience are what make the Brain Bee so special to me,” she says.

  Ankomah, a 15-year-old student, competed against more than 800 other students in Grades 9 to 12 in regional Brain Bees hosted by universities across Canada. After advancing to the regional championships, she earned a spot in the national finals, where she defeated second-place finisher Arman Ahlawat, of Edmonton and third-place finisher Tessa Nitescu, of Toronto, to become the Canadian Brain Bee champion. By correctly answering that the structures that join endothelial cells in the blood-brain-barrier are “tight junctions,” Ankomah squeezed past her competitors to cinch the top prize.

  Ahlawat, who volunteers at a hospital, hopes to pursue a career in medicine. “I aspire to be a doctor because I want to have a direct impact on my community through my job,” he says. He also values the profession for offering “a stable career that still manages to provide unique experiences every day.”

  Nitescu is interested in a career in neuroscience research. She wants to “contribute to research advancing our understanding of neurodegenerative disease and explore the biological basis of identity.”

  Ankomah would like to pursue a career in neuroscience research as well. “I am particularly interested in preventing neurodegenerative diseases,” the 2026 National Brain Bee champion says. Outside of neuroscience, she enjoys sports, spending time with her family, reading fiction, and braiding hair, but for now, her focus will be on training for the World Brain Bee Championship in the fall.

• 2025 Participants

  Ottawa Student Wins National Neuroscience Competition — Headed to International Stage

  

  "In the hippocampal trisynaptic circuit, dentate gyrus neurons receive axonal input from which cortical region?"

  That was one of the questions Emma Rees, a finalist in the 2025 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee, answered to win the title of "Best Teen Brain in Canada." And she is only in grade 10!

  Emma, who attends Canterbury High School in Ottawa, was one of 17 top performers out of 581 students who competed in local bees across Canada, earning a spot at the regionals. She then competed against the other semi-finalists to reach the finals in Toronto.

  As part of the CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee "Final Showdown," she and the two other regional finalists—Maxwell Li from Toronto and Diyaa James Hamsaveni from Guelph—wrote a neuroanatomy test and then answered questions about neuroscience in front of a live audience. Only Emma knew that the entorhinal cortex is the part of the brain that first sends signals to kick-start the process of forming memories. That knowledge helped her win the title and earned her the honour to represent Canada at the 2025 International Brain Bee World Championship taking place in November, competing against students from more than 40 countries.

  Emma is more than just a brainiac. She's also a passionate artist who hopes to become a medical illustrator, combining her love of biology and visual art. "I'm excited by the idea of turning complex scientific concepts into simple, accessible illustrations."

  CIHR is proud to support the Canadian National Brain Bee and Canada's newest generation of scientists.

  CIHR 2025 Brain Bee Champion places second in the world!

  Ottawa high school student Emma Rees, earned global recognition, placing second overall at the 2025 World Brain Bee Championship and receiving a $2000 USD prize. Emma stood out among 40 competitors from around the world, demonstrating exceptional skill and knowledge across multiple challenges, including a written exam, identifying parts of the brain and its cells, diagnosing patients, and answering questions on the spot from leading neuroscientists.

  After placing first in Canada in May, Emma advanced to the international competition, held in November during Neuroscience 2025, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, California.

  

  
• 2024 Participants

  Winnipeg Student wins “Best Teen Brain” in Canada and takes second place at the International Brain Bee competition!

  By winning the 2024 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee competition in May, Lisa Wei qualified for the world championship which took place from September 27 to October 5. Lisa competed against 36 students over eight days of tests and question-and-answer rounds to win silver at the 2024 International Brain Bee World Championship.

  Congratulations to our top three 2024 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee winners!

  

  

  1. First Place Canadian National winner: Lisa Wei, from Vincent Massey Collegiate, representing Winnipeg Brain Bee
  2. Second Place Canadian National winner: Emily Huang from Laurel Heights Secondary School in Waterloo, representing Waterloo Brain Bee
  3. Third Place Canadian National winner: Brielle Huang from Lillian Osborne High School, representing Edmonton Brain Bee

  CIHR Brain Bee’s New Format Is a Winner!

  More than 500 students between the ages of 12 and 18 participated in local Brain Bee competitions held in universities from St. John’s, NL to Victoria, BC this spring. Because students did not have to travel to McMaster University in Hamilton and compete in person, as was the practice in past years, a greater number of them could participate in the new virtual format, making the 2024 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee competition more accessible to a more diverse group of students.

  Nikol Piskuric, Associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University and the Chair of the CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee, said the new virtual format was a success and hopes for even more participants in 2025: “I want to engage students from all provinces and territories, from all socioeconomic backgrounds, from diverse races and cultures, from big cities to rural areas. Neuroscience - like science in general - is for everyone!”

  The top three finalists from the virtual round of the competition traveled to Vancouver in May to compete for the title of “Best Teen Brain in Canada”. They were: Brielle Huang, a grade 11 student at Lillian Osborne High School in Edmonton, Alberta; grade 10 student Emily Huang, from Laurel Heights Second School in Waterloo, Ontario; and Lisa Wei, also in grade 10, from Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

  Winnipeg’s Lisa Wei was the winner and will represent Canada at the 2024 International Brain Bee World Championship at the end of September. She will compete against teens from more than 40 other countries. The participants will be tested on neuroanatomy, neurohistology, take a written exam and perform patient diagnoses.

  “The Brain Bee is more than just a competition where exceptional students can demonstrate their knowledge,” said Dr. Piskuric, the Brain Bee Chair. “It's a chance for youth to get their first exposure to neuroscience, a topic that might not be covered in their high school biology classes. It's an opportunity for students to visit their local university and connect with undergraduate and graduate mentors. It's an opportunity for students to be exposed to - and maybe even participate in - cutting-edge research.”

  In addition to receiving $1,500, first-place winner, Lisa Wei, was awarded an internship in a Canadian neuroscience laboratory.

  “Right now there is a huge need for bright and creative students to enter the fields of neuroscience research and medicine” said Dr. Piskuric. “For example, the aging global population means that more people are and will be experiencing age-related neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Basic research in neuroscience has historically fuelled the field of artificial intelligence; and new discoveries about how the brain works and how humans think, learn and make decisions can help improve future AI. That's why we need the Brain Bee - to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, engineering, and medicine that help solve some of the big questions and problems of today.”

  Past Brain Bee competitors have gone on to impressive careers in science and medicine. According to Piskuric, almost every Canadian National Brain Bee Champion is now an MD or a PhD, or is pursuing higher education in a STEM field. “Going forward, we want to see all Brain Bee competitors enter neuroscience programs at Canadian universities. We want undergraduate and graduate programs in neuroscience to grow and to attract the brightest Canadian minds” she said.
• 2023 Participants

  Winnipeg student wins “Best Brain” in Canada!

  

  1. First Place Canadian National winner: Mark Piasecki, Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg, representing Winnipeg Brain Bee
  2. Second Place Canadian National winner: Sienna Su, Iroquois Ridge High School in Oakville, representing Hamilton Brain Bee
  3. Third Place Canadian National winner: Arla Xiao, Crofton House School in Vancouver, representing Vancouver Brain Bee

  Congratulations to the 2023 Canadian national Brain Bee winners!

  Eighteen brilliant high school students, each of whom had already won their regional brain bee competitions, blew us all away with their neuroscience knowledge at the annual Canadian National Brain Bee, held May 20, 2023. The questions were PhD-level difficult and the competition was fierce. At the end of a challenging and inspiring day, three of the 18 students took the top prizes, and Mark Piasecki from Winnipeg won the 2023 Canadian National Brain Bee championship.

  The top three winners of the Canadian National Brain Bee (https://brainbee.ca) are awarded cash prizes and trophies for their achievements. The first place national champion also receives an opportunity for an internship in a neuroscience lab, a trip to the Canadian Association for Neuroscience conference, which will be held in Vancouver in 2024, and bragging rights for having the "best brain" in Canada.

  Mark Piasecki, this year's national champion, will represent Canada at the 2023 International Brain Bee held in conjunction with the APA conference in Washington DC taking place July 31st to August 5th.

  Mark believes that his success in the neuroanatomy section of the brain bee helped him win the overall competition. "I owe a lot of my success to the coordinator of the Winnipeg Brain Bee, Dr. Sari Hannila who helped me review and visualize the anatomy of the brain, which was crucial for the competition and without it I doubt I would have even done half as well as I did."

  The "Best Brain" in Canada said the competition helped him better understand what neuroscience is all about and where it could lead him. "Going into the competition I wasn't really sure what type of jobs the field of neuroscience could offer, but after talking to several professors and experts I have a much better grasp on what a future in neuroscience would look like."

  Last year, Helene Li, from Ottawa, won the 2022 International Brain Bee, marking Canada's first International Brain Bee victory since 2006.

  

  CIHR thanks all those who supported the 2023 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee, especially the high school students, their teachers, and the army of devoted volunteers, as well as McMaster University who has been hosting the event since 2008

• 2022 Participants

  Ottawa student wins “Best Brain” in Canada and takes FIRST PLACE at the International Brain Bee competition!

  

  1. First Place Canadian National winner: Helene Li, Merivale High School, Ottawa
  2. Second Place Canadian National winner: Alyanna Delos Reyes, Lockview High School, Halifax
  3. Third Place Canadian National winner: Kiera Mitchell, Delhi District Secondary School, Waterloo

  

  By winning the 2022 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee competition in May, Helene qualified for the world championship in July where she competed against 30 students from six continents over eight days of tests and question -and-answer rounds to become the 2022 International Brain Bee World Champion- the first Canadian to win the international neuroscience competition since 2006.

  Helene Li, the 2022 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee winner, was crowned the 2022 International Brain Bee World Champion! Helene is entering Grade 10 in the International Baccalaureate program at Merivale High School in Ottawa, Ontario. She took TOP place for Canada at the International Brain Bee competition, which included participants from 31 countries.

  On May 27, 2022, thirteen of Canada's "brainiest" high school students competed virtually in the 14th Annual CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee championship, hosted by McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The competition tested participants' knowledge of neuroscience and the brain through a variety of challenges. Some of these challenges included testing on topics including, neuroanatomy, neurohistology, and patient diagnosis.

  

  The first-place winner of the 2022 Brain Bee was Helene Li from Merivale High School in Ottawa. Helene earned the title of "Best Brain" in Canada by answering questions about memory, sleep, intelligence, mental illness, aging, neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics and brain disease.

  The top three winners of the competition took home personal trophies and scholarship prizes of $1,500, $1,000 and $500 respectively. As the first-place winner, Helene will also receive an opportunity for an internship in a neuroscience lab, and a trip to the Canadian Association for Neuroscience conference in Montreal in 2023.

• 2021 Participants

  Brandon student wins “Best Brain” in Canada!

  

  1. First Place Canadian National winner: Antoni Klonowski, Vincent Massey High School, Brandon.
  2. Second Place Canadian National winner: Leo Li, Guelph Vocational Institute, Guelph.
  3. Third Place Canadian National winner: Srijan Velamuri, Trinity College School, Toronto.

  On June 4, 2021, 16 of Canada's "brainiest" high school students competed virtually in the 13th Annual CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee championship, hosted by McMaster University. The competition was highly anticipated after the event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. The competition tested participants' knowledge of neuroscience and the brain through a variety of challenges. Some of these challenges included a multiple-choice test, a short answer quiz, and a 45-minute case study competition.

  The first-place winner of the 2021 CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee competition was Antoni Klonowski, the winner of the Winnipeg Brain Bee. Antoni earned the title of "Best Brain" in Canada by answering a series of 20 short answer questions about memory, sleep, intelligence, mental illness, aging, neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics and brain disease.

  The top three winners of the competition took home personal trophies and scholarship prizes of $1,500, $1,000 and $500 respectively. As the first-place winner, Antoni was also awarded a Brain Bee trophy to display in his school for one year and the opportunity to work in a Canadian neuroscience laboratory this summer.

  Antoni represented Canada at the 2021 World Brain Bee championship held virtually, November 5-8, 2021. He placed third among 43 participants.

• 2020 Participants

  Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

About the CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee

The CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee (CCNBB) is an annual event that brings together some of Canada's brightest high school students to test their knowledge of neuroscience, neuroanatomy and brain research. Each year, the first-place winner of the National Brain Bee is awarded $1,500, an opportunity to work in a neuroscience laboratory, and the title of "Best Brain" in Canada. The winner also moves on to represent Canada at the International Brain Bee competition, an annual event that has been held in different cities around the world since 1998.

The CCNBB is hosted by McMaster University and supported by CIHR's Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction. It was created to generate excitement about neuroscience research among high school students and encourage them to pursue careers in the neuroscience field.

To learn more about the CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee, please visit the official competition website.

Date modified:

2026-07-20