Age: 15
On the surface, Annika Saini seems like a pretty normal Grade 9 kid. She plays tenor saxophone in the school band, takes martial arts classes and loves science. But percolating within this teenager are some pretty impressive and practical ideas. Instead of showing up at the science fair with a homemade papier-mâché volcano, she designed and developed affordable air purifiers. Her indoor DIY model won at the Calgary Youth Science Fair in 2023 and she repeated that victory last year with her “outdoor respiratory protection pod.” Both years saw her compete in the Canada-Wide Science Fair, where she won gold and silver respectively, along with multiple entrance scholarships to the University of Alberta and Western University.
“I strongly feel like there’s a need to raise awareness around the dangers and health effects of air pollution.”
Top 20 Under 20 2025
Anastasia and Mercedes Korngut
