A boy from northern NSW is one of 27 teenagers named as semi-finalists in an international science and mathematics competition, with prizes worth more than half a million dollars up for grabs.
Jesse Wright, 17, distinguished himself from the other 11,000 applicants in the Breakthrough Junior Challenge global science video contest with a three-minute video explaining the complex physics concept of Holographic theory.
The school captain at Murwillumbah's Mt St Patrick College has made it to the third phase of the competition, and will need to impress a selection committee to become one of five finalists fighting for the top gong.
Finalists will travel to California in December where the winner of the challenge will be announced, taking home $US400,000 ($A523,720) in prizes.
The public can vote for their favourite entry. The applicant with the most popular votes bypasses the judging and makes it straight to the final round.
