Crystal growing competition

The IUCr Crystal Growing Competition introduces school students to crystallography through the practical experience of growing crystals. Launched in 2014 as part of the International Year of Crystallography, the worldwide competition gives students the opportunity to investigate crystal growth, record their observations and communicate the science behind their experiments.

The first worldwide competition received 134 entries from 25 countries, building on national and regional crystal-growing activities and helping more young people engage with crystallography through hands-on experimentation.

Coordinator: Professor Luc Van Meervelt

Competition update: returning in 2027

There will be no IUCr Crystal Growing Competition in 2026.

We are using this year to revise the competition, update the guidelines and develop improved teaching resources for schools, teachers and students.

The IUCr Crystal Growing Competition will return in 2027 with a refreshed format and updated educational materials.

As part of the relaunch, we also plan to introduce a new crystal-growing video featuring winners from the most recent IUCr competition.

More information about the 2027 competition, including eligibility, rules, judging criteria and submission dates, will be published here when available.

What is the Crystal Growing Competition?

The competition gives students an opportunity to learn about crystallography by growing crystals themselves and documenting what they discover.

Students investigate the process of crystal growth, consider the scientific principles behind their experiment and communicate their experience to others. Previous editions have invited students to present their work through short videos assessed by an international judging panel.

The competition grew out of the International Year of Crystallography 2014, when the IUCr helped establish a worldwide network of crystal-growing activities for schools.

What can students learn?

Growing a crystal is a practical way to explore concepts including:

• crystallization and crystal growth
• solutions and solubility
• temperature and concentration
• experimental observation
• planning and recording an experiment
• crystal quality and morphology
• scientific communication

Crystal-growing experiments also show that scientific work does not always proceed exactly as expected. Observing, recording and explaining unsuccessful or unexpected results can be as important as producing a large or visually striking crystal.

Resources and previous competitions

Growing a good single crystal usually involves preparing a solution and creating conditions in which the dissolved material crystallizes gradually.

The IUCr provides teaching materials to help students and teachers understand crystal growth and plan suitable classroom experiments.