[ WP ] A science fair judge is questioned as to why the paper mâché volcano won . The answer defies the imagination .

Why did I choose that volcano? I'll tell you why. 
 You see all the other entires? The robotic ant farm, the bionic lung, the model orbital elevator. You notice anything similar about them? 
 Oh you do n't? Of course you do n't. I'll tell you. 
 They were all made using expensive tech. Tech bought for them by their rich parents who want the perfect trophy children. Every single year. Every single year, the same exact thing happens. It was n't bad at first, it was only one or two of you, but now everyone is doing it. You've completely forgotten what the science fair is about! 
 It is n't about what my daddy can buy! It's about building something incredible from what you find in your home. It's about making people wonder about the potential about what's in front of them. It's about showing the kids, that they can be more. 
 But you've seem to forgotten that. All of you have been pushing your kids to doing this science fair, to aim for first place. Did you even take a moment to look at them? 
 They were beat up, they were tired. They were n't having fun. Hell, I'm pretty sure half of them do n't even care about the science fair, you parents just want perfect children. 
 And then she came, with her volcano. She was different to the other entries, because she was the only one who smiled. When I asked her about her work, she was teeming with excitement as she told me about it. She did n't understand how the chemical reaction happens, but she wanted to find out. That's what science is about. It's not about getting first place because my parents bought me the best tools, but about understand more about the world around us and maybe understanding ourselves in the process. 
 
 So go ahead, veto my decision. Take her first place away and give it to the kid with the nuclear fission reactor. 
 This fair is a joke. 
 

