GEORGETOWN, Guyana — February 7, 2025: Paramakatoi Secondary, Abram Zuil Secondary and St. Rose’s High placed first in the Innovation and Creativity, Acceleration and Advanced categories respectively at SBM Offshore Guyana’s Guyana-Monaco Mousetrap Car Grand Prix Competition. The third leg of the competition was held on February 6, 2025 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Georgetown.
Twelve schools participated in this year’s competition: Camille’s Academy, Dora Secondary, Endeavour and the Commons Secondary, Friendship Secondary, Good Hope Secondary, Johanna Cecilia Secondary, Marian Academy, St. Joseph’s High, Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary, Abram Zuil Secondary, Paramakatoi Secondary and St. Rose’s High.
Teams from each school competed in three exciting categories: Acceleration, Advanced, Innovation and Creativity, vying to secure equipment to enhance their science laboratory and an opportunity to compete in the international competition in Monaco.
The competition is the local qualifier to enter the Monaco Mousetrap Car Grand Prix, an international competition held annually in the Principality of Monaco. The objective of this competition, created by Marco Casiraghi under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco, is to promote Science and Engineering to students in a fun, exciting way. This year’s key factor was the advanced category, which tested the laws of physics of the mousetrap to move forward and backwards with no external intervention being used.
General Manager of SBM Offshore Guyana, Martin Cheong, encouraged the students to use the knowledge gained for their academic advancement. “I encourage you to take in as much as you can during this journey, make meaningful connections, and, just like your cars, adjust and make the necessary changes in your lives to propel yourselves even further. STEM has been instrumental to the country’s development and its oil and gas industry, seeing skillful individuals carving out career paths that previously did not exist,” he said.
Previous winner, Nicholas Sankar of St. Rose’s High School shared his experience participating in the second leg of the competition. He said the competition is an excellent way for young people to advance in understanding STEM. He said, “Whether you win or not, the experience you gain will shape you into a stronger, better, more confident individual… It reinforces the real-world application of what we learn in school.”
Marti De Souza, Deputy Chief Education Officer with responsibility for Amerindian and Hinterland Development, Ministry of Education, highlighted that for the first time a hinterland school competed. He said the opportunity to compete for cash prizes using these mousetraps is significant. “We have over 30 schools represented here, whether you come to view, you all have a lot to learn today… growing up in the hinterland community, the boys my age spent countless hours making cars out of matchboxes. We did not have the opportunity like you have today,” he said.
Director of Culture at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, M.P. Suresh Singh, noted that the ministry will continue to partner with the private sector to champion the cause and ensure that young people can benefit from opportunities such as this.
The first, second and third place winners for the Acceleration category are Abram Zuil Secondary, Johanna Cecilia Secondary and Friendship Secondary respectively. The first, second and third place winners for the Advanced category are St. Rose’s High, Abram Zuil Secondary and Friendship Secondary, respectively. For the Innovation and Creativity category, the winners in first, second, and third place are Paramakatoi Secondary, Marian Academy, and Abram Zuil Secondary, respectively.
The first, second and third-place winners of each category will be entered for consideration in the international competition in Monaco. If successful in gaining entry, the winning team from Guyana will compete for a chance to represent the country in Monaco. Team(s) selected for the international competition, will have the opportunity to watch the Historic Grand Prix from a prime location (either on the circuit or in the prestigious Tunnel Riva), and an expense-paid trip to Monaco for one week.
SBM Offshore Guyana hosts the Guyana-Monaco Mousetrap Car Grand Prix Competition with support from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
