Two Vietnamese-American students won a grand award at a major international scientific contest in the US on Friday.

Nguyen Quoc Bao, a twelfth-grade student, and his cousin, Vu Mai Anh, a tenth-grader, from Austin Texas, accepted US$3,000 for their project on a new catalyst together.

Bao and Anh also were awarded a special prize from the US Army at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

This year, more than 1,500 high school students from 65 countries, regions, and territories, including Vietnam, were short-listed in Intel ISEF-affiliated fairs around the world to attend the annual event, which was first held in 1950.

The event was organized by the Society for Science and the Public in cooperation with the Intel Corporation in Los Angeles and ran from May 5-13.

The grand awards were granted by ISEF itself, while nearly 70 scientific, professional and educational organizations presented special awards to the participants.