The four finalists who will contest for star prize of the 2015 PZ Cussons Carex Chemistry Challenge have emerged.

At the end of Stage 2 examination held last weekend in Lagos, Jude Nnaemeka Chineke, a 16-year-old SS3 student of Greate Esteem Secondary School, Surulere, and Wajul Kareem, 17, of AbibatMogaji Millennium Senior Secondary School, Agege, pulled the highest score of 84 per cent each, while Wajul’s school mate Samuel Joseph, 15, and Anthony Ike-Okoro Ekene, a 14-year-old student of Top Grade Secondary School, Surulere each had 80 per cent to complete the Fantastic Four.

All four students will sludge it out at the grand finale on December 12.

According to Carex Brand Manager, Oluwaseun Ayeni, the remaining six top candidates, who make up the Top 10, included Emeka Loveday Eze of Cardoso Senior High School, Ijora-Badia; Jacob Ayomide Odunayo of Federal Science and Technology College, Yaba; Toluwani Oluwatuwalara Adesanya of International School of Lagos; and Kelvin Chiagozie Okwunze of Apostolic Faith Secondary School, Anthony Village. Others are Ramadan Mubarak Mohammed of Sango Senior Secondary School, Agege; and Olamilekan Afeez Isiaka of Kingston High School, Itire.

The finalists were selected after the second stage examination, which had in attendance 98 out of the 101 candidates who scaled the first round held two weeks ago. Unlike the Stage 1 test, which was conducted across 10 centres in Lagos State, the second round was held at Immaculate Heart Comprehensive Senior High School, Maryland, Lagos.

Scholarships and cash rewards worth over N3 million will be won by the four finalists, their teachers and schools, and the rest of the Top 10. The overall winner will win N700,000 in cash or scholarship, laptop and gold medal, while his Chemistry teacher and school will respectively have N100,000 cash and Chemistry books worth N100,000 as well as a trophy.

Prizes for the first runner-up are N500,000 in cash or scholarship, laptop and silver medal, while the Chemistry teacher will win N80,000 and the school N80,000 worth of Chemistry books. The second runner-up will be given N400,000 in cash or scholarship, a laptop and bronze medal; the Chemistry teacher will win N70,000 cash and the school will have Chemistry books worth N70,000.

The third runner-up will have N300,000 in cash or kind, a laptop and consolation medal. His Chemistry teacher will go home with N60,000 cash, while the school will have Chemistry books worth N60,000.

Each of the sixth to 10th placed candidates will have a consolation prize award of N50,000.

The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Education, endorsed the competition, as it did in the first two editions. PZCCC also enjoys the partnership of the Chemical Society of Nigeria, the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria and the National Parents Teachers’ Association of Nigeria.

PZCCC is targeted at SS3 students in public and private schools in Lagos State, while the PZCCC Advisory Board, which moderated the examinations, is headed by renowned Professor of Chemistry, Oladele Osibanjo,

PZCCC, an initiative of PZ Cussons Foundation, is a three-stage competition for chemistry students in senior secondary school classes.

•Photo shows a past winner of the Chemistry Challenge.