Beamline for Schools

Beamline for Schools (BL4S) is a physics competition for high school students from all around the world organised at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, in Geneva, Switzerland, and DESY, the German Electron Synchrotron, in Hamburg, Germany. Teams of high school students can propose an experiment that they want to perform at a beamline, that is, a part of a particle accelerator. The teams that submit the three best proposals win a trip to CERN or DESY to perform their experiments at a fully-equipped beamline.

How to take part in BL4S?
Everything you need to participate in Beamline for Schools is available in the "How to take part" section. This section provides key information, including the proposal guidelines, several useful documents such as the Beam and Detectors document or example experiments, and the FAQ section to help you prepare your proposal. You can also find details about pre-registration and the competition timeline. Be sure to check all the resources to successfully submit your proposal!

What is a beam and a beamline?
In particle physics, the term 'beam' refers to a large number of particles moving in the same direction. These particles can be accelerated to high energies. The term 'beamline' commonly refers to a straight section of a particle accelerator leading the particles to an experimental area.

Beamline for Schools 2025
In 2025, two experiments will be performed at a beamline of CERN's Proton Synchrotron, and one experiment will be performed at a beamline of the DESY-II synchrotron.
All participants who submit an eligible proposal will receive a participation certificate. Additional prizes will be awarded to the shortlisted teams and the teams with the best video and outreach proposals.

Exclusive online events
We heartly invite the teams who pre-register for BL4S 2025 to a series of online events starting in November 2024!

Support this project

We are incredibly grateful to all our sponsors and supporters without whose contributions the Beamline for Schools competition could not take place. 

To support the Beamline for Schools competition and other CERN projects that have an impact on society, donate through the CERN & Society website.