Five Indian-American middle school students are named finalists for the 2026 3M Young Scientist Challenge, according to multiple reports. The students are advancing for their work on innovative projects as part of the programme’s national selection process. NDTV reports that the group includes five students, while India Today highlights that the finalists are aiming for a top prize of about $25,000 in 2026. The coverage describes the students as middle schoolers and links them to the final stage of the competition rather than the earlier selection rounds. Taken together, the articles indicate that the students’ projects have earned them finalist status ahead of the next phase of judging. The reports do not provide detailed information about the specific topics or results of the projects, but they consistently state the number of students and their finalist standing for the 2026 challenge, along with the potential prize amount mentioned by India Today.