Chemistry is everywhere. That is the message the American Chemical Society is trying to convey through its new “Everyday Chemistry” video contest.

Launched to help celebrate the 90th anniversary of the association’s weekly newsmagazine, the contest is intended to illustrate chemistry’s valuable role in everyday life. For example, did you know if you add a pinch of baking soda to onions as they are cooking, it will help them brown faster? We’ll let the chemist in this video explain why:

“As chemists we love to point out that everything is chemistry,” said ACS President Marinda Wu, Ph.D. “This contest is a fun way to engage and challenge our members to communicate that in a way that nonscientists will find entertaining and useful. It also gives us a chance to celebrate the 90th anniversary of our magazine, Chemical & Engineering News, in a venue that reaches millions of people every day.”

By explaining complex science in simple terms to nonscientists, the video contest is an extension of ACS’s Chemistry Ambassador program, which encourages students, professors, and others in the chemistry field to be spokespersons promoting the profession to the public.

Interested participants can create a short video of two minutes or less, explaining either a favorite everyday chemistry tip or the chemistry behind something in everyday life. Submissions are due July 31.

The winning video will be featured in the association’s magazine and on its Bytesize Science YouTube channel. The winner will also receive a complimentary trip to the 2013 ACS National Meeting and Exposition in September and a ticket to the magazine’s 90th-anniversary event, which will feature celebrity chef Alton Brown, who’s known for explaining the chemistry behind cooking.

One of the clips promoting the contest shows how caramelized onions cook better with a pinch of baking soda. (YouTube screenshot)