Science Fair JudgingThe who’s, what’s, where’s,

when’s, and how’s!

Judging starts with Project Check-in

Projects are brought down on Tuesday between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Your project must be approved by the Display and Safety Committee.

Junior Division projects undergo SRC review (if needed).

Projects must be completely set up (ready for judging) by 7 p.m. Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY is JUDGING DAY!!

Junior Division individual projects are judged based on the display & and any notebooks or log books.

Junior Division team projects ~ have interviews with the judges

All Senior Division projects ~ have interviews with the judges

What type of judging goes on?

There will be CATEGORY judges. These are science fair judges who will be determining the awards you will receive.

There will be PROFESSIONAL judges. These judges give various awards from professional societies, organizations, and companies.

Who judges the projects?

Judges are all volunteers & include… Teachers College professors Scientists Engineers College students/graduate students who are

studying science Former science fair winners Members of professional organizations

How are the projects judged?Judging Criteria (points)

Science project Engineering project

Research Question 10 10

Design & Methodology

15 15

Execution 20(data collection,

analysis, interpretation

20(construction and

testing)

Creativity 20 20

Presentation - Poster 10 10

Interview 25 25

Total 100 pts 100 pts

When your project display is complete, ask yourself these questions…

Is the problem clearly stated? Does the experiment solve the problem

or does it beat around the bush? Are the results clear? If the results are unclear, can the

experiment be altered to remove all doubts?

Did you use the proper equipment for the experiment?

When your project display is complete, ask yourself these questions…

Have measurements been made accurately?

Have you done control experiments? Have you used graphs and tables to

present your data? Have you done the experiment enough

times to feel confident in your results? Have you used the results of your

experiment to arrive at your conclusions?

What do the Junior Division Judges do?

These judges are assigned many projects to look at.

Your display is key!!! Judges make an initial sweep of the

projects to determine which ones are the very best and deserve a more detailed examination. (~ 1/3)

The rest are given green (“excellent”) and red (“honorable mention”) ribbons.

What do the Junior Division Judges do?

The top 1/3 of the projects are judged more closely and looked at in detail.

The judges decide which of these projects deserve a blue (“outstanding” ribbon) or gold (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place).

Multiple places are given based on the size of a category.

The chief judges determine the Grand Award winners.

Preparing for Judging Interviews ~ SR projects & JR teams

Be confident! You are the expert with regards to your project.

Plan ahead of time what minimum information you wish to get across to the judges.

Memorize your first sentence or two but don’t memorize your whole talk.

Speak slowly, clearly, and loud enough for the judges to hear you.

Preparing for Judging Interviews - #2

Maintain eye contact with the judges. Don’t stand facing your project.

As you discuss your data or results, point to items on your display.

Anticipate questions in advance and be prepared for interruptions.

Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.” However, you should be familiar with all of the basics related to your topic.

Preparing for Judging Interviews - #3

Don’t hesitate to ask the judges questions.

Appearance is important. Dress neatly in your “nicer” school clothes. It’s usually a good idea to not have jackets or sweaters with your school name readily visible.

When the judges are finished, stay at or near your project. Other judges may come by to talk to you.

What questions might the judges ask you?

Tell us about your project… How did you get the idea for your

project? Did you have a hypothesis when you

began this experiment? Was there something you expected to see happen?

What was your control group? How long did this project take you?

What questions might the judges ask you? (cont’d)

Where did you carry out your work? Where did you get your equipment?

Did you do any statistical analysis of your results?

Do you have a bibliography? If you were doing this project over, what

would you change? What would you investigate next? Do you see any applications of the work

you have done in this project?

Get ready to be a winner!

GOOD LUCK and enjoy !!