Science Fair Projects - Time to Face the Judges

It is that time of the year - science fair project judging time. All the little hearts are a-twitter. This is what you have worked and toiled for. A chance to win an award for your hard work, ingenuity and creativity. It is very important that the student knows something about the judging process. For after all, if you do not know what the judges are looking for how can you make a presentation to win their approval?

No two judges or judging groups are exactly the same. Therefore we are going to outline the latest ideas and secrets that the judges use to make determinations as to the excellence of the many different projects.

On judgment day, dress nicely. Have a neat appearance. Clean clothes. Try your best to appear confident and show that you are happy to be there. If you act scared or lack confidence, this will set the wrong attitude. Be confident. Be cheerful. Show that you are pleased to have the opportunity to share your work with others. Be forthright. Do not speak too rapidly. Look the judges in their eyes when you speak to them. Stand straight, do not slouch or lean on your elbows. Do not put your hands in your pockets. Say good morning or good afternoon to the judges. Tell them you are pleased to be here and will be delighted to answer any questions.

The judges will use a point system. With so many projects to judge, they will have to give each project a score, so that when all the presentations have concluded they can tell who came in first, second and so forth. The judges will care about originality. Were you ideas properly thought out? Are you clear about describing the problem and your hypothesis?

You want to be certain that you know your material, especially the results of your final report. The relative easiness or difficulty of your project is important. The lower grades will not be expected to do difficult projects. The judges will be more interested in procedures than in difficulty. The upper grades will be expected to deal with more difficult subject matter. Judges will be interested in seeing how knowledgeable you are about your experiment. You must show them that you fully understand the project details, and truly understand your experiment.

You must show the judges that you used the scientific method and that you recorded all data properly. You should repeat your experiments to prove that your methods are reproducible. Be certain to use neat and graphic tables and charts to display your data. You must be prepared to answer the judges' questions with confidence. Make certain that you refer to your display when answering questions.

Judging is mostly subjective. The way that you handle yourself and the way that your display looks can make a big difference in the mind of the judge.

Here is a list of sample questions asked by judges at previous science fairs:

- How did you come up with the idea for this project?

- What did you learn from your background search?

- How long did it take you to build the apparatus?

- How did you build the apparatus?

- How much time (many days) did it take to run the experiments (grow the plants) (collect each data point)?

- How many times did you run the experiment with each configuration?

- How many experiment runs are represented by each data point on the chart?

- Did you take all data (run the experiment) under the same conditions, e.g., at the same temperature (time of day) (lighting conditions)?

- How does your apparatus (equipment) (instrument) work?

- What do you mean by (terminology or jargon used by the student)?

- Do you think there is an application in industry for this knowledge (technique)?

- Were there any books that helped you do your analysis (build your apparatus)?

- When did you start this project? or, How much of the work did you do this year?

- What is the next experiment to do in continuing this study?

- Are there any areas that we not have covered which you feel are important?

There are a number of things to remember when speaking with the judges. Most importantly, be yourself and be proud of the time and work you've put into your project. Here is a checklist of things to remember:

Demonstrate originality in your project and display

- State the problem clearly

- Ensure your data justifies the conclusion

- Make sure your project is carefully planned

- Make sure your data is accurate

- Ensure your data documents your work

- Make sure the display is complete and top quality

- Do all your own work

- Ensure all reports, displays and project materials are neat

- Be excited and energetic about your project and findings

- Speak slowly and look the judges in the eye

- Present your project and results confidently

There you have it. The most important aspects of judging science fair projects. Nothing is more important than making sure that you have a good time and show the judges that you are enthused about what you did and happy to have the opportunity to share your work with them. Do not lie if they ask questions that you cannot answer. Be forthright and honest. Thank them for taking the time to judge your project. And remember, even if you do not win a prize, the exercise of doing science fair projects is all about learning and experience. The prize is secondary. If you really put out an effort to do a good project, the real prize is within yourself. Do you feel that you did a good job and learned something in completing your science fair project? If so, you have already come out a winner!

Mort Barish is co-founder of Terimore Institute, Inc. providing science fair projects for children in grades K-12 to help them successfully compete in science fairs. He has been creating educational materials for children and related graphic communications for almost fifty years. He is the author of seven books and has won numerous awards for his graphic presentations.

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