ScienzFair - Judging

What Will the Judges Be Looking For?

There will be variances between science fair judging but here are some of the factors that judges most often look for when evaluating your project.

1. Creativeness - How unique or original is the project idea? Did you manage to approach the problem from a new perspective or is it similar to projects that have already been done by other students? Was your approach or interpretation of data a unique one? Was there an ingenious use of equipment or materials? And how difficult or unusual is the project when considering your age group? As a general rule, the more original the problem you tackle, the more unique your approach, and the more advanced the project is for your age group, the better you will be graded. The "creativeness" aspect is an important consideration in judging and it is not uncommon for judges to award 30% of your score on originality and creativity.

2. Scientific Approach - Does the project show an understanding of and usage of the scientific method in solving a clearly defined problem? Have all or most of the steps in the scientific method been clearly followed? Was there adequate detail and accuracy in the basic research as documented in the project notes? Were the problem statement and hypothesis clear and understandable? Were experimental procedures well organized and properly used, including control groups where appropriate? Do your project notes and your written report explain the project in scientific terms that would allow another student to duplicate your experiments? Was sufficient data collected to substantiate the conclusion that was reached? Does the information in your notes and final report show that your data is accurate and complete? Is it obvious from your report that you accomplished real study and effort, and that you learned about the topic? Your understanding and usage of the scientific method is important in any experimental science fair project and you can expect it to account for another 30% of your score. (See our Scientific Method page)

3. Thoroughness - This is always an important consideration of the judges. Was the study comprehensive and complete within the scope of the original problem statement? Does the project report indicate that the appropriate scientific literature has been searched, the experiments carefully conducted and accurate records kept?

Judges are always on the lookout for well thought-out research and observations. And in addition to the significance of the project, they also evaluate how thorough you were. Did you leave something important out? Did you start parts of the project that you did not finish? Did you keep accurate notes and measurements throughout so that you can provide details if asked to? Expect thoroughness and accuracy to count for 15% or your project score.

4.Technical Skill - Credit is usually given for any special skills that were demonstrated in the construction or use of test equipment and for mathematical, computational, observational and design skills that are demonstrated within your project. The judges will examine whether or not you did the majority of the work yourself, and whether or not you acknowledge help and assistance received from others. If your display includes models, or parts of the experiment itself, you may pick up additional points by the skill you show in the preparation of those models. Technical skills usually account for 15% of your project score.

5. Display and presentation - You will be judged on both your exhibit and your oral presentation to the judges. Both should receive your attention before the actual exhibit.

With respect to the display, the judges will be asking themselves if it is visually appealing, and if the proper emphasis given to important ideas of your project. They will be judging whether all parts of the display have been well done, or if parts are properly prepared and other parts just thrown together at the last minute. They will look at your printed material and written report to see if you have paid attention to grammar and spelling. And they will judge the display itself in terms of its construction and whether it is well built and physically sound or if it is flimsy and poorly made.

In orally discussing your project, the judges will be evaluating if you speak freely and confidently about your work. While you may want to have key facts about your project memorized, the judges really don't want to hear you recite a memorized speech. They would prefer to simply chat with you about your research and experiments to make sure you have a good understanding of your topic from beginning to end. And in addition to asking the expected questions about your project, be prepared to answer some speculative questions such as: "Now that it's over, would you choose this project again if you knew the amount of work involved?" or "If you had more time, what other experiments would have been helpful to test your hypothesis?" or "Is this project worth continuing, and trying to answer related questions?"

What the judges are hoping to find is a student who shows enthusiasm and interest in the project itself, and who demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter relating to the project. They want to see your data presented in an organized, visually appealing display, and they want to see a written report which shows you have done adequate research, carefully conducted your experiment and accurately analyzed your data.

Your display and oral presentation will usually account for about 10% of your score.

Finally, the rules and percentages may vary in your particular science fair so be sure to check with your advisor well in advance to find out the relative weighting and how the judging will be done. Also, talk to other students who participated in last year's fair and obtain their input as to what kind of questions the judges asked and what they seemed to be most interested in. Then you can prepare accordingly. Good luck!!