Competition FAQ

What is the online registration window?

The 2026-2027 online registration link will be available from 10/16 to 12/18 at 5PM.

Who completes the registration? 

Online registration can be done by school and district liasons. 

Will the Southwest RESA or GaSTC share my information?

Information will not be shared or sold to any other organization.

How many projects may a student enter? 

A student may register for ONE project in the Regional Student Technology Competition. Only ONE entry (one individual OR one team of two) is allowed per category by division (same rule as GaSTC). A student may enter as an individual or as a member of a team, but NOT BOTH. 

How many students may be on a team? 

A team can only consist of two students (same rule as GaSTC).

What if team members are in different age groupings? 

If the grade levels of team members fall in two different age groupings, the team must compete in the age grouping of the older student (same rule as GaSTC).

How long will the judging process be for each entrant? 

The actual in-person interview will be 10-minutes long. All participants must check in at least 25 minutes before the assigned interview time to allow sufficient time to set up before the interview. 

What grade levels are judged together?

Our grade groupings are based on the grade groupings at the state competition. Grade groupings are 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12. 

Is the team competition separate, or are they judged together with individual entries? 

As is done at the state level in categories where teams are permitted, teams and individuals compete against each other.

Do students have to show documentation? 

Students MUST document any work they did not create. In many cases, they will also need to receive permission and show documentation.

What time does my student compete as he/she has other commitments that day?

All participants are to keep the entire day of 1/27/2027 open since the actual interview time will not be posted until 3 days before the actual competition day. Once an assigned interview time is given, the participant needs to plan to spend at least 90 minutes at Southwest GA RESA.

What awards are given?

Awards will be given in each grade/category for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. 

With what other projects will my project be compared? 

All projects within a category in the same grade grouping will be judged by the same set of judges. For example, the same judges will see ALL 7-8 Digital Photography projects. Therefore, the same judges compare the attributes of every project that is competing in a given category and grade level.

How are the winning projects determined? 

Teams of judges will first listen to student-prepared presentation up to 5 minutes before conducting the in-person interview for 5-6 minutes. The interview questions will focus on the development process in terms of intended purpose, creativity, and understanding of the software. The judges use a rubric guide to evaluate each project (same as GaSTC). After completing the judging of all projects in a grade band/category, the judges will rank the projects and the top three will be awarded medals. All decisions of the judges are final.

What do I need to bring to the Technology Competition?

      A computer and/or device and any peripherals that you need. You also need to bring a works-cited sheet or page for your project that             includes the works-cited/permissions for using ANY materials in your project that you did not produce yourself (photos, artwork, music, video, etc).

I notice on the schedule that I'm the only student in a specific grade grouping of a category. Do I automatically win first place and go to the state competition? 

No, judges will award First, Second, and Third place medals to those projects which excel in their categories, based on the rubrics. Medals in all categories will be awarded using this criteria, regardless of the number of projects entered in a particular category. On rare occasions, our judges have deemed that a project simply doesn't meet the standards to represent at the GaSTC. We respect the right of our judges to make these decisions and all judges decisions are final. All first place winners in each category will advance to and have the honor of competing in the state competition on March 13th, 2027.  If you are a first-place winner, instructions and further communications from GaSTC will be shared with school liaisons and can also be found at www.gastc.org.

Can I see the judge's materials after judging is over? 

Judge's materials are not shared. All decisions of the judges are final and competition officials do not change any judge's results. The committee appreciates the dedication of the judges who give up a lot of time to help make the competition a reality and we stand by the decisions of the judges.

Can adults or other students help me with my project? 

Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to receive help from others when working on your project. However, the project is to be a work by the student or student team of two. Any help should be to assist the student in the creation of the project and judges will expect a student to explain ANY aspect of a project's function. If someone else helps you do something, be sure that you understand how to explain it to the judges.

Can I change my category after I register? 

No, students may not "switch" categories. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS. 

LOCAL TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION

Must there be a Technology Competition in my school? 

No, schools are not required to have a local competition.