An academic science and engineering fair poster serves as a visually engaging summary of your research, scholarly, or creative project. It is essential to ensure that the poster is concise, academically sound, and effectively showcases the context of your work, methods employed, and results obtained (supported by graphs, charts, photographs, etc.). 

SELECTING A POSTER TEMPLATE

• Click on either the Science Fair or Engineering Template.

• Make a copy of the template

  • Click on "File"  --> Then Click "Make a copy"  --> Name the file with your school code_Poster_Last Name_2024

     (Example: FCHS_Poster_Kuykendall_2024) --> Click "OK"

• The file will now open in a new window and can be edited by the student.

• Now, share the file.

  • Click on the blue "Share" button in the top right corner.

  • Under "People" Click the box and enter your teacher's name and Click "Can edit"

  • Click the blue "Send" button

• You and your teacher can now edit the poster.

• Once your teacher has editing rights, click the Share icon and next to your teacher's name, click the down arrow and transfer ownership.  This will allow your teacher to share the document with Anyone with the link can VIEW.

Poster Templates 

(Choose the Science Fair or Engineering Template)

POSTER PRESENTATION TIPS

Ensure that your science and engineering fair poster can effectively convey your work as a clear, concise, and logically structured presentation, capable of standing on its own without requiring additional explanations."

"After preparing your poster presentation, it is crucial to craft an 'elevator speech'—a one to two-minute summary of your research goals and findings that can be delivered to anyone during a typical elevator ride."

"Make sure to speak audibly, maintaining a deliberate pace that may initially feel slower than anticipated, while avoiding fillers such as 'um,' 'uh,' 'like,' 'you know,' and 'okay.'"

"Practicing with your teacher, friends, and family beforehand will be immensely helpful.

A GOOD POSTER: 

• Meets the guidelines for the science & engineering fair process

  • You can NOT have images of other people WITHOUT signed media consent forms and you can NOT have logos on your board (i.e. products, brands, schools, universities, etc.)  

• Cites the source of every photo, graph, table, chart or other images

  • Be sure to include this message under ALL charts and graphs - "All graphs and charts created by <<Insert First Name Last Name>>"

• Focuses your message – what is the one thing you want people to remember about your project?

• Conveys your message visually and passionately 

• Is readable from about 4 - 6 feet away

• Is clearly organized

Poster design tips

• Use large text (your text should be at least 18-24 pt; headings 30-60 pt; title >72pt.)

• Do not use more than 2-3 font styles total

• Use fonts that are easy to read (such as Times New Roman, Garamond, and Arial)

• Avoid jagged edges: left-justify text within text boxes or fully justify blocks of text

• Avoid too much text

• Choose colors carefully and pay attention to contrast.  If in doubt, dark print on light background is best. Remember – some colorblind people cannot distinguish between red and green.

• Organize and align your content with columns, sections, headings, and blocks of text

• White space is important to increase visual appeal and readability (this is the “empty” space between sections, columns, headings, blocks of text, and graphics).

• Selectively incorporate charts, graphs, photographs, key quotations from primary sources, maps, and other graphics that support the theme of your poster.  It is best to avoid using tables of data.

• Avoid fuzzy images; make sure all graphics are high-resolution (at least 300ppi) and easily visible

• Edit your poster carefully for typographic or grammatical mistakes and image quality before the final print-out (use the print-preview function)