Final Judging

Venue / Dates

SSEF 2026 will be held at Singapore Expo Hall 3 from 9 Mar 2026 (Mon) to 11 Mar 2026 (Wed).

• Singapore Expo is served by the MRT (CG1 / DT35 on the East-West Line / Downtown Line) and buses 12, 24 and 38. Please refer to this page for more detailed information on getting to Singapore Expo.

• Please refer to the section below ("Information on SSEF Week") for the events happening for each day.

Overview

Shortlisted projects will be invited for final judging.

At final judging, all projects would need to prepare:

• A poster

• A short oral presentation (maximum 3 minutes)

• Printed copy of the Project Abstract

• Printed copy of Form 1C (if relevant)

• Printed copy of Form 7 (if relevant) including details of previous project.

The project abstract and Forms 1C and 7 are to be displayed at the project booth.

Project Poster: Size and Layout

The most common poster is A0 size (841 mm width x 1189 mm height, in portrait orientation). An example is shown below. 

If a tri-fold board is used instead of an A0 poster, the trifold board should fit within the project booth. Further guidance on poster size and layout is provided in the slides below.

Project Poster: Typical Content to be Included

Please refer to the image above for an example of a project poster.

• Project Title

• Student Name

• Background

• Methodology

• Results and Discussion

• Conclusion

• Future Work

• References

Important: All images (including charts) included in the poster should be cited. 

• Images created by the finalist may be indicated as "created by finalist" e.g. "Photograph taken by finalist", "Chart created by finalist". 

• If an app or an online tool was used to create the image, we encourage acknowledging the use of the tool, e.g. "infographic created by finalist using Canva".

• Regardless of the choice of format and how the citation is presented, there should be clear attribution for all the images / charts used. (For SSEF, we will accept general citation statements, where appropriate, provided the statement is sufficiently clear and meets the intention of clear attribution. For example, if all the images and charts are created by the finalist, it is acceptable to indicate a general statement that "All images and charts are created by the finalist" - since the attribution is clear.)

You may refer to this resource (ISEF - D&S Graphic Credit Guidance) for examples of how citations can be made in different situations.

Tips for a Good Poster

For a good poster, ensure that your content is

• concise and focussed (without excessive detail)

• clearly organised (logical sequence, appropriate headings)

• easily read (appropriate colours, appropriate contrast, suitable font size that is not too small, avoid 'fancy' fonts that are difficult to read)

Project Poster: Content that is Not Permitted

• Any names or logos that suggest an affiliation to a research institution or organisation, e.g.

  • Research mentor name

  • Research institute or external organisation name or logo

  • Acknowledgements section with named organisations and external mentors

• References to the use of the project for H3 Science Research (if relevant)

• QR codes linking to external content

Note: From 2026, we will allow school name/logo to be displayed on the project poster. However, this is not a requirement (i.e. the school name/logo can be omitted). Please ensure that school logos, if used, are placed appropriately - please check with your own teachers if unsure.

Project Booths: Guidelines

• Required:

  • Poster

  • Project Abstract

  • Form 1C (if relevant)

  • Form 7 (if relevant)

• Allowed:

  • Log books

  • Laptops (with content that resides "locally" and not "on the cloud" or on the Internet)

  • Models or prototypes that do not contravene display and safety guidelines below

• Not allowed:

  • Any names or logos that suggest an affiliation to a research institution or organisation

  • Living organisms, including plants / Taxidermy specimens or parts / Preserved vertebrate or invertebrate animals / Plant materials (living, dead, or preserved) that are in their raw, unprocessed, or non-manufactured state

  • All chemicals including water, powders and granules. No liquids can be utilized in the Project Display.

  • Any display items that are deemed distracting (i.e. sounds, lights, odours, etc.)

  • Human or animal food

  • Soil, sand, rock, cement and/or waste samples, even if permanently encased in a slab of acrylic

  • Active Internet or e-mail connections (including QR codes linking to external sites)

  • Handheld lasers

  • Endorsements 

  • Awards / medals

  • Business cards

  • Flags

  • Any other items deemed to be a safety hazard, or that may provide an unfair advantage

One power socket will be provided for each booth for the purposes of powering small devices (e.g. laptop). Please note that extension plugs and multi-plugs are not allowed, as overloading the socket may lead to the power 'tripping'.

Reference: ISEF Display and Safety Rules

General Information

• Bottled water will not be distributed. Water dispensers will be available at the venue. For all 3 days of SSEF, student finalists should bring their own water bottles (ideally with a wide mouth) which can be refilled at the water dispensers.

• Bento lunch is catered for student finalists on Final Judging (10 Mar) and SSEF Public Day (11 Mar).

• Students should register their attendance every day that they are onsite, using the QR code that will be posted at the entrance of the hall. 

• Student finalists who require any assistance (e.g. not feeling well) should contact any SSEF Official on duty.

• In the event of an emergency evacuation, students are to follow instructions of event personnel and exit the venue (from the nearest exits on either end of the hall) and proceed to the nearest gathering point.

Project Setup + Display & Safety Checks (9 Mar 2026, Mon)

Time

• 1:00pm-5:00pm (all finalists to leave by 5:00pm)

• Student finalists can arrive at any time during the Display & Safety Check period, provided that they cater sufficient time to set up their project booths and have them checked by SSEF Officials (who can be recognised by their lanyards). The time taken for the entire process is expected to take about an hour (minimum).

Attire for Student Finalists

School uniform (at least school-approved half-uniform / "dress down" attire)

Attendance on Setup Day

• For team projects, it is not necessary for all members to be present. One or two members can set up the booth on behalf of the whole group.

• In cases where no one is able to attend to set up the booth, please arrange for other people to set up the booth (e.g. fellow SSEF finalists, teachers, or schoolmates). 

Process

• Students should bring all materials intended for display at the booth (see list above) and set up their project booth.

• Students should ensure that they bring all materials and stationery needed to set up their booth (e.g. scissors, glue, Velcro tape, double-sided tape, etc.). 

  • There is no stationery provided at the venue; there are also no stationery supply stores near the venue.

  • If additional boards are required as backing for poster, students are advised to cut these boards to the appropriate size at home, as it would be difficult to get replacement boards at short notice on set-up day if there are any mistakes in cutting.

• After the booth is fully set up, students should contact an SSEF Official (who can be identified by a lanyard) to check the booth. Stickers will be pasted on items to indicate that it has been checked. When all items at the project booth have been checked and approved, students may leave the venue.

• Student finalists with project displays which do not pass the Display & Safety Checks may have to report earlier before Final Judging to have their displays checked again. Project displays which still do not pass Display & Safety Checks by the start of Final Judging will be withdrawn from judging.

• Note: All valuables e.g. laptops should not be left in the venue nor in the storage area below the booth.

Final Judging (10 Mar 2026, Tues)

Please note: Only student finalists, judges and official personnel should be present during the judging process. 

We request that all non-official personnel (e.g. teachers, non-finalists, mentors and other supporters) remain outside the venue during the judging period, so that we can ensure a conducive environment for judging.

Time

• Main Category

  • 8:30am-9am: Student finalists to report to venue

  • 9am to 12pm: Judging

  • 12pm-1pm: Lunch Break (bento lunch will be catered; vegetarian options available)

  • 1pm to 4pm: Judging

• Junior Scientist

  • 12:30pm-1pm: Student finalists to report to venue (bento lunch will be catered and available for all students who require lunch; vegetarian options available)

  • 1pm-4pm: Judging

Attire for Student Finalists

Full School Uniform
(or other school attire as determined by school)

Attendance

• For team projects, if there are member(s) of the group who are unable to attend Final Judging due to official reasons (e.g. other school commitments, official competitions, illness/MC), please inform your respective school teachers. The remaining group members can represent the whole group for the judging. Judging will not be affected as the judges will make their assessment of the project as a whole, regardless of the size of the group.

• For individual projects, if the finalist is unable to attend a portion of Final Judging due to official reasons, please inform the SSEF organisers (ssef@moe.edu.sg) so that arrangements can be made. If the finalist is unable to attend any part of Final Judging, the project will be withdrawn from judging.

Process

• Judging can only take place when student finalists are at their project booths. For team projects, at least one member should be present. If student finalists, especially for individual projects, need to be away from their booths briefly during the judging period [e.g. to use the toilet], they should notify neighbouring students and/or leave a note on their project booth so that any visiting judges are aware that they are temporarily away from their booth.

• Students can leave their booths during lunch break (12pm-1pm) as no judging will be conducted.

• Each project booth should have a Judging Card, which contains a list of assigned judges. Each judge is represented by a number.

• Judges will visit finalists’ booths any time during the judging windows (9am-12pm; 1pm-4pm). There is no sequence or specific timing for the judging and there may be more than one judge visiting the project booth at the same time. Judges will endorse the Project Judging card when they do their judging, to indicate that they have visited the booth.

• Each judging / interview session should take a maximum of 15 minutes, inclusive of the 3-minute oral presentation. 

• Some judges may have read the project report beforehand. 

• Some judges may choose to skip the oral presentation and prefer to spend more time asking questions.

• There may be additional judges (e.g. for Special Awards) visiting the booth. These are not indicated on the Judging Card. Finalists should be prepared to share their project with all judges visiting their booths, even if the judges are not listed on the Judging Card.

• After all the assigned judges on the Judging Card have visited the project booth, students may bring their Judging Card to the Registration Booth. SSEF Officials on duty will check that the judging is complete, before students are dismissed.

• If judges for Special Awards visit the booth after the students have left the booth, the judges may exercise their discretion regarding whether to assess the project for the Special Award. Students are thus advised not to leave too early, even if their Judging Card is complete.

Judging Criteria

• Please refer to this page for the judging criteria.

Outside of Judging

• When judges are not visiting project booths, students can do silent reading or do their own work. No card games, board games or other activities that may be noisy, disruptive or affect the judging process are allowed.

• Representatives from our sponsoring organisations may approach students to share about internship, attachment or scholarship opportunities. (Judging takes precedence over this, so if a judge visits a finalist's booth when a sponsor representative is engaging the finalist, the finalist should inform the representative politely, and proceed to engage the judge for project judging.) Interactions with sponsor representatives do not have any bearing on the judging outcomes.

• We seek student finalists' assistance to ensure that the walkways remain clear and unobstructed, and that the environment remains clean, quiet and conducive.

Public Day (11 Mar 2026, Wed)

Time

• 10:00am: Student finalists to report to venue

• 10:00am-12:00pm: Student finalists to visit other project booths, STEM Explorer and Partner Booths (bento lunch will be provided from about 11:30am onwards; vegetarian options available)

• 12:00pm-4:00pm: SSEF Public Day

  • Student finalists should be at their project booths, ready to share about their projects with visitors.

  • Endorse visitors' "Learning Passport" with your project code, if requested.

  • Stay at your booth during the Awards Parade

• 3:30pm-4:15pm Awards Parade

• 4:15pm-5:30pm Awards Ceremony

• 5:30pm (after the end of Awards Ceremony): Project Booth Teardown

Attire for Student Finalists

Full school uniform
(or other school attire as determined by school)

Public Day Programme:

See Public Day page