About Singapore Youth STEM Fair (SYSF)

Overview

The inaugural Singapore Youth STEM Fair was held in July 2025. The event has evolved from the Singapore Youth Science Fair, established in 2014, which was previously known as the Singapore Shell Youth Science Festival (SSYSF). Originating in 1978, the fair has drawn participation from more than 120,000 students across Singapore.

The objectives of the Singapore Youth STEM Fair are to:

1. promote inquiry through investigative-type or prototyping projects in STEM

2. encourage the use of creative and innovative methods in problem solving

3. heighten students’ awareness and generate their interest in research and development in STEM

The newly launched STEM Fair underscores the importance of STEM disciplines and reflects our national shift towards promoting interdisciplinary learning. This celebration of STEM learning is sponsored by Abbott Laboratories (since 2016) and co-organised by the Science Centre Singapore and the Science Teachers' Association of Singapore.

The SYSF is organised in alternate years. The next SYSF is expected to be held in 2027.

Theme and Categories

The theme for the 2025 Singapore Youth STEM Fair was: Transforming Communities through STEM.

STEM is at the heart of innovation and progress, and it plays a vital role in shaping a sustainable future. Aligned with Singapore’s Green Plan 2030, this year’s STEM fair theme, Transforming Communities Through STEM, invites students to explore how STEM disciplines can support our nation’s efforts to build a greener and more sustainable Singapore.

Scientific developments have been a driving force in Transforming communities, enabling progress in health, education, technology, and sustainable living. Advances in medicine have eradicated diseases, improved quality of life, and extended life expectancy. Breakthroughs in technology, such as the internet and renewable energy, have enhanced connectivity and reduced environmental impact. Scientific innovation empowers communities by creating opportunities for education, improving infrastructure, and fostering economic growth. Moreover, it equips societies to address pressing global challenges like climate change and food security. By bridging knowledge gaps and inspiring collaboration, the STEM disciplines continue to shape resilient, inclusive, and thriving communities around the world.

The five exciting categories of Engineering Science, Life Sciences, Information & Communication Technology, Environment, and New Endeavours offer endless possibilities for students to explore beyond traditional subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. These categories aim to ignite a growing desire for scientific inquiry, investigation and prototyping efforts among our youths. Through this process, the STEM disciplines become contextualised for students as they apply their learning to real-world scenarios, deepening their understanding and engagement.

CATEGORY 1: ENGINEERING SCIENCES

This category encompasses inquiry projects in the fields of engineering like mechanical, communications, electrical, electronics, materials etc. This also includes design-and-make projects that incorporate scientific principles.

CATEGORY 2: LIFE SCIENCES

This category encompasses inquiry projects in the fields such as biology, virology, microbiology, biochemistry, pharmaceuticals etc.

CATEGORY 3: INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

This category encompasses inquiry projects in the fields of computing like programming, development of digital multimedia, processors, etc.

CATEGORY 4: ENVIRONMENT

This category encompasses inquiry projects in the fields of environmental conservation and/or management, alternative energy sources, etc., with a great scope for multidisciplinary projects.

CATEGORY 5: NEW ENDEAVOURS

Projects under this category would have novel research applications in the fields that have not been discovered and explored before. Further, projects which do not lend themselves well into the above-mentioned categories may be placed under “New Endeavours”.

Participation and Awards

The participants for each entry should:

i. work on an investigative or prototyping project;

ii. prepare and submit a project report;

iii. prepare a video presentation; and

iv. display the project at the Singapore Youth STEM Fair (upon invitation)

Participants at the Singapore Youth STEM Fair will be encouraged with awards that affirm good efforts at various project processes. These include:

• Distinction

• Accomplishment

• Commendation

• Most Innovative Projects

• Best Written Reports

• Best Oral Presentations

• Best Displays & Exhibits

There will be institutional awards for “Most Outstanding Participation”. These will be awarded based on the number and the quality of entries from the institution. There will be one institutional award each for the Upper Primary and the Lower Secondary category.

Certificates of Participation will be awarded to all participants.

Timeline 

(Dates are for SYSF 2025 and are provided for reference only; SYSF 2027 may have a slightly different set of dates, although the dates are unlikely to vary much)

30 Jan 2025: Letter of invitations were sent out to schools.

11 April 2025: Submission of Project Entries (which includes Project Titles, Students’ and Teachers’ details) via the online form

The Organisers will be notified of the titles and categories of projects each school intends to embark on.

6 June 2025: Submission of Project Reports and Presentation Video

A panel of judges will evaluate the report and video presentation.

30 June 2025 to 28 July 2025: Preparation of project displays

Due to space constraints, only selected groups are invited to set up their project displays. The selection is carried out based on the scores for the written report and video presentation. Selected schools were informed by 30 June 2025.

28 July 2025: Set up Project Display at Science Centre Singapore

Schools may arrive any time between 2 to 5 pm to set up. 

29 July 2025: Judging of Project Displays at Science Centre

A panel of judges will evaluate Project Displays at Science Centre. School teachers and students need not be present.

30 July 2025: Award Presentation Ceremony (in afternoon)

All students and teachers-in-charge are invited for the ceremony. The certificates in digital format will be emailed to the schools after the event.

Extracts from the Rules and Regulations for SYSF 2025

1. ENTRIES FOR THE STEM FAIR

1.1 All entries to the Singapore Youth STEM Fair must be made using the online form. (We will not accept email entries or hardcopies.)

1.2 Each Entry must be sponsored by a teacher and approved by the Head of Department/SH/LH of Science.

1.3 Each school is allowed a maximum of 3 entries (total of all categories), except for Full Schools where a maximum of 6 entries are allowed; 3 for Upper Primary and 3 for Lower Secondary.

1.4 The number of student participants for each entry should not exceed 5.

1.5 The Organisers reserve the right to reject any entry submitted.

1.6 The Organisers will not be held responsible for any accidents or injuries incurred by the participants as a result of their participation in the Singapore Youth STEM Fair.

2. ELIGIBILITY

All students currently attending Primary (Pri 4, Pri 5 and Pri 6) / Secondary Schools (Sec 1 and Sec 2) are eligible to participate in the STEM Fair.

3. PROJECTS

3.1 All participants must undertake an investigative-type or prototyping project in any one of the categories stipulated. Each entry must illustrate at least one scientific principle. Each entry should also include a write-up on the practicability of the project.

3.2 All participants must submit Project Reports online in simple, clear English describing their project and findings. This report should not exceed

(i) 500 words for Upper Primary (P4-6) level projects (excluding references); and

(ii) 1000 words for Lower Secondary (S1-2) level projects (excluding references).

3.3 The Project Report Guidelines (Annex C) MUST be adhered to. The Organisers reserve the right to reject any entry if the guidelines are not adhered to.

3.4 Each team must submit a video presentation of not more than 8 min. [Note: This guideline is expected to be reduced to 5 min for SYSF 2027.]

3.5 Each team, upon request must also be able to display their project at Science Centre Singapore. Only teams which have been notified will need to display their project.

3.6 The Organisers reserve the right to re-categorise any project where appropriate.

3.7 No comparative experiment as well as qualitative or quantitative analysis of any commercial product is allowed.

3.8 Experiments using dangerous items such as exposed high-tension wires, explosive and corrosive chemicals, open fires and ferocious or poisonous animals are prohibited.

3.9 Participants are also strongly discouraged from using live animals for their projects. If animals are involved, students are strongly encouraged to consider bioethics. Any projects that may cause discomfort to the animal are not allowed.

4. SPONSORSHIP AND CONSULTATION

4.1 The project report and the work on the project presentation must be done by the participants themselves.

4.2 Sponsoring teachers should only provide guidance and support for their teams and refrain from involvement in all aspects of the project.

4.3 If artificial intelligence (AI) is utilised in project preparation, writing or creating presentations, ethical use must be observed:

a) All AI-generated content shall be clearly attributed.

b) AI platforms and tools should be used solely as aids to enhance research and creativity, not to replace original thought. Students remain responsible for the content and quality of their work. The Organisers take a serious view of any form of violation of academic integrity.

Project Report Guidelines (SYSF 2025)

General

1. The report must be in A4 size, securely bound and typed in Arial font 12 with double line spacing.

2. Supporting tables, graphs, charts, diagrams, pictures or photos, etc. should be properly labelled in sequential order and captioned. E.g.:

(i) Table 1, 2, 3 etc.

(ii) Figure 1, 2, 3, etc.

(iii) Diagram 1, 2, 3, etc.

(iv) Chart 1, 2, 3, etc.

3. Attachments should be sequentially labelled as Annexes A, B, C, etc., page-numbered and reflected in the Contents Page.

4. Fanciful decoration of the report should be avoided – all graphics or colours used should support the contents of the report rather than be for purely decorative purposes.

5. Each Project Team must submit a printed Report in simple, clear English describing their projects and findings. This report, including References, should not exceed

(i) 500 words for Upper Primary (P4-6) level projects (excluding references); and

(ii) 1000 words for Lower Secondary (S1-2) level projects (excluding references).

6. The report should be organised for easy reading. It should be concise and direct (to the point). All diagrams, pictures and photographs should be clear and sharp.

Project Title

The project title should throw light on your investigations. It should not be an advertisement-type of slogan.

Examples of good project titles:

(i) Investigations on the Breakdown of Aspartame

(ii) The Multi-Purpose Red Cabbage Indicator

(iii) Effects of Refrigeration and Room Temperature on Proliferation of Yeast on Honey

Examples of project titles that are less than ideal:

(i) It’s a Small World After All

(ii) Now You See It Now You Don’t

(iii) Save the World with Vegetables

Organisation of Report

Cover Page

The cover page should be kept neat and simple. Any cover design should be relevant to the project.

Contents Page

The contents page should list the sections in the report with page numbers.

Abstract

The abstract is a one-page summary of the whole project, stating its purpose, method, main findings and conclusion(s).

Declaration of Degree of Guidance from Teachers

Students must declare in this section the extent of guidance which they received from teachers in their schools. Entries which, in the judgement of the Organisers or judges, receive excessive guidance to the extent that they are no longer the original works of the students may be disqualified.

Introduction

• What is the project all about?

• Why is this project chosen?

• Why is it important, significant or interesting?

• What do you hope to achieve from your investigation?

Investigative Approach / Theoretical Background

• What theoretical background drives the investigation of the project?

• What approaches are considered in your investigation?

• How is the final approach decided upon?

• Are there any initial assumptions or hypotheses made?

• Are there any key questions you hope to answer from your investigation?

• What is the focus of your project?

Resources

• What resources (human, physical, and time) have been utilised in the project?

• How have they been procured?

Methodology / Procedure

• Describe in detail the steps in your study or investigation, including timeframe, repetitions, and changes made to original plans.

• How does your method lead towards answering the key question(s) in your study?

Findings

• What data is collected from the study?

• Your data must be organised and presented in a reader-friendly format.

Analysis of Findings

• How is the analysis of the data collected conducted?

• Why is the data analysed the way you did?

• Present your analysis in a way that makes for easy interpretation by the reader.

• The use of tools, such as tables, graphs, charts will improve your presentation.

• The tables, graphs, etc. have to be interpreted. I.e. what do they mean?

Relevance to Practical Application

• What are the practical applications of the project, and the results obtained?

• Highlight the feasibility, advantages and relevance of any ideas proposed during the research.

Conclusion

• What significant conclusions can you make from the analysis of the findings?

• Do the conclusions fit your initial assumptions or hypotheses?

• If they do not, can you explain the cause of any deviations?

• Can you explain any interesting or unexpected results of your investigations?

• Are your research questions sufficiently answered by your investigation?

• What further investigations can your team or other investigators do as a follow-up?

References

• List your references in alphabetical order of family names of author.

• The list should include the author’s name, year of publication, title of publication, relevant chapters and pages (if applicable), and publisher. E.g.:

King, A. M., and Gull, E. C., Handbook of Physics, 3rd ed., Andrews Publications, Singapore, 1978.

• References can either be from printed or non-printed media. State the type of media, if non-printed.

Acknowledgement (to be included in the report when submitting online)

List those who have assisted the team in one way or another in the process of the investigation and report writing. The more significant persons should be listed first.

List all AI-generated content. For reference on how to acknowledge the use of AI, refer to:

https://www.monash.edu/student-academic-success/build-digital-capabilities/create-online/acknowledging-the-use-of-generative-artificial-intelligence 

Presentation Video Guidelines

1. There should be one video clip for each project.

2. The video should be less than 8 min. [Note: This guideline is expected to be reduced to 5 min for SYSF 2027.]

3. There is no limit on the number of presenters featured in the clip, but these presenters have to be the participants of the project.

4. The video must feature the participants speaking in front of the camera. Voice-over presentations whereby the faces of the participants are not seen throughout the video will not be accepted.

5. The first presenter should introduce the school, project title, and the other presenters.

6. The video should give a summary of the project aims and the scientific methods and principles used in the project eg. the methodology, data analysis, findings and conclusion.

7. The video must not infringe any third-party copyright or trademark or violate the rights of any person or entity. Any content in your video must be content that you are authorised to use, including, without limitation, music, images, film clips and other intellectual property. If you use pre-existing content that you are not authorised to use, your video submission will be disqualified.

8. The video must not contain images of any individuals who have not provided their authorisation to have their images to be used for the video.

9. The video must be appropriate for viewing by the general public and by a multi-cultural international community; appropriateness will be determined by the Executive Committee of the Science Teachers Association of Singapore (STAS).

10. Videos should be in one of the following formats: .flv .mov .avi .mp4 .wmv .mpg.

Judging Criteria

The Project

• Depth of analysis of selected principle(s)

• Experimental / Investigative design

• Creativity / Innovativeness

The Written Report

• Clarity

• Organisation

• Conciseness

Oral Presentation

• Knowledge of Scientific principle(s) involved

• Oratorical skills

• Creativity in communicating scientific and engineering principle(s)