What do the judges look for?

All entries

A clear and accurate presentation of the ‘story’ of your exhibit: what you did, why you did it, and your results or products.

In a science entry:

The judges will want to see

• That it is an investigation: the first stage is to answer the question, “what is happening?” and then, “why is it happening?”

• That you understand what is it you are investigating, so you don’t waste time investigating irrelevant things.

• That you have done several measurements and experiments.

• That your conclusions reflect the nature of your data, for example, if you have done only a few measurements then you shouldn’t say that these tell the full story – show that you understand the tentative nature of your data (the judges know that you don’t usually have the time or resources to carry out hundreds of measurements).

• That you have documented all of your work in a logbook as you did it, and that you have the logbook with your exhibit.

• That you can evaluate whether more remains to be investigated about your topic.

In a technology entry:

The judges will want to see

• That you have developed a product, environment or system: an actual product or accurate modelling (but not a model!) of the development is required.

• That its development has been well documented in a logbook, showing what was changed during development and why.

• That you have investigated existing versions of your technology and identified the advantages and disadvantages of your approach.

• That what you have developed actually works, or would work properly if you had the time and/or resources to develop it further in the way you have specified.

• That you have identified relevant aspects such as: durability, reliability, economy, efficiency, ease of use, safety, cost of production, etc.

• That you have identified the need or opportunity for what you are developing.