Science Fair Display

In preparation for the Science Fair, it is required that you create a digital copy of a competition backboard/display. An effective display is more than a PowerPoint presentation but not a research paper; think somewhere between a paper and a PowerPoint. It should be a summary of your project that you use/expand on as you present.

This is a traditional poster that was been used at the Japan Super Science Fair in 2019

Well constructed, error free displays say a great deal about the quality of your work.

Science Fair Poster Template

It is essential that you use the proper template and follow all rules as guidelines as you prepare your display. Pay special attention to the "saving guidelines" below.

Saving your electronic display

Save your display board as a PDF using the name convention: Last Name_First Initial_School. If this is a team project, use the last name of the team leader.

Imani Williams in front of her board at the 2018 Georgia Science and Engineering Fair

The traditional science fair display will also be used at the 2021 Georgia Science and Engineering Fair

Poster Rules & Requirements

  • You may not have a section titled “Abstract” on your exhibit board unless the section contains only the Official GSEF/ISEF Abstract Form (not just the abstract text!)

  • Every photograph, graph, table, chart, and image must have a source credit associated with it, visible on the display board. Examples are shown below:

    • All photographs taken by John Science.

    • All graphs created by John Science.

    • Graph 1 created by John Science.

    • images taken from www.sciencewebsite.com.

    • Photos/videos of people other than the finalist are not allowed unless a signed photograph release statement is available at the project.

      • Sample statement: “I consent to the use of this visual image involving my participation in this research.”

      • If the person is under 18, parent or guardian signature is required.

      • Sample statement: “I consent to the use of this visual image involving my child’s participation in this research.”

    • You must cite your ALL of your sources. Furthermore, the best display boards are full of quality citations.

Poster Content & Layout

You may customize/adjust section headings as you choose. Exhibit boards typically include the sections/headings listed below:

    • Title

    • Introduction or Background

    • Problem or Purpose

    • Hypothesis

    • Materials

    • Procedure or Experimental Design

    • Results (data, charts, diagrams, graphs, photographs of results, etc.)

    • Data Analysis

    • Conclusion

    • Bibliography (optional)

    • Future Applications or Future Research

Poster Design & "Readability"

Traditional fonts including Arial, Calibri, Helvetica and Times New Roman work best across all platforms. Other Design and Readability considerations include:

  • Use bullets, highlighted words, & different colors to emphasize particular points/ideas.

  • Flow charts, pictures, and icons can often tell your story more efficiently and effectively than just words.

  • Text color should be black.

  • Font Size Suggestions:

    • Project title -72pt

    • Student name - 54pt

    • School name - 48pt

    • Section headings - 40pt

    • Body - 32pt *Minimum font size for body text should not exceed 14 pt. font.

    • Photo credits - 22pt