CSF - Connecticut Science Fair

Every year after preliminary and finalist judging, the judges fill out a feed back form for compliments, complaints and suggestions not only regarding fair operations but also on the students and the projects. The great news is that year after year new and current judges are blown over by the continued quantity and quality of the projects and students they see. (If you're thinking of the difference between qualitative and quantitative measurements right now then I suggest going for a walk or playing in the snow). There is room for improvement.

Here are some of the top responses we see:

There has been an increasing trend in the last several years of "Bigger is Better" project boards. We no longer allow "flipbooks" on the display boards. The display must be a single layer. You need to get to the point on the display so the judges can quickly understand your work and findings. Save the details for your report.

Don't have backboards that are "too tall". Judges need to be able to comfortably read all of the text on your project board. Just because you can have a board that's 78 tall (from the table top) doesn't mean you should. And if you do, use a big enough font to read comfortably from a distance.
Your project board is a technical brochure of your science project. It presents your question, hypothesis, procedure, conclusion, relevant data and results. Eye catching pictures and diagrams where appropriate can highlight important points.

Abstracts
We're running out of ways to emphasize the importance of abstracts. They are required in advance of the Fair and reviewed by the judges before you arrive at the Fair. The abstract of your project is an important essential element of your display. It should be clear, concise and no more than 250 words. It needs to be grammatically correct and free from spelling errors (not that this is unimportant elsewhere for your project). Take the extra time to write several drafts before deciding on a final version. It's a very good idea to bring extra copies for the preliminary and finalist judges. Don't worry about resume quality paper etc., simple xerox copies are sufficient.