Category Judges –
Each category will have one or more judges to review projects and interview students. On the morning of the fair, judges will be given instructions during an orientation presentation. Each judge will receive a packet of information, a list of the projects they are responsible for, and blank scoring sheets.
There are two judging sessions in the morning; one without the students present and another with them present.
The first judging session allows judges to review each project display board and log book to determine how well the project is presented. This allows judges to evaluate the student’s written and visual communication skills. Judges should develop questions during this first session to ask the students later on. Project display boards usually contain descriptions of how the scientific method was followed, steps the students followed, photographs, diagrams, graphs, test results, and other information. Their log books will contain entries written throughout the project that chronicle their progress from beginning to end. Entries may include early ideas or topics to research, meeting or phone calls with advisors, descriptions of experimental methods, equipment requirements, observations, and so on.
The second judging session is conducted with the students present at their displays. The judges will then return to each project and meet with the students to discuss their project, its challenges, and ask questions to better understand their work. We encourage all judges to provide thoughtful, constructive criticism to students and help them feel proud of the hard work they’ve done! Sample questions and suggestions for how to interview students will be provided in the information packet given to judges at the beginning of the fair.
Once both of the judging sessions are complete, Category Judges will return to their designated rooms to meet with other judges. They will compare the qualities of the projects in each of their categories and work with their Category Captains to decide which projects are eligible for prizes.
Category Captains –
Each category is led by a Category Captain. In addition to being a Category Judge, they are also responsible for recording the First, Second, and Third Place Winners in their category and submitting it to the Fair Director and Awards Chairperson. All Category Captains will meet in the afternoon and caucus to determine which of the winners from each category should be considered for Grand Awards for the Fair and ISEF Finalists.
Category Awards –
For each category the Category Judges choose a First, Second, and Third Place Winner. Each First, Second, and Third Place Winner receives an award certificate and a medallion. Additional awards vary from year to year, but often include prize money and college scholarships.
Grand Awards –
From the category winners, the Category Captains will choose winners for the Grand Awards. Grand Award Winners are not ranked as First, Second, or Third; they all have the same rank as Best of Show. Grand Award Winners are also ISEF Finalists. ISEF Finalists are eligible to compete at the international fair held in May each year.
Categories –
Students are asked to self-select which category best represents their project when registering for the fair. The categories available at BSSEF include:
- Division 000 – Behavioral Science & Social Science
- Division 300 – Biology
- Division 400 – Chemistry & Biochemistry
- Division 500 – Environmental & Earth Science
- Division 600 – Engineering
- Division 700 – Math & Computer Science
- Division 800 – Medicine & Health
- Division 900 – Physics
The categories used at BSSEF are sometimes combined to ensure there are sufficient judges and projects for each category. For example, Math and Computer Science are often combined with Physics if each category only has one or two projects submitted. Regional and state fairs are permitted to combine categories under ISEF guidelines, however a project may be entered under a different category when it competes at ISEF. The official ISEF categories are more specific than those used at BSSEF. You can read more about them by clicking this link.