Simcoe Science and Technology Fair

We are so glad that you are interested in this great opportunity for your students! Students who bring a project to the regional science fair are often inspired by their experience. We see them return to the fair with projects of higher quality each year as they apply what they learn through their interactions with judges and exposure to other student projects.

Science Fair projects provide an opportunity to develop literacy skills such as procedural writing, oral language, and research skills as well as key math concepts in measurement and data literacy.

Some teachers choose to work with the students in their classes while other teachers run Science Fair as a club where they provide guidance to students who complete projects on their own time. In order to be eligible for our fair, projects must be completed by individuals OR as a 2-student partnership. A project completed by more than two students is not eligible for the regional fair.

The Simcoe County Regional Science Fair Committee is composed of teachers, scientists, and community members with experience in guiding students through projects and in holding school-wide and regional fairs. If you have questions, PLEASE don’t hesitate to Contact Us!

Teacher Checklist and Timelines

• If you are holding an in-school science fair, plan to do so before the end of February in order to meet our regional fair registration deadline. You may be interested in using our Judging Rubric or adapting it to suit your needs.

• Guiding students through the process:
  • Inspire your students! Make sure they have a good understanding of the scientific process and explain their options in terms of discoveries (original scientific research or data analysis) and innovations (solving a real word problem through development or improvement of technology). Our project resources page offers some inspiration, guidance, and examples.
  • Familiarize yourself with the Safety and Ethics policies and our Rules and Regulations. Remember that projects must be completed by individuals or pairs in order to be eligible for the regional fair. (No groups of 3 or more students are permitted.)
  • Help your students understand relevant rules and policies. Students MUST complete required forms if testing on humans or animals; some forms must be completed BEFORE they begin conducting their research or experiment.

• Each year, by mid-January: Contact Sally Telford stelford@scdsb.on.ca and let her know you are interested in sending students to the regional fair. This ensures that you receive the latest information and deadlines for the current year. Please include an estimate of how many projects you expect to register (to a maximum of 15 per school).

• February – early March: register your students (registration link will be emailed and is also available on the homepage). Each project must be registered separately. For partner projects, a unique email address and other contact details must be supplied for each partner. There is a registration fee for each project; SCRSTF will send an invoice to your school when registration closes. We are not usually able to accommodate late registrations, so please make note of the registration deadline. If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact us!

• Late March – Early April: The regional fair will be held on a weekend. Students check in and set up their projects before 6PM Friday. Judging occurs Friday evening 6PM – 9PM and Saturday morning 9AM – NOON. Activities and entertainment occur throughout the weekend, and the awards ceremony takes place Saturday afternoon. When students are unable to attend the awards ceremony their prizes will be sent to them through the school courier.