I am going to be a junior and this will be my first time actually doing a science fair. I have done a research project before and written a research paper and presented it, but it was a group project and it wasn’t really laboratory research, it was more environmental studies. My project this year will be focused around neurosciences, so it is more of a laboratory setting, which is not a problem for me because am familiar with researching in a lab as well. I am looking to qualify for ISEF. I wanted to know that because it’s my first time actually doing a science fair, does that lower my chances of getting into ISEF? I know there are a lot of kids that have been doing science fair for years and still don’t qualify for ISEF, or qualify or don’t actually place at ISEF. I noticed a couple of ISEF finalists on this page; how many tries did it take you guys to qualify for ISEF? How many tries did it take to get an award at ISEF?
Follow up, what do science fair judges usually look for in projects that qualify for ISEF? What do ISEF judges look for in award winning projects?
Any information would be helpful. I am very new to this, so please don’t hesitate to give me literally anything from advice to information to opinions, etc.
Thanks
How competitive is your local fair? Mine has about a hundred entrants, and only two get to go to ISEF. And those two don’t place very often.
It’s worth trying, sure, but don’t expect to make ISEF your first year. Most people don’t, but it’s still a valuable experience.
Have fun with your research!
I second what @awesomepolyglot said above. I went to ISEF last in May (as a parent) and saw a very big range of projects and students. We met students who had come to ISEF all 4 years of HS because their fairs were small and the competition was less. And even attending ISEF several years in a row did not guarantee a win.
That said, you can’t get to ISEF without qualifying through your local fair. And in some locations, the ratio of winning is much lower (2% chance as @awespomepolyglot example above) vs. what a student will face in their ISEF category (approx. 30-40% of entries place or win a special award). But again, just because you get to ISEF from a really competitive fair doesn’t mean that you will win. These science competitions do have a lot of subjectivity in the judging as the competing projects are all different.
So, my advice - before you start your project, read through and understand all the “boring” rules for each of the fairs you will enter (as it can be up to 4 - school, district, state, ISEF) and make sure your project board size will “fit” the measurements allowed (so you don’t have to keep remaking your board). Understand what forms you must have filled and signed by a science mentor, etc and get those early (so you don’t have to scramble to get them if you move on in the competition).
Good luck 