Judges

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Judges are needed for the Science and Engineering Fair that will be held February 14–15, 2020. This is a great opportunity for people interested in meeting the next generation of young scientists. The objective evaluation of projects by Place Awards Judges is the most important aspect of the fair and determines the distribution of cash prizes, awards, internships, and scholarships.

Judge Qualifications

A Place Award Judge must have at least a bachelor’s degree.

Judges may include university faculty and scientists, industrial engineers and scientists, representatives of private and federal research centers and agencies, medical researchers, post-doctoral fellows, and senior graduate students. School and district science fair coordinators and elementary or secondary school teachers are generally NOT eligible to serve as SEFH judges.

All Place Award Judges should also note that you will be asked to agree to an Ethics Agreement.

Judging Procedure

Exhibits will be judged in one of two divisions: Junior (7th & 8th grades) and Senior (9th – 12th grades) and in one of 17 Categories including categories in physical science, life science, and engineering areas. Judges are assigned to judge projects in a single category and division and work as part of a team comprised of 3-4 judges with one team member acting as a Lead Judge. Projects are reviewed in three phases as they advance towards Grand Awards.

Phase 1

During Phase 1, judges are typically assigned 7-10 projects to review with each project review lasting about 10 minutes During each review period, judges are required to interview students and score the project on the SEFH scoring rubric. Following Phase 1, judges convene with the rest of their team for a caucus to discuss their assigned project as determine which projects will advance to Phase 2.

Phase 2

During Phase 2, projects advanced from Phase 1 are re-interviewed by a team of judges comprised of all the Lead Judges from Phase 1. Lead judges then complete a second caucus process to select place awards for the category. Also, during Phase 2, projects that did not advance from Phase 1 are re-interviewed by non-lead judges for the purpose of providing feedback to students. Judges discuss projects with students and complete comment cards.

Phase 3 – Grand Awards

During Phase 3, first place projects in each category are reviewed by a team of category coordinators for selection of grand awards and invitations to the International Science & Engineering Fair.

Judging is an all-day commitment, depending on the amount of students in each category. We offer orientation sessions in the weeks leading up to the fair. Links to project abstracts will be made available to judges prior to the fair.