PROJECTS CAN BE ENTERED INDIVIDUALLY OR BY YOUR TEACHER
All projects are to be entered online. Either students, parents or teachers can enter a project. When a project is entered an adult (teacher, parent or mentor) must acknowledge and certify that the project is the work of the identified student(s) and that the Young Scientist rules have been followed.
Projects may be entered into one or more of the following STEM categories: Technology, Scientific Investigations and Mathematical Investigations. The same project may be entered into more than one STEM category; however it must be entered separately via the online entry form.
Year 11 and 12 Science students can also enter their Depth Study (completed as part of a NESA certified Year 11 or 12 Science course) into our special Rowe Scientific Depth Study category. If the Depth study involved a practical investigation, students may also enter it into a Science discipline such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Earth and Environmental Science. They must enter this Science discipline separately.
TECHNOLOGY – Secondary Innovations and Engineering Design projects and Primary Inventions and Innovations projects
All Years 7-12 Technology projects must be submitted online by 11:59:59pm Wednesday 25th August, 2021.
All Years K-6 Technology projects must be submitted online by 11:59:59pm Wednesday 1st September, 2021.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation there will be no delivery or setup of technology projects this year.
All project details (including portfolios, report files and videos) must be entered online using the Project entry form.
Uploading Files: There is a 10 Mb maximum file size allowed on our online entry portal. To minimise the size of the files to be uploaded, get your students to resample each graphic and save each file as a low resolution PDF.
(Video) files that are too large may be
1. Uploaded to a Youtube, Vimeo or alternative publicly accessible platform or
2. Uploaded to a Google Drive or equivalent. Please provide a link to either of these options within the documents that you upload.
Very Important: Please make sure the settings are set to Public or (Google Drive) “Anyone with the link can view”.
If you continue to experience difficulties with the uploading of the files, contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au and we will discuss alternative ways of sending the files.
INVESTIGATIONS – Scientific Investigation and Mathematical Investigation projects (including Depth Studies)
All Years 7-12 Science and Maths projects must be submitted online by 11:59:59pm Wednesday 25th August, 2021.
All Years K-6 Science and Maths projects must be submitted online by 11:59:59pm Wednesday 1st September, 2021.
Projects received after this time will have their eligibility for a prize decided by STANSW Council. Teachers are encouraged to submit projects early so uploading and internet issues do not result in a student project missing the deadline.
Uploading project files: Each component of an Investigation (e.g. report and logbook) must be uploaded as a separate PDF on the online entry system. When you are ready to register projects, you need to have the contact email for the student as well as details of the project to be submitted. You also need to have the electronic copies of the investigation (report and logbook) ready to upload.
Enter a project using the online Project entry form.
Enter the student, school and project details and select any Sponsored awards for which the project meets the given criteria.
There is a 10 Mb maximum size (per file) allowed on our online entry portal. To minimise the size of the files to be uploaded, get your students to resample each graphic and save each file as a low resolution PDF. Files that are too large and cannot be compressed enough may be uploaded to a Google Drive or equivalent. Please provide a link to the drive within a (Word) documents that you can then upload via the online system.
Very Important: Please make sure the settings are set to publicly accessible or “Anyone with the link can view”. If you continue to experience difficulties with the uploading of the files, contact youngscientist@stansw.asn.au and we will discuss alternative ways of sending the files.
Before submitting each entry you must check the box, indicating that the project is the work of the identified students and that each of the Young Scientist rules have been followed. After submitting each entry you will receive a confirmation email listing all the details of that entry.
Can small groups of students enter together or are the Scientific Investigation projects for individual students only? Thank you
You can have groups of 2 or 3 in every category of the Young Scientist Awards. They are judged equally to individual projects.
For the Working Mathematically Category:
– What limitations are there on the number of entries (per grade, for example)?
– Do you accept whole-class entries?
There are no limitations. We just ask that each school sends projects that do attempt to follow the judging rubric that we have set up.
I am a teacher and want to enter investigations for several students. The entry form seems to be for individual entries …. what is the process for teachers entering several student entries?
Once you have entered one student and received the confirmation, you can then start again and do the second student and then the third and son on. It also works best if the teacher who sends the email is the one who has their email attached at the bottom of the project entry form. For then you will be the one who receives the confirmation.
Thanks so much
Re. the online entry form:
Is it acceptable to provide the teacher’s email address rather than the parent/child’s email address? Some of our students are too young to regularly check their email accounts and we’d need permission to provide parent email addresses.
Thanks 🙂
That is fine – most entries have the teacher’s email.
Sorry, what if you are not australian?
Could you still apply, too?
I live in Papua New Guinea and we
don’t have an affiliated fair in our
country.
Thanks
High JP, Yes we do accept International entries if you go to our Rules page it says: 10. (New for 2016) Students from other countries are welcome to enter the STANSW Young Scientist Awards and be in the running for a place in any of the category prizes. If they are selected for a prize they will receive a Certificate stating their category placement and their name will be listed on our annual list of prize winners.
Hi I have uploaded my project but have not recieved a confirmation emailas have uploaded it more than once
Hi Fatima,
We have received your entry. Can you just confirm whether you want your entry in Chemistry or Earth & Environmental Science.
When I enter a student for Young Scientist, do I select which section – Investigations, Working mathematically or Innovations – that they are entering? I have entered students in previous years, and I remember checking a box on what category. Is this the same this year? I have a student who would like to enter their project in all three categories. Is the working mathematically a separate entry, or is it based on the data collection and analysis in their Investigations entry? Thank you.
Thank you Annie. Yes Working Mathematically is now a separate category. You now have to click on one category and fill out the whole form and then press submit. Then you need to start again and click on the next category and fill out the full form and then press submit. Then do the same for the third category.
We have now added this description to the entry form to make this clear so thank you for the question!
Good afternoon,
Just wondering if a logbook is MANDATORY when submitting an entry?
Our school is looking at ditching logbooks in 2019.
-Craig
Hi Craig,
Logbooks are still mandatory for the Young Scientist Awards as they provide evidence that the work is the student’s work. One suggestion that could work is to have a logbook at the end of your report like an appendix so you are only submitting one file. That passes all the rules and if it is comprehensive enough then will satisfy the judges. Judges love to see the development of an idea or a storyline, which is not possible when you don’t have a logbook.
Young Scientist Committee
Hello,
I have a group of three Year 5 students who are very keen to submit an entry and are working through the process of an investigation. Do I need to register the team now or do I wait until they have completed their entry and submit the finished product (project and logbook) before the closing date?
Toni Fletcher
The latter is correct. We have no pre-registration for the Young Scientist Awards. You simply submit their projects online when they are finished before the deadline.
Hi there
My daughter in Year 2 really looks for an opportunity to show her amazing knowledge about solar system. Is there any face-to-face contests fort this? Please advise.
Thank you
May
Hi May,
Our competition is really geared towords first hand-investigations in science and maths, or the creation of innovative devices. The only face-to-face aspect is where the students entering our Innovations and Inventions category display their creations this coming Saturday 7th September at the PTC Offices in Auburn. Details can be found here http://www.youngscientist.com.au/?page_id=287
The STANSW Young Scientist Awards Team
Can you edit your investigation/innovation after you’ve submitted it and the due date has passed?
If so, how can you do it?
Hi,
You most definitely cannot edit your report after the due date once it has been submitted. If there are any details about your submission (name, age, etc.) that you need to edit, please email us and we can change them for you.
when is the deadline for science?
The deadline for scientific investigations and maths investigations is Wednesday 9th September, 2020 http://www.youngscientist.com.au/?page_id=287
Hi,
How many students is okay for a single school to submit? Our school is quite big, and we may be looking at 100-200+ children interested in competing (In the 7-8 and 9-10 categories). I know it says on your website there are no limitations, however, it also says we should (if able to) conduct our own internal experiments, and it would be preferred that everyone gets their entry submitted. If we do need to reduce the amount, what is the maximum amount of students you suggest we can accept?
Thanks!
Hi, I want to enter a Year 12 product but the hand in date has been pushed back due to COVID – can you tell me when the images would be seen in public if we enter? We have to submit for marking on 10th September but the marking of their folios will not happen for nearly a month as we have to send folders to Sydney. Just dont want to jeopardise their HSC marking if its in public.
Thanks
Hi Sam,
Good question and I was asked this by the NESA Science Inspector the other day. We do not publicise any image of a project until January, when we upload our projects (that have given their consent) to our website. This is well after the HSC is announced so it totally independent of that and NESA are fine with that. Our marking criteria is also different from NESA HSC marking so our winners don’t always match up to the top HSC marks. For instance in Science Extension, the HSC mark is based on the external exam and the Major Student Project is just assessed as part of your HSC assessment. Also we judge the prtfolio, which school assessment is not necessarily judged on.
In summary, feel free to enter your project and it will definitely not compromise your HSC marks and this is from a teacher who has had HSC students enter projects into both Young Scientist and NESA for over 20 years. In fact the NESA Science Inspector wants you to enter both Young Scientist. He planned the Year 12 Science courses aroiund Young Scientist.
We accept as many entries as you give us. We would like all students to be rewarded for their effort they have put in. However, if students have completed work that does not classify as a first-habd investigation then we would prefer that you don’t send it in.
I submitted my project but I didn’t get a confirmation email? I’m not sure what went wrong.
HI Jacinta,
I have just checked and your project has definitely been submitted. There are two file uploads attached to it.
Apologies for the confusion.
Has my chemistry investigation been submited, I did not get an email
HI Oliver
Apologies for the delay in replying. Yes we have a team project submitted by you and two others in our system.
Thanks!