How to Turn Research Into a Winning Science Fair Project

It’s summertime, and many students are just starting their summer research internships or diving deep into potential research topics for a project as they build their resumes. Colleges nowadays are highly focused on tangible achievements that you made within a particular discipline. For students interested in science and research in college, that largely translates to getting some science fair wins under your belt while still in high school! But after months of doing experimental research, gathering data, and learning everything about your topic, how do you take it to the next level? 

Follow this guide to learn more about turning your research into a winning science fair project.

Understand How Science Fair Judges Think

Learn about the thought process of judges and the people who make science fairs a reality each year. Science fairs exist to give highly motivated students the chance to show off their incredible work, while also networking and meeting their peers who have similar interests. But science fairs select winners because they want to support the next generation of scientists. 

What does that mean? Well, when selecting students for an award, judges have a baseline understanding that not everyone in high school has the same opportunities as a tenured academic professor at Harvard. Of course, your research will be more elementary! You don’t have the education, funding, or resources to support a truly long-term research project. So instead of focusing entirely on the technical merits of your research, judges focus much more on your creativity and your potential for developing one of those Harvard long-term projects. 

They don’t care as much if you are using multi-million dollar lasers to conduct your work; they care that you are making a unique innovation and taking a different approach. Judges are trying to understand your critical thinking skills, and when they see a project that is simple yet represents a brand new approach to a challenging issue, they want to support that student with a fancy award and a big fat prize so they can continue their research and go on to great colleges. 

Be An Organized Researcher

I see this mistake frequently among science fair students who are trying to take their project to the next level. Really, the research only gets you halfway– to compete in science fairs, you also have to be able to concisely present data, write a research paper and design a poster, give a pitch, and answer challenging questions. 

Your best bet in this battle is staying organized! 

Throughout your research project, keeping a good lab notebook that records your exact research methods and documents your thought process is crucial. When you are finished with your experimentation, your lab notebook becomes an excellent resource to refer to as you prepare for the fair.

It allows you to compare the data you got from different trials and pick out the best, most representative data to present. It helps you to think through your research completely and tell a great story with your research paper. 

Having a clear plan, staying organized, and keeping track of everything you do in regard to your project is the best way to be prepared for science fair season.

Use Feedback to Strengthen Your Science Fair Project

Consult with others on how to make your project stronger. Mentors, professors, teachers, and parents can all offer excellent advice when it comes time for science fair season. 

Presenting a project pitch in front of these audiences affords you two key opportunities: for others to point out holes in your research and give you feedback, and for you to practice the type of interactions you may have with a judge. 

Ask others who are unfamiliar with your project to look through your research paper and see if the flow makes sense; if they can’t get a basic idea of your work, you need to make some changes! While it can be challenging to put yourself out there and ask for criticism, it is the only way to ensure you are putting your best foot forward with judges. 

Remember, beyond just research, you are selling yourself– your skills, your critical thinking, and your potential as a scientist. You need to practice your presentation of those skills and improve as much as possible to have a shot at winning. 

All in all, your research project has potential – it’s just these finishing touches of pulling everything together into a concise and confident presentation that will help you be science fair ready. For more specifics on writing a research paper, keeping a lab notebook, and designing a poster, see our other blogs.

Get Coached by Past Winners at ScienceFair

Every coach on our team once had a project sitting exactly where yours is now, months of work done and the presentation still ahead of them. For instance, Eli went on to win ISEF Grand Awards, earn Regeneron STS Scholar recognition, and be a Davidson Fellow Laureate.

Schedule a call with our academic advisor to see how far your research could go with the right coaching behind it.