Registration and Role
Category Judges must be available in-person from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Thursday, March 13, 2025 to judge student projects and recommend projects for Category Awards. Judge check-in starts at 10:30 AM, and all judges must be checked in by 12:00 PM on Judging Day. Virtual judging is not permitted. All judges, including both new and returning Category and Grand Prize judges, are required to register, providing details about their background and judging preferences. We use this information to assist us in assigning judging teams. If you would like to receive a reminder to register as a Judge for the Fair, please email Category Judging via our Contact Us page.
Register to be a Category Judge
Students provide information which determines their category and designate a field of study for their project. Each project is assigned to one of four categories and given a unique project number. We use the field of study to form project groups and assign to judges with appropriate interests and qualifications. Further information on categories and fields of study may be found on the Project Categories web page.
Project Categories
Projects are divided into categories based on (1) the amount of professional mentoring and access to non-school laboratories the student received, and (2) the subject matter of the project (biological vs physical science/engineering).
RRI Projects (grades 9–12 only) include biological or physical science or engineering research projects conducted under the guidance of:
1. Professional research staff at a Regulated Research Institution. (Government regulations for institution’s use of animals in accordance with rules of IACUC, or use of chemicals/processes following Good Laboratory Practice (GLP rules), etc.)
2. Professional research staff at a company or government lab.
3. Professional research scientist or engineer providing advice and guidance.
4. Mentors, other than teachers, who provide substantial guidance, data or sophisticated equipment not available in schools.
Judges will use Form 1C to determine student contribution to the research.
Non-RRI Projects (grades 6–12) include all projects from grades 6 through 8 and projects from grades 9 through 12 NOT mentored by a professional research scientist/engineer or professional mentor.
Fields of Study
| Biological Sciences and Engineering | Physical Sciences and Engineering |
|---|---|
| Plant Sciences | Chemistry |
| Animal Sciences | Chemical/Environmental Engineering |
| Biochemistry/Microbiology | Earth and Environmental Sciences |
| Computational Biology and Bioinformatics | Physics and Astronomy |
| Biomedical and Health Sciences | Electrical Engineering |
| Biomedical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Mathematics | |
| Software Engineering |
On the day of the Fair, you will evaluate projects in one category and related fields of study. While you are judging the results of the student’s research projects, an important role is to ENCOURAGE students’ interest in science and technology and INSPIRE them to pursue this interest further.
Please review the following links which give more information about Category Judging:
- Register to be a Category Judge
- Categories, Fields of Study, and Project Numbers
- Guidelines for Talking to Students (required reading)
- Category Judging Criteria
- Category Judging FAQ
- Category Judging and 2025 Schedule
