How to enter

  1. Students undertake a scientific investigation or design a technological innovation. Throughout the project, they must keep a logbook to document their process and later write up their findings or invention in a report. Inventions may also include a short video to demonstrate a working model.

    Our resources, judging rubrics, and examples of past projects are great guides!
  2. Schools or groups select their top projects to enter into the Young Scientist Awards. The main contact for each school or group should register as a Hub Contact and obtain a HubID to include with each student entry.
  3. The submission form must be completed and all files uploaded before the closing date by a supervising adult who can confirm that the project is eligible and original (e.g. a parent, carer, or classroom teacher).

More Information

 

Eligibility:

Please ensure that you have thoroughly read the competition rules and that the student and the project are eligible to enter.

 

De-identification:

Students should not appear or be named in videos. Reports and logbooks should be free of student names, school names, and teacher/mentor names to ensure anonymous judging.

 

 

Submission by Schools or Groups:

Most entries are submitted by schools, but science clubs or families may also enter. Each school should submit only their top entries (limit of 10 per age group unless otherwise arranged). Participating schools must provide at least one volunteer judge.

 

The school contact must register as a Hub Contact and will receive a HubID linking all submissions. Hub Contacts can view (but not edit) submissions linked to their HubID. If you need to change the Hub Contact for your school or group before the submission date, simply register for a new HubID and ensure it is listed with all corresponding entries. Contact us to change the Hub Contact after entries close.

 

 

Submission Details:

All entries must be submitted digitally through the online portal. Projects can be uploaded and edited until 11:59pm on the closing date. Early submission is encouraged to avoid last-minute issues. The competition rules include details for late appeals.

Projects must be uploaded by an adult who can confirm the project meets the requirements and has consent from both student and parent/caregiver. This adult must include the HubID when submitting.

 

Selecting a Category

Entries must be categorised according to the grade of the student (or highest grade in a group).

Secondary science investigations (including those completed as part of Investigating Science and Extension Science) should be entered under the most relevant scientific discipline, based on the project’s methods. Projects may only be entered into one discipline.

Projects involving both an invention and an investigation may be entered into both STEM categories, but separate reports are recommended for each, formatted to meet the requirements of the respective category.

Note: There is no longer a separate mathematics category. All entries will be considered for a Working Mathematically prize where applicable.

 

 

File Upload Instructions

  • All files must be under 10MB
  • Reports and logbooks should be in PDF format
  • Inclusion of raw data and/or analysis files in .xlsx or .csv format is encouraged
  • Ensure all files and filenames are de-identified
  • Use simple filenames with no special characters (e.g. soap_project_report.pdf)
  • Videos under 10MB can be uploaded; no students or identifying details should appear
  • Longer videos/software demos should be uploaded to publicly accessible cloud storage, with a link and description of the upload provided in a pdf.
  • If upload issues persist, contact: yscoordinator@stansw.asn.au