Responsibilities of All Judges
Judges registration and orientation takes place at 8 a.m. on the day of the event. All judges must attend this meeting, even if they have judged previous science fairs. Please be prompt. Coffee and doughnuts will be served to ease the pain of working on a Saturday!
General Judging Procedures
At registration, each judge receives a judge's packet, which includes the projects that you have been assigned. You will be given an assigned number and partner. Please try to sit with your judging partner. A presentation follows, reviewing new procedures as well as potential problems and how to solve them.
Judging commences at 9 a.m. (Specific rooms to be announced.)
If your judging partner is not present, you will be assigned a new partner. No one may judge alone. Judging is a team effort as required by the Ohio Academy of Science.
Judges will first take time for a quick "walk-by" of projects to determine a judging order. Judging order may be based on such things as the location of the displays or research topics. Introduce yourselves to each student and try to set her or him at ease. Most students are nervous, which is perfectly natural for an event like this.
Judging techniques vary, but generally you want to hear a synopsis of each student’s work. Look for
- knowledge of the scientific method
- familiarity with terminology and concepts of the specific field
- use of a control
- running of a number of trials, etc.
- age-appropriate references in the bibliography or references-cited section of the research report
- age-appropriate display of all important data on poster boards
- accurate spelling, correct grammar and overall neatness
- creativity in the research.
Remember that projects are evaluated using science fair judging criteria, not each other. Please remember to keep each student's age and grade in mind while evaluating the project.
Judging teams should wait until they have talked to several students before they complete any judging by arriving at rankings. Be sure that your expectations are set in accordance with the students' grade and age levels.
Please be aware of the time and try to turn in batches of rating sheets and distribute student participation ribbons every half hour of judging.
A judges’ room is provided for you to evaluate your notes on each project. Refreshments will be available throughout the judging.
We suggest that judges independently arrive at numerical values (1–10, with 10 being the highest) in the four or five categories of
- knowledge achieved
- use of scientific method
- clarity of expression
- originality/creativity
- teamwork (if it is a team project)
Then compare your values to those of your judging partner to see if you have reached a consensus. If so, then fill out the rating sheet and turn it in at the registration/checkout table. If you cannot reach a consensus, turn in the two rating sheets for the same project. Note that this may result in rejudging, according to Ohio Academy of Science rules.
Upon completing your ranking of a project, the form will be photocopied and the score will be calculated. The score sheets will be given to the teachers after the awards ceremony.
Judges are encouraged to add positive and constructive comments on the backs of the rating sheets. This is especially useful for students selected to represent our district at the State Science Day. Please be specific and constructive. "Way to go!" or "Nice work" will not reinforce good ideas or help the student improve the weak areas.
All judging must be completed by noon. It is critical that judging be completed in a timely manner. The office staff has a major task in compiling rankings and awards before the afternoon awards ceremony. The sooner you complete your judging, the easier it is to prepare for the ceremony.
Your work as a judge is done when you have completed the following:
- finished judging
- turned in your rating sheets to the checkout table
- eaten the complimentary lunch
We strongly encourage you to view all the student projects once more before leaving and talk with students whose projects interest you. Ask them for feedback or questions. You have the power to inspire their futures.
We encourage you to stay and attend the awards ceremony at 3 p.m. in the Shoemaker Center. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden will be bringing their "Big Cats" show. You will also see first-hand the excitement experienced by the students whose projects are deemed to be noteworthy.
Sponsored Award Judging
Judging will begin at 9 a.m., after the morning orientation. Some sponsored award judges will have a lengthy list of projects to evaluate; others may have just a few. It is up to you, as a group, to determine how you will go about deciding the recipients of your awards.
You should conduct a “walk-by” to look at all your projects and determine a judging order. If only a few students are listed for an award, judges might be able to find other projects that qualify. It is the judge’s option to judge these as well. It is also perfectly acceptable to eliminate those projects that do not meet the qualifications of your award(s), especially if you have a large number of applicants. Some sponsored award judges may judge alone; others may judge in teams. Judges may return to the judges' room to discuss projects before deciding upon the final awardees.
Please make certain that projects meet the specific requirements of your awards. After selecting your awardees, turn the list of recipients in to the registration desk. Please make certain it is clear who received each award. If you don’t have qualifying projects for some awards, please let the registration desk know. If you make any changes in your organization’s awards, also inform the people at the registration table.
All judging must be completed by 12:30 p.m. The fair staff appreciates receiving awardees’ names as early as possible so that there is plenty of time to complete certificates before the afternoon awards ceremony.
We suggest that you take time to view all the projects and talk to students who have projects of interest. We encourage you to present your organization’s award or awards at the ceremony in the Shoemaker Center. If you are not available, we will make the presentations for you. Please let those at the registration table know whether you plan to present your award(s) at the afternoon award ceremony or not.
Do you wish to receive graduate or continuing education credits?
Thank you and please judge again next year, as a sponsored award or a general award judge.
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