Science and Engineering Fair Rules and Regulations

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair Rules

The Eastern South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Science and Engineering Fair uses the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair rules as a guide to govern our fair. If you have any questions please contact the fair director. 

Display Rules

Rules

  1. All student participants must complete the following forms from the Eastern South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Science and Engineering Fair forms before any research begins:
    1. Checklist for adult sponsor (form 1)
    2. Student checklist (form 1A)
    3. Student research plan
    4. Approval form (form 1B)
  2. Exhibits on any scientific subject may be entered if they are made by students enrolled in grades 6-12 in a public, private or parochial school in a 15-county area around eastern South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã. (These counties include: Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Clay, Codington, Davison, Deuel, Douglas, Gregory, Hamlin, Hanson, Hughes, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Lyman, McCook, Mellette, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Sanborn, Sioux (Iowa), Tripp, Turner, Union and Yankton.) Students must be younger than 20 years of age on or before May 1, 2023.
  3. Contestants may submit only one exhibit, either as an individual or in a group of no more than three. Students are only allowed to compete at one International Science and Engineering Fair affiliated fair. All work on exhibits must be done by the individual or by the group. Teachers or sponsors may advise, but must not build any part of the exhibit. An exhibit must not be an identical repetition of one shown by the same exhibitor or another group in a previous year.
  4. Exhibits must be confined to a table or floor space of 30 inches front to back by 48 inches side to side with a maximum height of 108 inches. (International Science and Engineering Fair tables will not exceed a height of 36 inches.) Students must provide their own back supports for the exhibit.
  5. A typed abstract of the project, not exceeding 250 words, and a project notebook must be displayed (the official International Science and Engineering Fair abstract form is not required).
  6. Judges will evaluate exhibits between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Scoring will be based upon work done by the exhibitors, not on the value of their equipment. Judges may interview some or all exhibitors. The decision of the judges will be final.
  7. Research involving vertebrate à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã, microbes, human subjects and recombinant DNA must meet regulations specified in the . International Science and Engineering Fair forms are to be filled out and submitted to the local or Eastern South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Science and Engineering Fair Scientific Review Committee before the project begins. The deadline for the committee review is Feb. 17, 2023, or two weeks before your local school science fair. After pre-approval the student researcher will get an approval email(usually within a week of submission). If you do not get paperwork back from the director, please contact him directly to find out the status of the project.
  8. The online application confirmation, all International Science and Engineering Fair forms and abstract must be submitted to the science fair director by March 16 for final approval. The science fair director will contact the teacher directly if their students need additional information before the competition.
  9. All projects will be reviewed by the Eastern South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã Science and Engineering Fair Scientific Review Committee after the March 16 deadline and prior to the competition to ensure conformance with the International Science and Engineering Fair rules. These regulations are to help ensure that the research is conducted in a safe and humane manner. Through proper à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã care, handling and research procedures, the research results will more accurately reflect the effects being studied and will not be influenced by other factors.

Display Guidelines 

The maximum display sizes are:

  • 76 centimeters (30 inches) deep
  • 122 centimeters (48 inches) wide
  • 274 centimeters (108 inches) high (including table)  

Fair-provided tables will not exceed 91 centimeters (36 inches) in height. Keep in mind that your project must be positioned at the back of the booth and parallel to the rear of the booth and the maximum project sizes include all project materials and supports (backboards are not provided at International Science and Engineering Fair). If a table is used, it becomes part of the project and must not itself exceed the allowed dimensions, nor may the table plus any part of the project exceed the allowed dimensions. 

ESDSEF Exhibit Policies
Not Allowed
Items are not allowed at the project or in your booth
  • Living organisms, including plants.
  • Taxidermy specimens or parts.
  • Preserved vertebrate or invertebrate à£à£Ö±²¥Ðãs.
  • Human or à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã food.
  • Human/à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã parts or body fluids (e.g., blood or urine).
  • Plant materials (living, dead or preserved) that are in their raw, unprocessed or nonmanufactured state (Exception: manufactured construction materials used in building the project or display).
  • All chemicals including water (Exceptions: water integral to an enclosed apparatus or water supplied by the Display and Safety Committee).
  • All hazardous substances or devices (i.e., poisons, drugs, firearms, weapons, ammunition, reloading devices and lasers).
  • Dry ice or other sublimating solids.
  • Sharp items (i.e., syringes, needles, pipettes, knives).
  • Flames or highly flammable materials.
  • Batteries with open-top cells awards, medals, business cards, flags, etc.
  • Photographs or other visual presentations depicting vertebrate à£à£Ö±²¥Ðãs in surgical techniques, dissections, necropsies or other lab procedures.
  • Active internet or email connections as part of displaying or operating the project.
  • Glass or glass objects unless deemed by Display Committee to be an integral and necessary part of the project.
  • Any apparatus deemed unsafe by the Scientific Review Committee or Display Committee (e.g., large vacuum tubes or dangerous ray-generating devices, empty tanks that had contained combustible liquids or gases, pressurized tanks, etc.).
Allowed
Items are allowed at your project or booth with the following restrictions
  • Soil, sand, rock and/or waste samples if permanently encased in a slab of acrylic.
  • Postal addresses, internet and email addresses, telephone numbers and fax numbers of finalist only.
  • Photographs and/or visual depictions if they are not deemed offensive by the display committee, credit lines of their origins are attached, they are of the finalist, they are photos of human subjects for which signed consent forms are at the project.
  • Any apparatus with unshielded belts, pulleys, chains or moving parts with tension or pinch points may not be operated.
  • Class II lasers if:
    • Output energy is less than 1 megawatt and operated only by the finalist.
    • Operated only during Display Inspection and judging.
    • Posted sign reads "Laser Radiation: Do not look into beam."
    • Enclosed in protective housing that prevents physical and visual access to beam.
    • Disconnected when not operating Class III and IV lasers if for display only and not operated.
  • Any apparatus producing temperatures that will cause physical burns if adequately insulated.

Electrical Safety Regulations at the ISEF

  1. Finalists requiring 120 or 220 volt A.C. electrical circuits must provide a UL-listed three-wire extension cord which is appropriate for the load and equipment.
  2. Electrical power is supplied to projects and, therefore, the maximums allowed for projects are 120 or 220 volt A.C., single phase, 60 cycle. Maximum circuit amperage/wattage available is determined by the electrical circuit capacities of the exhibit hall and may be adjusted on site by the display and safety committee.
  3. All electrical work must conform to the National Electrical Code or exhibit hall regulations. The guidelines presented here are general ones, and other rules may apply to specific configurations. The on-site electrician may be requested to review any electrical work.
  4. All electrical connectors, wiring, switches, extension cords, fuses, etc., must be UL-listed and must be appropriate for the load and equipment. Connections must be soldered or made with UL-listed connectors. Wiring, switches and metal parts must have adequate insulation and over current safety devices (such as fuses) and must be inaccessible to anyone but the finalist. Exposed electrical equipment or metal that possibly may be liable to be energized must be shielded with a nonconducting material or with a grounded metal box or cage to prevent accidental contact.
  5. Wiring which is not part of a commercially available UL-listed appliance or piece of equipment must have a clearly visible fuse or circuit breaker on the supply side of the power source and prior to any project equipment.
  6. There must be an accessible, clearly visible on/off switch or other means of disconnect from the 120 or 220 volt power source.
  7. Any lighting that generates considerable and excessive amounts of heat (high-intensity lamps, halogen lights, etc.) must be turned off when the finalist is not present.
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