How to Create Award Winning Science Fair Projects

Award winning science fair projects cannot be missed, they are those that are original, have been planned and researched well and the way they have been presented is superb. No ounce of detail has been "brushed over" and they captivate the reader making them want to learn more about the scientific principles that they contain. There simply is no mistaking them for any old run-of-the-mill science project.

In this article you will find out what steps are involved in creating science projects that win awards. If you have received an invitation to participate in your science fair and you are still undecided about whether you will take part, don't be.

Your science fair will not only allow you to investigate an area that interests you but providing you do well, you will have the chance to win some great prizes. A great performance could also lead to many future opportunities such as scholarships to top colleges not to mention it would also look great on your CV, potentially winning you brownie points with future employers.

So how do you go about creating award winning science projects? Well firstly you will need to create a plan of action. This will involve you becoming familiar with the different types of science fair projects there are and the different science fair categories from which you can select your project topic.

Some projects will require you to build a model whereas others typically won't; a research paper is a good example of this. You will also need to create a project time-line and checklist so that you can stay organized and on top of things and make sure to also get yourself a science notebook. You will use this to keep a journal of all your observations and ideas.

One of the first steps of your project will be to select a science fair topic. This however, may not be as straightforward as it seems. In order to award winning science topics you will need to first generate as many ideas as you can.

Make observations of the things around you. Think about what interests you and the things that you are curious about. Write down all of your ideas in your science notebook. The more ideas you get down on paper the better. You want to give yourself the best chance of picking the best topic; one that you are interested in and one that you will have enough time to explore.

After you have all your ideas down, pick the top three science fair ideas and let your ideas sit for a few days. This will give you some much needed time away from your project ideas and when you return to make your science fair topic selection, you will have a fresh outlook on your ideas. Award winning science fair projects explore ideas that can be tested so above all, make sure your topic is testable.

After you have selected your topic, what you will need to do is some background research so that you have all the background information you will need to proceed with your project. You want to become something of a "mini expert" with regards to your chosen topic. Science fair questions play an important role in this process. You will need to ask testable science fair questions that will guide your research.

Once you have acquired the necessary background knowledge, you are in a good position to form your science fair project hypothesis. Your goal is to form a hypothesis that can be tested based on the background research you have done on your chosen topic and the insights that you have gained. You will then need to design an experiment to test your hypothesis. Make sure that you can afford the materials for your experiment and most importantly, you will need to allow enough time to complete your experiment.

Your next step will be to carry out your experiment several times over and collect scientific data. This is not only good scientific practice but it can also uncover many things that you may have overlooked in a prior run of your experiment. It is also important to stay as objective as you can when collecting data and making observations so keep in mind that your experimental datum may not support your hypothesis. This is a perfectly normal part of the scientific inquiry process. What you will then need to do is interpret your results and draw conclusions.

After you have drawn your conclusions, you will need to write up your project paper and organize your science fair display. You have put in a lot of effort so make sure your display and presentation reflects this. You don't want a "shabby" display to undo all the great work you have done.

Now all that is left for you to do is to look over your findings, prepare your presentation speech, go out there and wow the judges.

Visit our science fair projects resources website to learn more about each of the different steps involved in creating award winning science fair projects [http://www.science-fair-projects-and-more.com/winning-science-fair-projects.html]. You will also come across a large collection of science fair topics and science project ideas not to mention a host of detailed and printable science fair projects [http://www.science-fair-projects-and-more.com].