Arrive and set up your project on Friday March 20, 2020 at the White Oak Campus of the Food and Drug Administration, 4 to 8 PM. 

While you are there, a member of the safety committee will inspect your display to see that it meets all requirements (see below). Correct any problems found and get approved for safety before you leave. 

When you arrive on Friday, you will be given a project number. We do not give out project numbers in advance.

Display Instructions

You may view a copy of the Safety Inspection Form here.

Do arrive on time

Do not bring food of any type. You may bring bottled water.

All Project Boards must be freestanding and displayed on the table area you are provided. Displays must not exceed 108" inches in height. Displays on the floor or wall are not allowed.

Where possible, use pictures to explain your project rather than bringing items to the Fair.

Do bring everything that you wish to display to the Safety Inspection on Friday evening. You will not be allowed to add anything additional to your project on Saturday.

Be sure to bring about 10 extra copies of your abstract on Friday. Some judges like to take copies of the abstracts with them on Saturday.

Do post a bibliography on your Board.

Do post an abstract on your board.

Do post a copy of Continuation Form (7) if applicable.

Your first name may appear on your Project Board, but your full name, the name of any other person or the name of your school MAY NOT APPEAR ANYWHERE ON THE PROJECT BOARD (even on the back) OR ANYWHERE IN PROJECT PAPERS/NOTEBOOKS.

If you worked at a Research Institution, the name of the institution must be omitted or blacked out throughout the display and in project papers and notebooks. Do NOT include the names, phone numbers, email addresses of your Sponsor, Mentor or Teacher in your display or in project papers and notebooks.

Do post a copy of Research Lab Form (1C), but with name of mentor and Lab blacked out. 

You must cite credit for all graphics in your display. This includes Tables, Charts, Diagrams and Photos. If you prepared all the graphics yourself, you may have a blanket citation “All graphics prepared by student researcher(s)”. Otherwise, all graphics must be labeled individually ("Photo taken by….", "Image from…" etc.). Remember no individual names are allowed. Use “parent, friend, mentor” etc. instead.

If you have photos of human subjects in your display, these must be accompanied by consent forms to use the pictures. The consent forms will be viewed only by the Safety Committee.

If you bring any apparatus, you may not be able to operate it at the Fair if the Safety Inspection determines that it might cause an injury.

Do not plan on using electricity at the Fair. There is none available to you.

Active internet or email connections are not allowed during the Fair.

Do not bring individual batteries or inverters on Saturday. They are not allowed at the Fair.

Electronics:  On Saturday, all electronics (unless they have a Safety and Display property pass) must be turned off prior to entering the Food and Drug Administration Buildings and they must remain off while you are inside the buildings. Electronics must be stowed inside a pocket, purse, backpack or other type of case prior to entering the building and they may not be taken out, nor may they be used while you are in the building. Bring a watch for telling time.

You may bring reading material including textbooks and homework.

You may bring playing cards, or other small, quiet, non-electronic games to use at your project for those times when you are not being interviewed by a judge.

Items NOT allowed at the fair:

Live or dead unprocessed plants, living organisms, body parts, body fluids (e.g. teeth or bones)
Liquids of any type (except bottled water), human or animal food
Sharp items (e.g. syringes) or glass unless integral to project and properly shielded
Laboratory or household chemicals, dry ice, caustics, combustibles, drugs or poisons.
Controlled substances, firearms or weapons
Unsafe wiring, powerful lasers
Un-insulated high temperature apparatus
Tanks that contained combustibles or are pressurized

Preparation for the Fair on Saturday

Plan a 3-5 minute description of your project to present to the judges (NOT a memorized spiel, but a mental list of the points you want to make). Plan to have fun asking questions of the judges, and talking to your peers about their projects.

You may be interviewed by both Category Judges and Community Awards Judges

Plan to arrive between 11:45 am and 12:45 pm. You must stay until dismissed, about 4 pm. Take down and remove your project when you are dismissed.

Awards Ceremony

Remember the Awards Program on Sunday begins at 2 PM at Montgomery Blair High School. Awards are announced only at the Awards Program.  We will make all efforts to send unclaimed awards to schools, but we will not be responsible for following up on or providing missing awards after that point.