Students will compete in the following categories defined by grade divisions and subject areas. They will be issued a project code with the category code psted here from their category, followed by a number. For example, the first registered project in Elementary Grade Four will have the code EL4-01. Participants are asked to have their codes in clear view at all times for the benefit of the judges and viewing public.

Elementary Projects

All projects by students in grades 4 to 6 wll be categorized only according to the grades of the students.

Elementary Grade Four (EL4)

Elementary Grade Five (EL5)

Elementary Grade Six (EL6)

Junior and Senior Projects

Projects by juniors (grades 7 and 8) and seniors (grades 9 to 12) will be categorized by subject area as well as grade division (junior vs. senior). The category code for the junior category in a subject area is listed first, followed by the code for the senior category. For example, JBP and SBP are codes for the Junior and Senior categories for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, respectively.

Many projects are interdisciplinary and therefore, seem to fit into more than one division. The participants must choose only one of the divisions. This decision should be based on the subject area in which the finalist is most knowledgeable and best able to communicate their knowledge to the judge. Through the interview process, judges look for both depth and breadth in all projects and are encouraged to consult with other judges when a project incorporates another field outside their area of expertise.

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (JBP/SBP)

A biomedical project may be a biotechnology project involving the application of knowledge of biological systems to solve a problem, create a product or provide a service. They generally fall into one of four fields: crop development, animal science, genomics, and microbial. Biomedical projects may also be related to Health Sciences involving the health services and products related to humans.

Earth and Environmental Science (JEE/SEE)

An earth and environmental sciences project focuses on a topic relating to planetary processes, the relationship of organisms to those processes, or the relationships between or among organisms.

Engineering and Computing and Information Technology (JEC/SEC)

An engineering or computing sciences project applies physical knowledge to solve a problem or achieve a purpose, or deals with computing or an innovative software or hardware design.

Life Sciences (JLS/SLS)

A Life science project examines some aspect of the life or lifestyle of a non-human organism.

Physical and Mathematical Sciences (JPM/SPM)

A physical and mathematical sciences project studies abiotic phenomena to understand the relation between identified factors, perhaps including a cause and effect relationship, or uses mathematical models or mathematics to solve theoretical problems.