Participate
Critical Information for a Successful Registration
Fair Information and Regulations – Read This Completely!
If there is a city or county science fair in your area, you must participate in your local competition before advancing to GGSF. If there is no local competition near you, you may apply to compete in GGSF by registering online. Registration opens September 1. Top placing projects move on to the California Science and Engineering Fair, the International Science and Engineering Fair (High School only), or Broadcom MASTERS competitions.
Geographic Area:
You or your group leader must live in San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Napa or Sonoma counties.
Group Projects: Group projects are welcome, no more than 3 total members.
School Fairs: If your school has a science competition that is affiliated with GGSF, you MUST participate in that fair and not register for GGSF.
Display Regulations:
Maximum Size of Project
Depth (front to back): 30 inches
Width (side to side): 48 inches
Height (floor to top): 60 inches
Photographs or images of people other than the Finalist need to have a signed photo/video release form from those individuals in a notebook. These signed release forms must be available upon request during the set-up and inspection process, but may not be displayed.
No commercial or brand logos
You may bring parts of your experiment if it fits in front of your project according to the above display regulations.
Material Regulations: The following are not allowed
1. Biological materials (living, dead, or preserved) other than those commercially available. This includes but is not limited to:
- Living organisms, including plants
- Taxidermy specimens or parts
- Preserved vertebrate or invertebrate animals
- Human or animal food
- Human/animal parts or body fluids (for example, blood, urine)
2. All chemicals including water. Absolutely no liquids can be utilized in the Project Display
3. All other hazardous substances
Categories
Lower Division (grades 6 – 8):
Environmental – Biological – Physical – Behavioral
Upper Division (grades 9 – 12):
Environmental – Biological – Physical – Behavioral – Engineering
Computer Applications – Mathematics
Paperwork
You must fill out a Scientific Review Committee form BEFORE YOU START your experiment if your project includes any hazardous substances (anything you would not want in your body. Ex: bleach), microbial propegation (bacteria), human or animal participants.
Judging and Awards
Rubric: For clarity please view these rubrics that judges will use for each project. Upper Division Lower Division
Placement Awards: Categorization for 1st through 3rd place awards are dependant on registration numbers to ensure fairness. Ex: If there are only 3 registrants for Mathematics, it will be combined with another category.
California Science and Engineering Fair: Generally 1st and second place winners move on to the State competition.
International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF): Two upper division projects are chosen to attend the ISEF directly. If funding is available, airfare, lodging and registration will be provided by GGSF for the student (or group) and one adult for each project.
Broadcom Masters: Top-placing lower division students will be eligible to participate in the Broadcom Masters competition.
Special Awards There are many special awards available from our community partners.
Required Forms: Scientific Review Committee
Scientific Review Committee (SRC) forms are REQUIRED if your project involves invertebrate or vertebrate animals, human subjects, recombinant DNA, tissue, pathogenic agents, or controlled substances. IMPORTANT: If your project involves any of the preceeding conditions, forms need to be dowloaded, completed and dated BEFORE experimentation begins. SRC forms may be found HERE. the forms specific to your project needs and must be completed and approved before your project can be judged.
Registration Final Deadline: Friday, March 15th.
Students participating in the Golden Gate STEM Fair will register on the Virtual Fair Platform. Use the following steps to ensure that you are registered in time and aware of all deadlines and events. Please Contact Us to request late registration.
Participation Checklist
Win Your Fair or Contact GGSF
You will only be able to register to GGSF through your science or mathematics teacher. To do so, you must participate in a local fair or have contacted the GGSF Assistant Director.
Now put your best work forward and win your local science fair!
Scientific Review Committee Forms
SRC forms must be completed for projects involving invertebrate or vertebrate animals, human subjects, recombinant DNA, tissue, pathogenic agents, or controlled substances. SRC forms should be completed BEFORE work begins, if you are in a feeder fair you have until March 8. SRC forms are available within the registration process and must be completed ASAP.
Choose Your Contact Information Wisely
IMPORTANT: When registering your project with GGSF, DO NOT use a student email address that will not accept public emails.
Your email address will be used to contact you if you are being considered for First Place in your category. Be sure to keep an eye on your email! Students being considered for first place will receive a message with their interview time for the following morning. If you do not have a reliable email address you may use your parent/guardian's, but we prefer students be responsible for themselves.
Make very sure you enter your contact information correctly!
Register Online
You MUST fully register your project online via the Virtual Platform page by March 15th. After 3/15, no incomplete projects may be edited or submitted. Take your time to completely fill our all necessary information.
Look for Confirmation Email
Look for the Interview Email
If you are being considered for First Place for your category you will receive an email on March 16th at the address you registered your project with. Make sure you type it in correctly!
Your Interview Email will tell you at what time your virtual interview will be.
The email will come from : make sure to check any spam or junk folders if you think you have not received your confirmation.
Teachers
- Teachers and Fair Directors must register on the virtual platform BEFORE students.
- Your students will be registering for the Golden Gate STEM Fair through YOU!
- You will receive an email from us with a Username and Password so you can register your students' names.
- You will receive Usernames and Passwords to distribute to your students.
- The Log in can be found at the top of the navigation on all pages.
Feeder Fair Directors
- You will receive login information for the teachers of students who participated in your science fair.
- We will send you Project Forms to be attached to each corresponding project before they are picked up
- If students want to edit their projects after your fair, they may do so but must be completely finished by March 15th.
Volunteer
We welcome individuals and groups to help make this event happen. Individuals may join our Board of Directors, be a judge, or help with many of the roles required to run the science fair.