School science fair coordinators who are entering students into the WMSF should make special note of this section. In past years we have had some schools send ALL of their projects to the WMSF and while we love to see so many participants, this has created a situation where we are overcapacity. This not only means overcrowding at the fair, but also creates issues with too many projects to judge. This means the judges are having to work quickly and spend less time than desired on each project. This is not fair to the judges, who are not able to do their job properly, and more importantly it is not fair to the students with strong projects who have put extra time and effort into their work. We’d like to emphasize to school fairs that the WMSF should be viewed as the ‘next level’ and to only send your ‘finalists’ as explained in the next paragraph. Top finalists (gold and silver medal winners) at any school science fair or divisional fair will be allowed to enter the Western Manitoba Science Fair. If your fair is run based on our model, then approximately 10% of students will receive gold medals, approximately 15% will receive silver medals, and approximately 15% will receive bronze medals. The top winners, meaning gold and silver medal winners, would move on to the WMSF. This would be approximately 25 - 30% of your fair’s students. Please note that we DON’T want schools to cut their numbers drastically. Please contact us at info@wmsf.com or 204-727-4700 if you have concerns about this.  Home schooled students, or students in schools without science fairs may enter projects in the Western Manitoba Science Fair directly. A student may enter or participate in only one project in the Western Manitoba Science Fair.

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Deadlines: **NEW** The latest date to hold school fairs is Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

 

The WMSF entry deadline for the Western Manitoba Science Fair is Friday, March 17, 2023. This is a firm deadline, so please make every effort to have entries in on time. For school coordinators we advise making your deadline for entry forms from students several days ahead of time so you are able to get your entries package to us by our deadline. Within a few days of the entry deadline, all of the entries we have received will be entered into our database.  At that time, an email will be sent to the coordinator email address listed on the entry form; this email will contain the entry information for your school. There will also be information for parents and students with schedules for the day.  It is VERY IMPORTANT for the school coordinator to check the information carefully and report any corrections or changes immediately.  Within a few days of sending this confirmation, the information starts to flow to other areas, to prepare the fair day project layout, and all the forms needed for setup and judging. Once this starts, it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible to make changes.

 

DO NOT send students to WMSF that are not registered! This includes ‘swapping’ in another student/project at the last minute for one that is absent. All students and projects are in our system, numbered and organized for judging ahead of time, and having to accommodate extra projects the morning of the fair is stressful for the students, our judges, and our committee.

 

Official Entry Form: Make sure all sections are completely filled out, and signed by parent/guardian. Only one form per project is needed. Group projects have room for two students’ information and parent signatures on one entry form. Class projects (grades 1-2 only) will have to attach a list of students with the appropriate information. Project title should be under 35 characters long. Long names will not print properly on certificates and other lists. 

 

Levels are by grades; 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12.  For students on Individualized Education Plans (IEP) or taking modified high school credits (Modified) please also check the corresponding box. This is to ensure these students are given a suitable and rewarding judging experience). 
   

Project types include individual, group and class.  An individual project is done by one student. A group project is two students, and a class project (only available in grade 1-2 level) is 3 to 15 students from the same classroom, under the direction of a teacher. Students in grades 3 and up must NOT do projects with more than 2 students; if a project is done with more than 2 students, they are not eligible to compete at WMSF. It is an unfair advantage to have 3 + students’ work compete against 2 students’ work. To avoid disappointment at WMSF registration time, please mind this rule at the school fair level as well. 
   

Please note if you have a group project that crosses two levels, the project is entered and judged at the higher level. For example, if student in grade 4 and a student in grade 5 have done a group project they will be entered and judged in the grade 5-6 level at WMSF. 
 

Student information must be completed in full. Be sure to show both first and last names.  

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Self-nominated Awards List: This is page 2 of the entry form. Certain sponsors provide special awards with specific criteria. Please nominate yourself for up to five awards by checking the appropriate box, and submit with your Entry Form. Some students may find that they are not eligible for any self-nominated awards. This self-nominated awards list is finalized in early March, so if you print off your entry form before then you may not be getting the full list. It is best to wait until early March to print off and complete your entry form. 

 

Registration Summary: Schools must complete this form. The e-mail address for contact is absolutely crucial. After the money summary is completed, the school must send one cheque for the whole amount.  Please have students/parents write their individual cheques to the school, not the Western Manitoba Science Fair.  Home school students, and others entering without coming from a school fair, must also send a Registration Summary. 

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Project Report: 

 

It is mandatory for Grades 7 - 12 and encouraged for Grades 5 and 6 to complete a Project Report online on our website at www.wmsf.com/projectreport. This online submission of a Project Report replaces the previous requirement to submit an abstract with the entry form. These Project Reports will be used as a way to summarize projects and will be circulated to the judges before the fair to familiarize them with students’ work. Students can attach up to 3 images of their project to the online Project Report submission. The deadline to submit the online Project Report is Friday March 31st, however we advise students not to leave it until the deadline. All instructions are within the online form, and students can save their work and return.