2024 Student Materials Instructions

PROJECT MATERIALS GUIDE

2 0 2 4 D E N V E R M E T R O R E G I O N A L

S C I E N C E A N D E N G I N E E R I N G F A I R

Rules, requirements, and recommendations for

creating an award-winning science fair display!

Project Presentation Slides: PDF

document of up to 12 slides containing

all project details that would typically

be on your poster board.

Project Introduction Video: A 3-

minute video that introduces the

viewer to your project. In other words,

your research ‘Elevator Pitch’!

Demo Video

Supporting Documents

IN-PERSON MATERIALS

REQUIRED

NEED IDEAS? CHECK OUT LAST YEAR'S

VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS HERE!

All students must create both a physical poster board for

in-person judging and an online display for virtual judging.

VIRTUAL MATERIALS

REQUIRED

VIRTUAL MATERIALS

OPTIONAL

Poster Board: a flat or trifold board

that contains all the necessary

components to fully present your

project at the fair. Please note no

easels will be provided and posters

must be able to stand on their own.

IN-PERSON MATERIALS

OPTIONAL

Demonstrations

Visual Aids

Lab Notebook

Physical Poster

Board Instructions

Depth (front to back): 30 inches or 76 centimeters

Width (side to side): 48 inches or 122 centimeters

Height (floor to top): 108 inches or 274 centimeters

The following elements should be included on your project board:

Introduction and question or statement of purpose, background research,

hypothesis or goal, data and interpretation of data, conclusion,

discussion, and further research goals.

See the example below; however, we encourage you to implement your

own creativity in making your display area reflect you and your project.

SAMPLE POSTER LAYOUT

MAXIMUM DIMENSIONS

Image credit: https://wssef.org/project-display-safety-requirements/

Any photograph/visual image/chart/table and/or graph is allowed if:

It is not deemed offensive or inappropriate (including, but not limited to

images/photographs showing invertebrate or vertebrate animals/humans in surgical,

necrotizing or dissection situations).

It has a credit line of origin (“Photograph taken by…” or “Image taken from…” or

“Graph/Chart/Table taken from…”). If all images, etc. displayed were created by

the finalist or are from the same source, one credit line is sufficient.

Any information or items that are self-promotions or external endorsement (This

includes brands/logos, trademarks, references to an institution or mentor, etc.)

Any items intended for distribution such as disks, CDs, flash drives, brochures, booklets,

endorsements, give-away items, business cards, printed materials or food items

Postal addresses, websites, email and/or social media addresses, QR codes,

telephone and/or fax numbers of a project or finalist

Active Internet or email connections as part of displaying or operating the project

THINGS TO AVOID

In-Person

Display and Safety

PHOTOGRAPHS & IMAGES

REMEMBER...

Acknowledgments on the project display are no longer prohibited; in

alignment with the ISEF ethics statement, students may recognize those

that have supported their work in a section on the display.

Student-created logos are to be properly credited within the

photograph/image display requirements but are no longer restricted

to one instance on the display.

All content on your poster must be either your own original work or cited

properly. If you are considering using generative AI, please our AI Use Policy

1. Living organisms, including plants

2. Glass (excluding device screens)

3. Soil, sand, rock, cement and/or waste samples, even if encased in a slab of acrylic

4. Taxidermy specimens or parts

5. Preserved vertebrate or invertebrate animals

6. Human or animal food

7. Human/animal parts or bodily fluids (for example, blood, urine)

8. Plant materials (living, dead, or preserved) that are in their raw,

unprocessed, or non-manufactured state

9. All chemicals including water. No liquids can be utilized in the Project Display

10. All hazardous substances or devices (Example: poisons, drugs, firearms, weapons,

ammunition, reloading devices, grease/oil and sublimating solids such as dry ice)

11. Items that may have contained or been in contact with hazardous chemicals

(Exception: Item may be permitted if professionally cleaned and documentation for such

cleaning is available). Filters (including microbial) may not be displayed unless the Display

& Safety Committee can determine that the device was cleaned or was never used

12. Sharp items (for example, syringes, needles, pipettes, knives)

13. Flames and highly flammable materials

14. Batteries with open-top cells or wet cells

15. Drones or any flight-capable apparatus unless the propulsion power source removed

16. 3D Printers unless the power source is removed

17. Inadequately insulated apparatus capable of producing dangerous temperatures

18. Any apparatus with belts, pulleys, chains, or moving parts with tension or pinch points

that are not appropriately shielded

19. Any display items that are deemed distracting (i.e. sounds, lights, odors, etc.)

20. Any apparatus or material deemed unsafe by the Display & Safety Committee

SEE THE ISEF RULE BOOK FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF RULES AND REGULATIONS

Do Not Bring

These Things to

the Fair!

PROHIBITED DISPLAY ITEMS

Project Presentation must be a single PDF document of no more than 12 pages. 
Page size must not exceed 8½” x 11” and should be in Landscape orientation. 
The PDF document must not include any animations or active hyperlinks (except for
original source material in the references). 
The information on each page must be readable.
The PDF document must open with the default magnification set to “Fit Page” so that
the entire page is visible at the same time. 
All Project Presentation elements must conform to the same Display & Safety rules as
the in-person fair. See page 4 for details.
DESIGNING YOUR SLIDES:
We recommend starting with one of the
following pre-made templates:
Science Projects
PowerPoint Template | Google Slides Template
Engineering Projects
PowerPoint Template | Google Slides Template
Math/Computer Science Projects
PowerPoint Template | Google Slides Template
If using provided templates, do not change
the page settings on the template – they
are set up so that the template will print to
pdf with the correct page size (8½” x 11”)
and orientation (Landscape).
You may add more slides as needed to the
template, up to a maximum of 12 printed
pages
Please be aware that if your progress to
future competitions, your presentation may
need to be adapted to fit their (stricter)
requirements, such as black font on a
white background. 
At DMRSEF, however, you are encouraged
to use your creativity to engage your
audience in your project as long as you
remain mindful of both professionalism and
readability. 
CLICK HERE to visit the 2022 DMRSEF
Virtual Project Showcase for inspiration!
PROJECT PRESENTATION 
Required 
DMRSEF Staff will be hosting
a Materials Workshop on
1/25/24 over Zoom, you can
register HERE to join! 
Virtual Materials

What to include in your video?

Introduce Yourself:

State your full name

You may include your school and/or

town if you wish

Rather than reciting your project title,

consider explaining your project in one

or two sentences.

Explain Your Project:

Summarize your research:

What did you do?

What did you find?

What conclusions did you draw?

You may use props or visuals as long as

they are within the Display & Safety

guidelines (see page 4).

PROJECT VIDEO

Posting and sharing your video

Your introductory video must be linked

from YouTube, demos and optional

materials may be uploaded into google

drive. See below for full instructions.

In YouTube, your video may be uploaded

and posted as “unlisted” so that only

those with a direct link can access it.

Unlisted videos are not searchable or

available to the public. You can choose

to list your video publicly but should

check with your parent or guardian

before doing so.

Google Drive is also a sharing option.

Remember to set permissions so that

anyone with the link can view your video.

Tips for Filming:

Film in a well-lit and non-distracting

environment

For best results, film your video

horizontally (landscape).

Keep the camera still and in place

during filming.

Speak clearly and loudly enough that

the recording is able to pick up every

word you say.

Avoid long pauses and filler phrases

Listen to your video after recording to

ensure your voice is clear and audible,

and that the video has not picked up

too much background noise.

Please Remember:

Videos should be no longer than 2-3

minutes and should broadly summarize

your project.

Students are the only individuals

allowed to appear in the video,

however, they are not required to do so.

If there is a component of your project (e.g. a device) that you would like to

demonstrate, you will have the option to upload an additional video.

The project demo video must be no longer than 1-2 minutes.

Props/visuals used must not violate any normal D&S safety guidelines for in-person

science fairs (see page 4).

Student researchers must follow all risk assessment protocols outlined in their

Form 3 (e.g. use proper PPE in the video).

The project demo video may include people other than the student researcher(s)

as long as they are not identifiable (no faces).

Supplementary video materials must also be uploaded to YouTube in order to share.

If you would like to include a section of your project notebook or other supporting

materials, you may do so. Please note that this is considered supplementary information

that is not included in the judging rubric. You will not be penalized if you choose not to

include these materials.

This single document should be no more than 12 pages and can include, but is not

limited to:

Up to 12 pages of a lab notebook

Written work relating to your project

Photos in compliance with D&S Regulations

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Remember:

Your virtual display is meant to represent

your project entirely on its own!

The virtual fair will be open to judges

and community members prior to interviews,

and they should be able to understand your

project without you there to explain it for

them.

Optional Virtual

Materials

DEMO VIDEOS

Please be sure your virtual display contains none of the following:

Brand logos, trademarks, flags, patent status (written or graphic), awards or medals.

Personal information (addresses, social media accounts, phone number, etc.) of finalist.

Prior year’s written material or visual depictions.

Anything labeled as “Abstract”.

Animations or active hyperlinks.

VIRTUAL

DISPLAY AND

SAFETY RULES

Photographs, visual images (including background images),

charts, tables and/or graphs are allowed if:

They are properly credited.

If all photos, images, graphs, etc. were taken or created by the student researcher, then

a single statement to that fact should be placed on the Title Page of the Project

Presentation.

If the photos, images, graphs, etc. come from different sources, then EACH individual

photo, image, graph, etc. must have its own credit line below it.

They are not deemed offensive or inappropriate (which includes images/photos/videos

showing vertebrate animals/humans in surgical, necrotizing or dissection situations) by

the SRC, Display & Safety Committee or DMRSEF staff.

They are from the Internet, magazine, newspaper, journal, etc. and a credit line is

attached immediately underneath it.

They are photographs or visual depictions of the student presenter(s).

They are photographs of a person other than that of the student presenter(s) as long as

there is a photo release signed by the subject, and if under 18, also by the guardian of

the subject. Photo releases must be uploaded with the researcher’s project plan for

verification.

SEE THE ISEF RULE BOOK FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF RULES AND REGULATIONS

Page 4

LOCATE THE “CREATE” BUTTON IN THE

UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF YOUTUBE.

SELECT “UPLOAD VIDEOS” AND SELECT

THE FILE YOU WISH TO SUBMIT:

UPLOADING AN

UNLISTED VIDEO

ON YOUTUBE

Page 5

TITLE YOUR VIDEO AND FILL IN

APPROPRIATE DESCRIPTIONS AND

OPTIONS. UNDER “VISIBILITY”, SELECT

“UNLISTED” AND SAVE YOUR UPLOAD.

THE LINK PROVIDED IS THE

CUSTOM URL FOR YOUR VIDEO.

LOCATE “FILE” IN THE UPPER LEFT-

HAND CORNER OF YOUR POWERPOINT

(OR GOOGLE SLIDES) DOCUMENT

SELECT PRINT, AND CHANGE THE

SELECTED PRINTER TO "PRINT TO PDF"

SAVING YOUR

POWERPOINT AS A

PDF DOCUMENT

Page 5