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Display Boards--Winning in The Trenches

by Dr. Shawn

Your display board is your vehicle to tell the judges "Now this is a great experiment." In science, content is King, so your display must tell the judges what you did, what you found, and why they should care. Your display must present a clear statement of your hypothesis, the background behind your experiment, the details of your experimental method, and a clear and compelling statement of your results. So choose your words very carefully, and get the graphs, tables, charts and whatever else you need ready.

 

Sarah Mims and her award winning project. Sarah discovered that fungal spores could travel thousands of miles inside particles of smoke. Photo by Forrest M. Mims III
Now, if you were publishing your results in a research journal, that is all you'd need to do. Unfortunately, a science fair competition is NOT AT ALL like a research journal. Your display is going to be sitting on one table in a long row of tables holding perhaps two dozen other displays. And, depending on where you are competing, that table could be inside a large hall with 50 such rows. How can one project in a sea of similar projects get noticed?

Simple! If you want to capture the judges' attention, your must make your display shout out to the judges, but do so in a style and with a professionalism that will both capture their eye and earn their admiration. In short, you need to focus on both content and style if you want to win.

Take a look at the display board that Sarah Mims of Seguin, Texas put together for her award winning project. Sarah's board has three panels. The left panel contains the statement of her problem. The central panel describes the method she used to solve her problem. And the right panel presents her conclusions. Note the eye-catching title board that Sarah appended to the top of the center panel. Her title "Smoke Bugs" in large letters can be seen from across the room. This is exactly the kind of trick you can use to make sure your project gets noticed.

Note also Sarah's use of color. She's added some red accents on the black project board to provide a little visual ka-pow! The multi-colored graphs also adds color to the presentation and the photographs provide a nice human touch that the judges really go for. (Judges really like to see photos of students actually collecting their data because it shows them doing real science.) Finally, note how she also added some extra color to her display by incorporating the Delta (triangular) kite she used to take some of her data. This is a really good idea, because it is relevant to her project, looks cool and it helps to make the project seem more real to the judges. If you can integrate some of the equipment into your display in an interesting way, do so. Just remember, a little color is good, but don't go wild! No eye-popping fluorescent banners, or multi-colored letters, sparkles, spangles, or stars. They detract from the science, and the judges generally don't like them.

You can secure project boards at any art supply store. Check the rules for your science fair to make sure the boards you get are the right size. I suggest you cover them with a simple dark fabric, stretched across the back and hot glued or thoroughly duct taped to the back. Clear box packing tape, as Sarah used, holds the boards together and makes a great hinge.

See more winning boards at out Science Fair Hall of Fame!