Want to be a judge? Sign up by clicking the button below or reach out and contact our judging coordinator.
Common Questions and Answers About Judging
Q. Where will the fair take place?
A. The fair will be held in person this year in the Farris Center Gym located at the University of Central Arkansas (Conway, Arkansas)
Q. What is the date of judging interviews?
A. Judging will take place on Friday, March 31st, 2023.
Q. How will judges review student work?
A. Judges will have the opportunity to review projects without students present, then interview the students with a panel of other judges, and then finish by scoring each project using zFairs.
Q. What time will the interviews take place?
A. The judging process for the fair begins at 11:30 AM with orientation and a catered lunch on the hospitality level of the Farris Center Gymnasium. Preliminary judging (without students present) will begin at 12:30 pm. Students will arrive for interviews at 2:00 pm and remain until judging is complete for their category. In previous fairs, category awards judges usually finish somewhere between 4-5 pm; the exact length of time is largely dependent on the number of projects, the number of judges, and the pace of the judging group.
Please note: If you have special time constraints and need to leave early or arrive later please still register and email our judge coordinator so we can arrange for you to still participate during your availability.
Q. Who can be a judge?
A. Anyone that has sufficient knowledge of the content area (typically a bachelor’s degree or above/some other form of professional certification) can be a judge. All judging groups will have a “captain” with a terminal degree or professional certification, so you do not have to be the expert in the category to provide valuable feedback to these aspiring young scientists.
Q. What are the categories that need to be judged?
A. Here is a list of potential judging categories:
- Animal Science
- Behavioral and Social Science
- Biochemistry
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Earth and Planetary science
- Engineering: Electrical, Mechanical, Materials, and Bioengineering
- Energy and transportation
- Environmental Management
- Environmental Science
- Mathematical Science
- Medicine and Health Science
- Microbiology
- Physics and Astronomy
- Plant Science
- ISEF Finalist from all of the regional fairs
Q. If I judged in a regional fair, can I judge in the state fair?
A. Absolutely! However, to avoid the conflict of judging the same project twice, regional fair judges are not permitted to judge in the same category at the state fair as they did at the regional fair. Many of the categories have overlapping content knowledge requirements, so we can easily fit you into another category. If you are unsure what other categories would fit your expertise, please feel free to reach out and we can discuss other categories you will feel comfortable judging.
