Registration for the 2024 Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair will open on February 14, 2024. Registration will subsequently close on March 12th, 2024. Please ensure that your payment is submitted on Canada Helps along with your Registration ID. Late applications will not be accepted.

Follow the Registration Process below to register for GVRSF 2024!

• Eligibility Criteria
• Registration Process
• Selection
• Rules and Regulations

Make sure you read the whole page carefully before registering.

Eligibility Criteria

Take a look at this checklist to make sure that you’re eligible to compete at the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair (GVRSF).

1. Have a project or idea.
2. The project is the work of one or two students from start to completion.
3. Be in grades 7 to 12, as indicated in your BC Ministry Form 1701 at the start of the school year.
4. Be registered in a public, private, independent, or home school in the following areas or school district numbers. See the highlighted areas on the maps below.
   • Richmond (38)
   • Vancouver (39) – Public School students are required to compete in the Vancouver District Science Fair first.
   • New Westminster (40)
   • Burnaby (41)
   • Coquitlam (43)
   • North Vancouver (44)
   • West Vancouver (45)
   • Gibsons/Sechelt (46)
   • Squamish/Whistler (48)
5. The project complies with all GVRSF rules governing ethical research and safety, which include abiding by Youth Science Canada’s policies. More information can be found at  https://mystemspace.ca/start-a-project/safety-and-ethics.
6. You have approval from your science teacher for your GVRSF application.
7. You have been selected to advance from a school or district science fair competition, where applicable.

Registration Process

In order to participate in the GVRSF, you must complete an online application, prepare your optional project display using Project Board, and pay the registration fee through Canada Helps.

You will be required to have a trifold poster board in time for the fair on April 4th, 2024.

It is important to carefully follow the registration steps listed below, to ensure your project and personal information is captured in our system. Proper registration will ensure that you (1) have a specific area to set up your project, (2) are eligible for awards, and (3) are included in the judging process.
Students who do not complete their applications by the deadline, or do not follow the following instructions, will not be accepted as a fair participant.

Note: the link to register is in the above guide!

Optional Online Project Using Project Board

Students can elect to make a Project Board project in addition to their physical board. 

All students can choose create an online display for their project using Project Board. This will be used for judge reference, and can be used in conjunction with your physical board. For the in-person portion of the judging, we require you to have a physical display board to present to the judges. It is acceptable to present additional information directly from the Project Board website, but your board must contain the core components of your project.

Instructions on how to create your Project Board account:
https://gvrsf.ca/how-to-create-project-board-link/

Guide to creating a display in Project Board:
https://gvrsf.ca/project-entry-guide-en-2/

Your online Project Board must be complete by March 31, 2024 and set for public viewing. You can choose to keep your online project “private” until all steps have been completed.

Jump to Instructions for School Batch Applications (for Teachers) >

Instructions for School Batch Applications (For Teachers)

Due to the volume of applications received, we request that batch applications from schools adhere to the format prescribed below. This would greatly help our volunteers process all of the applications quickly. Failure to submit applications in this format may mean that applications are not considered.

1. Ensure that each of your students registers for the fair via the link and instructions provided within the Student Registration Guide.
2. If the school is subsidizing part of student registration fees, please collect all necessary fees from the students and issue only one cheque or e-transfer.
3. Include a summary sheet containing the following information with the application package:
   • Student name (and partner name if applicable)
   • Whether or not the student has ordered a t-shirt and size (x-small to x-large)
   • A total of application fees included
4. If paying by cheque then mail the application package, summary sheet and cheque to the following mailing address:
   Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair
   Attention: Patti Leigh
   c/o H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
   1100 Chestnut Street
   Vancouver BC V6J 3J9

Example of summary sheet:

5. If paying by e-transfer, please contact registration@gvrsf.ca and include a copy of the summary sheet

Personal information collected on paper forms will be securely disposed of following data entry.

Selection

The GVRSF receives a high number of applications every year. Due to space limitations, the maximum number of projects selected to attend the fair cannot exceed 230 projects. Registration will close once the limit has been reached, so apply early!
Maximum number of applications that may be submitted per school:

• Elementary Schools: 4 projects
• Secondary Schools: 8 projects (any age group) + 5 additional senior projects
• K–12 Schools: 8 projects (any age group) + 5 additional senior projects
• Independent Schools: 8 projects (any age group) + 5 additional senior projects

An email will be sent to all applicants after the end of the registration period.

Rules and Regulations

Registration

• A completed application to the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair (GVRSF) does not imply acceptance to participate.
• A teacher’s signature (or parent/educator if home-schooled) is required to register a project.
• By signing the consent form, the participant(s), parent/guardians and teacher agree that the project shall follow these rules and regulations.
• Acceptance to the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair is dependent on a valid completed application, space limitations, and allocation limits. Acceptance is at the discretion of the GVRSF Committee.
• Decisions of the GVRSF Committee, based on recommendations of the Chief Judge(s), are final and not subject to appeal.
• Applicants NOT accepted to participate at the GVRSF will be informed by email in late March and payment may be returned.
• Refund of payment may not be possible for withdrawal from participation after acceptance.
• If one of the students in a pair project lives or attends a school belonging to a different Regional Science Fair, the students must select a single Regional Science Fair to apply to.
• If the students in a pair project are from different age categories, then they shall register the project in the age category of the older student.

Projects

• The project shall only be the work of one or two students from start to completion. Projects and work done by more than two students at any point in the project’s development are not permitted.
• A project worked on at any point by two students cannot register as a single person project.
• A participant may not present more than one project each year, and may not display or reuse an identical project from a previous Regional Science Fair.
• A project presented at any Regional Science Fair in the past may not be presented again unless there is a substantial expansion or extension of the previous investigation or design process. The project must only present work completed since the previous Regional Science Fair, though previous work may be referenced.
• Students must follow the Safety Rules.
• Students must follow the Ethics Standards.
• Ethics Pre-Approval is mandatory for all projects using animal and human participants.

Student Expectations

• Participating students are expected to be available for scheduled on-line judging sessions. Partial or skipped attendance may result in the reduction or loss of eligibility for awards.
• The judging criteria for two-person projects require effective communication from both students during the presentation.
• Student participants are in representation of their respective schools and therefore expectations from their school may apply at the GVRSF.