Overview

On this page:

• Outline
• The Challenge
• Key dates
• Prizes
• Project guidelines
• Video guidelines
• Voting (for crowd favourite)
• Judging
• Registration

Outline

The Robogals Science Challenge is a nationwide science competition for girls, which enables them to learn a bit more about science and engineering by conducting science projects or experiments with a friend or a parent (or another mentor). Entries to the competition are submitted online in the form of videos, photos and writing in three age categories. The competition will span across five months, culminating in an awards ceremony where the best 12 groups or individuals will be invited and the winners announced.

The Challenge

Your challenge submission consists of two parts: the Minor Challenges and the Major Challenge. The Minor Challenges are the initial part of the challenge, where by participants can begin to learn about different sciences and engineering disciplines and have the option to participate in mini experiments. Participants are encouraged to participate in as many minor challenges as possible to help build up their skills for the final challenge. The Major Challenge is when participants can create their own experiment and produce a video to show their findings. Both parts to the challenge are submitted through this website.

Girls between ages 5 to 15 can enter the competition, individually or as a team of 2, accompanied by a parent-mentor who is above 18 years of age. Only entrants from Australia will be eligible for prizes.

Key dates

• June 3^rd – The competition is launched and the first set of minor challenges are released
• July 1^st – The second set of minor challenges are released
• August 1^st – The third set of minor challenges are released
• September 1^st – Video submissions for Major Challenge open and voting for the "crowd favourite" commences
• October 14^th - Final entry deadline, competition closes
• November 30^th to December 1^st - Awards ceremony in Melbourne

Prizes

The top 3 groups in each category, plus the "crowd favourite", as voted online, will be invited to a science and engineering weekend tour in Melbourne on the 30^th November to the 1^st December! Finalists will be provided with flights to Melbourne and accommodation courtesy of General Electric (GE). The weekend includes an award ceremony plus visits to science-related attractions and more!

Project guidelines

The Robogals Science Challenge has no specific theme for the Major Challenge; we've left it open-ended for you to choose any science experiment that's fun and exciting. You may like to build on one of your minor challenges or choose the engineering discipline/science area you liked best in the minor challenges and construct a new experiment. Still not sure where to start? Look at the previous years' entries or see project ideas for further clarification of what is regarded as a science project and some pointers to get you started.

All participants will receive a certificate of participation. All finalists receive a trophy, and a science prize pack containing a science kit or other fun science gizmos!

Video guidelines

For the Major Challenge you will submit a video as your entry. Each video is to be submitted online and will star a mentor and up to 2 mentees, talking about and demonstrating their project. In the maximum 4-minute long video, the young girl(s) should do at least 3/4 of the talking. The mentor's role is primarily to encourage their mentee to participate and to help with dangerous tasks (use of the stove, for example).

The girl(s) should answer the following questions in the video:

1. What have you learnt from this project?
2. Why have you have participated in the Robogals Science Challenge?
   - OR -
   Why should other girls also participate in this competition?

* Question 2 is to ensure that the video has been made specifically for this competition, and not used from elsewhere.

The online questionnaire will ask the following questions:

1. Why did you choose this project?
2. What did you enjoy most about the project?
3. What have you learned from the project?
4. How did your parent or mentor help you?
5. Engineering is the application of science to creations or designs that benefits mankind.
   What do you think are the engineering applications of the knowledge found in your science project? In other words, if you were an engineer, what would or could you create out of your science project?
6. For the intermediate age group (Grade 4-6): briefly explain the underlying scientific theories behind the project, why you chose this method and equipment, and whether the experiment is repeatable and why?
7. For the senior age group (Year 7-9): briefly explain the underlying scientific theories behind the project, why you chose this method and equipment, and whether the experiment is repeatable and why, and any formulas or calculations used in the project?

If it is not practical to film the actual project, your video could show photos together with an explanation of the project.

Voting (for crowd favourite)

As well as having the chance to win a prize in your division for first, second and third, there is also an award for the Crowd Favourite in each age division. The voting begins when the video submissions open for the Major Challenge and closes on the 14^th October, when the competition concludes. The voting is open to the general public as well as those participating so there is the chance for you to be able to vote for your favourites as well as have your friends and family vote for your project.

Judging

To determine the winners for each age group, the videos submitted for the Major Challenge will be judged by our esteemed panel of judges. The entries for the Major Challenge will be ranked using a scoring method based on the following:

• Answering of questions
• Creativity of project
• Emphasis on the young girl's work
• For the intermediate age group (Grade 4-6): a demonstrated understanding of the theory behind the project
• For the senior age group (Year 7-9): a demonstrated understanding of the theory behind the project and the formulas or calculations used in the project

* This year's judges will be announced shortly.

Registration

The Robogals Science Challenge is open to all girls from the ages of 5 to 15 in Australia and is free of entry. Registration opens on the 3^rd of June and closes 7^th October – a week before the competition concludes. The video for the Major Challenge can be submitted at any time between the opening and closing dates though is recommended to be submitted post completing at least one of the minor challenges.

And finally...

The most important aspect of this competition is that everyone enjoys their experiments and sees that science and engineering can be fun! Everything we do starts and ends with that principle.