Exhibit guidelines

The aim of the Science and Technology Fairs is to encourage students to develop and display their skills and to compare their efforts with others. The guidelines given below are intended to help you in the preparation of your exhibit.

1. Construction and Installation

Exhibitors should confine their exhibits to a display 1.2 m long x 0.75 m deep x 1.5 m high (not including the table)

Oversize exhibits will not be accepted. Please prevent embarrassment by ensuring the size is correct.

Exhibits using electricity must be provided with a three pin plug and an on/off master switch clearly marked and readily visible. If switches, levers or other devices are to be operated by visitors, they must be strong, foolproof and clearly labelled so that the exhibitor does not need to be present to explain. Operating instructions for computers, video monitors etc. must be clearly displayed. Exhibits using liquids must be leak proof and standing in a shallow tray or on a sheet of plastic to avoid damage by spillage.

2. Work on the Exhibit

The work on the exhibit must be done by the exhibitor but advice may be sought from any source provided that it is acknowledged. Ingenuity, simplicity and economy of construction are important features of an effective science or technology exhibit.

3. Presentation of Exhibit

Your exhibit should have a short descriptive title. The main heading should be bold and prominently placed. If the title is not self-explanatory use a sub-title or a brief statement of the object, structure and operation of the exhibit.

Remember that the purpose of the exhibit is as a display to the public, and a brief glance should convey the main idea(s) involved. Keep the following points in mind:

1. Have a clear central theme.
2. Do not distract with irrelevant material.
3. Arrange blocks of material carefully to give a clear presentation.
4. Use colour and arrangement of material to give an attractive effect.
5. Text should be clear and descriptive. It should be legible at 2 metres distance, i.e. letters should be more than 1 centimetre high and printed in black or a dark colour. They should be well spaced. People do not normally read more than 200 words on a display and seldom read figures or tables unless these are clearly set out and short. An overview of your exhibit should be obtained in 2 minutes of reading.
6. Graphs and histograms can attract more attention than text and tables.
7. Ink or colour drawings are generally more attractive than those done in pencil.

4. Reports

The Fair exhibit should attract visitors and explain the purpose of the exhibit to them. Visitors will not normally have time to read large amounts of written work or typed reports, but these reports and log books should be available to enable judges to fully evaluate the content of your exhibit. They should be an essential part of the exhibit.