 Required for all entries! Must be handwritten in grades preK – 8th.  Be aware: Typed- journals do not stand up in court of law, if in a patent dispute. Whereas, handwritten journal do.
Electronic Journals: are accepted in high school. The intent and character of this scientific journal must be kept.
Written Paper: not required for AHSEF, but could increase the score by judges.  This should be in the format of an article in any scientific journal and be presented in printed form in front of the display. If you would like a mentor, contact us at
Interviews are required for all entrants, grades 6 – 12. This is strongly recommended for all other participants!  
Scientific Review Committee (SRC): all projects involving human subjects, vertebrate animals, pathogens, hazardous substances or devices, and animal tissues must obtain prior approval to starting the project. Complete this online at ahsefbyquest.com under FORMS.
Other Fairs: if you plan to enter a regional fair, please check their website for their SRC rules. They may differ from AHSEF rules.

This fair primarily supports homeschoolers. However, students who attend schools that do not have science fairs or are schooled in other ways are also eligible.
 All the following are acceptable: Inquiry-based projects, Engineering-based, Invention-based projects, or Creative-type proposals. Individual, Class, Family, or Group projects. Handwritten or Typed projects.
Group Projects: limited to 3 participants, must be entered at the level of the oldest participant. 
Class Projects: any number of participants; can only be entered up through 5th grade and are judged at oldest level of participant.
Purchased boards are standard. Needs easy to recognize categories.
Maximum Board Size: Large boards must follow these guidelines. 30” deep (front to back), 48” wide (side to side), 108” high (floor to top).
Printed Boards: Must follow size guidelines and be easy to read.
Homemade Boards: must be the size of a purchased board.
Projects must be student’s own work. Tagging on to someone else’s research or doing the work for them will lead to very low scores.  Parents may advise students just enough to make this a learning experience. Parents may type while the student dictates if student has writing difficulties, but it must be a student’s own ideas/ words.

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