Competition
Rules & Eligibility
These guidelines explain the common standards for ASERS research symposia. Your local chapter may publish additional deadlines, forms, category rules, or display requirements.
Grades: 9–12 through a participating ASERS chapter.
Projects: Individual or team projects meeting the local chapter's eligibility requirements.
Research: Original experimental, computational, engineering, or theoretical work.
Required materials: Research paper, oral presentation, and scientific poster.
Registration: Through the student's local ASERS chapter.
Eligible research
Students may enter original experimental, computational, engineering, or theoretical research. Demonstrations, literature reviews, informational projects, and projects that only reproduce existing work are not eligible as research entries.
Research safety & approval
Projects involving human participants, vertebrate animals, biological materials, hazardous chemicals, or other regulated research may require approval before experimentation begins.
ASERS chapters use a Scientific Review Committee process to review applicable projects and may require documentation showing that appropriate approvals were obtained. Students should contact their chapter before beginning regulated research.
Student contribution
Students may conduct research with mentors, universities, companies, or research laboratories. The work submitted to ASERS must clearly represent the student's own contribution.
Students should be prepared to explain what they personally designed, performed, analyzed, and wrote, along with what was provided or completed by mentors or collaborators.
Continuing projects
Students may continue research from a previous year if the new work represents a meaningful extension of the earlier project. Previous work should be identified clearly so judges can distinguish research completed during the current competition cycle.
Research paper
Students submit a research paper before the symposium. Papers support pre-event review and help judges understand and verify the work. Students should cite outside sources clearly and identify assistance from mentors or collaborators.
Oral presentation
Students present their research in a timed category session followed by judge questions. Presentations should focus on the student's own research, including the question, methods, results, interpretation, limitations, and next steps.
Poster and display safety
Students prepare a scientific poster for the poster session. Posters should distinguish student-generated work from material obtained elsewhere and properly credit figures, images, data, and outside sources.
Your chapter may publish separate Display & Safety Rules covering poster dimensions, prohibited materials, electrical equipment, biological materials, and other on-site requirements.
Research integrity
Students are expected to present their research honestly and accurately. Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, misrepresentation of student contribution, undisclosed conflicts, or intentionally misleading presentation of results may result in disqualification or removal from award consideration.
AI use
AI tools may be used as research tools where appropriate, but students remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, and understanding of everything they submit or present. Any substantial use of AI in the research process should be disclosed where relevant.