BHP Billiton Science Awards
The BHP Billiton Science Awards are Australia’s most prestigious student science awards, they reward young people who have undertaken practical research projects which demonstrate innovative investigative approaches using scientific methods.
The BHP Billiton Science Awards are a partnership between BHP Billiton, the world's largest diversified resources company, CSIRO and The Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA).
Entry Process
Submit a project based on your own experimental data as a scientific investigation in the Territory Young Scientists’Awards
There are no restrictions on subject category for the BHP Billiton Science Awards, except that projects must include designing and carrying out an experimental investigation.
The maximum number of students in a group accepted in the BHP Billiton Science Awards is three.
S.T.A.N.T. will forward the best practical investigations directly to the BHP Billiton Science Awards and finalists will be informed in early December 2010.
Prizes to be won
The overall winner of the national BHP Billiton Science Awards will win $3000 and the chance to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the USA (subject to fulfilling the conditions that apply).
First prize $3000
Second Prize $2000
Third Prize $1000
Thirteen finalists will receive $250
Other Cash prizes
Up to four winning primary entries will win $250.
Up to sixty semi-finalist entries will win $100.
Encouragement Awards
Up to fifty primary students will receive encouragement award prize packs.
Ineligible Projects
Projects that involve cruelty to animals or do not follow national guidelines on animal welfare will not be accepted. Any study involving experiments on living animals must be carefully considered to ensure that animals are given proper care.
Projects that do not follow national guidelines on experiments involving recombinant DNA will not be accepted.
Any experiments involving blood products will only be accepted if they have been carried out under strict medical supervision, for instance, in a hospital research centre while working with a scientist.
Projects involving experiments where illegal activities are undertaken will not be accepted.
Projects involving explosives, rocket fuels, or damage to the environment or which are detrimental to the health or safety of individuals or the community will not be accepted.
Projects which arrive after the closing date will not be accepted.
The BHP Billiton Science Awards are open to all Australian permanent residents enrolled full-time in primary or secondary schools (including home-schooled).
The national competition
Sixteen finalists in the BHP Billiton Science Awards, from all over Australia, will be invited to participate in an educational and entertaining four-day science camp and attend a presentation function held in Melbourne in February 2011. This is an excellent chance to meet with like-minded people and visit fascinating research labs and other programs. The camp includes fun elements and is a great experience that you'll always remember. Many distinguished people will be attending the Presentation Ceremony and you'll be given the rare opportunity to meet and talk with them.
For the sixteen finalists selected to attend the camp in Melbourne, a further component of judging will take place at this camp. Irrespective of the original style of entries, finalists will be required to prepare a science fair exhibit, which will be displayed in a public venue and judged. The science fair presentation will be worth 20% of the final score. Judges will use the student’s written report for the remaining 80% of the assessment.
From these sixteen finalists, a small number will be offered a trip and a chance to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair in the USA!
The international competition
The student winners, a teacher and a CSIRO representative will take part in the International Science and Engineering Fair in the USA in 2011. This event brings together more than 1000 of the brightest scientific minds from around the world to compete in one of the world’s largest pre-university celebrations of science. Students compete for over three million dollars worth of prizes during this week-long fair - it's the opportunity of lifetime!
Visit the BHP Billiton Science Awards website for more details www.scienceawards.org.au
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