Rules and Regulations

The student and the sponsor have ultimate responsibility for the safety of the student and test subjects while doing experiments or otherwise developing a project for the Science Exposition. Because many dangers may not be readily apparent, some guidelines are presented here to aid in developing a safer project. Even if a project follows the rules listed, if a sponsor feels the project is not appropriate, the sponsor has the right to not approve the project.

All project development and experimentation must be conducted only with proper supervision. This is particularly true for chemicals, radiation sources, biological cultures, and so forth, many of which are governed by rules and regulations, both State and Federal, that affect both handling and disposal. (See the full list of safety rules).

All exhibits must conform to the following regulations for Region and State expositions. These same rules should be used, where applicable, at local as well as regional expositions.

  • Schools must be a member of the Illinois Junior Academy of Science (IJAS). If the school does not have an IJAS membership, students may be able to participate as a homeschool student, through an independent group, or as an individual member. Students wishing to participate through one of these options must contact IJAS leadership for information about eligibility, registration requirements, and the appropriate procedure for entering.
  • To participate at the State Exposition, the project must have participated in a Regional Fair and have been selected as a competitor for the State Exposition by the Region.
  • No projects presented in previous years will be allowed at the Region or State Exposition unless they are the result of further research and experimentation. Differences from previous projects should be clearly stated.
  • The IJAS State Exposition is open to students in 7th-12th grades. Students are divided into two divisions. Junior division : 7-8th grade Senior division : 9-12th grade.
  • Projects may involve one or two students. The number of students may not exceed two students.
  • Students may enter under only ONE project.
  • No apparatus may be on top of, under, behind, in front of, alongside, or hanging off of the display table. Any materials displayed with the board will be removed by safety judges and stored at the safety table by the Safety Chair. Students may retrieve items at the end of the judging session.
  • Only a display board, Safety Forms packet, and computer may be on top of the table. The computer must be battery operated; no electricity will be supplied.
  • All safety guidelines outlined in this manual (pg 8-33) must be followed by all students. High School students must also follow all ISEF rules and regulations. They are outlined here: ISEF Safety Rules. .
  • At the State Exposition, the student must have THREE complete copies of the research paper including the Abstract. Also, one packet which includes Safety Sheets and any needed Endorsement Sheets signed in ink by the student(s) and the teacher sponsor must be available. If no safety hazards exist, a statement to that effect must be made. (See Appendix page 48). Middle school students will use all appropriate IJAS safety forms (pg 56-62) and high school students will use all appropriate ISEF forms. The lack of a correctly filled out and signed forms, or violation of any safety rules, will result in the project being disqualified by the Head Safety Judge/President.
  • A copy of the abstract form will be attached to the front of the display board. The safety sheet, and all applicable endorsement sheets MUST also be displayed as a packet next to the display board.
  • Students shall remain with their projects during the official period of judging.
  • Normal wear and tear on the exhibit is to be expected during the time that the exhibit is open to the public. If valuable equipment is with display, such as a computer, it is the student’s responsibility for its supervision. Neither the Illinois Junior Academy of Science, Inc. nor the sponsors assume any responsibility for loss or damage to such equipment, materials, or research paper.