Regeneron ISEF 2023 Display Guidelines

Regeneron ISEF 2023 will be an in-person event in which finalists will compete in-person in Dallas, Texas at the
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center from May 13-19, 2023. However, ALL finalists are still required to
complete a virtual display within ProjectBoard to support the judging process and to share their projects with
the global audience of Regeneron ISEF. Finalists are also required to provide a physical display board for the
finalist exhibit hall in Dallas. All displays, virtual and in-person, will undergo Display & Safety (D&S) inspections.
The International Rules & Guidelines remain the guide of what is eligible and allowable; all written materials are
to be provided in English.

We strongly encourage finalists to use the same core materials in both displays to avoid duplication of effort and
to support the D&S review. Where possible, infractions identified within the virtual display should be corrected
online and within the physical display board prior to printing or construction of the final physical display.

ProjectBoard – Virtual Display

I. Regeneron ISEF Paperwork as submitted in the Finalist Questionnaire
a. This process remains the same as prior years and will be reviewed by the Scientific Review
Committee (SRC) to confirm eligibility for competition.
b. On display for the judges will be:
i. Official Abstract (250 words)
ii. Regulated Research Institutional Setting Form 1C (if applicable)
iii. Continuation Form 7 (if applicable)
c. Appendix I provides an overview of Regeneron ISEF paperwork.

II. Project Presentation

a. The project presentation is the primary vehicle to present the content of your project and
replaces the project poster for your virtual display. Appendix II provides complete instructions of
the format requirements and recommendations.
b. There are three suggested templates based on project type:
i. Science Projects,
ii. Engineering Projects and
iii. Mathematics/Computer Science Projects.
c. Project presentations will be required to be submitted by a set deadline and will then be locked
for Display & Safety inspection prior to competition.

III. A Quad Chart

a. The quad chart summarizes the project in a single page for a quick overview by the judges.
b. This representation of your project is intended to be only a summary and to be visual in nature.
c. Appendix III provides complete instructions with format requirements and recommendations as
well as sample templates.

IV. Project Video (2-minute maximum)

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 a. This video summarizes the project at a high level and will be used primarily for the public display
of projects and should have the layman as the core audience.
b. While judges will be given access to all materials submitted, it is advised that the video be a
supplement to the project presentation slides.
c. This video should feature the finalist(s) prominently on screen.
V. Additional Notes
a. Active links are not permitted anywhere on the virtual display
b. Do NOT include your research paper or notebook images as part of your virtual display.
c. An optional 1-minute demo video is allowed, if applicable to your project. Include this as the
second item in the same section as your project video.

In-Person Physical Display

Display & Safety
Please review the full text of the Display & Safety rules in the International Rules & Guidelines to ensure
compliance with the display regulations including:

• Maximum size of the project

• Forms required to be displayed
• Photograph/Image Display Requirements and
• Items/materials not allowed on display or at your project booth.

The virtual display D&S inspection will occur in mid April/early May and it is our intent to conduct an inspection
of all virtual displays by no later than May 4, 2023. This should allow all finalists to make any updates and
adjustments to their physical display board to address any infractions that were identified on the virtual display.

The two formats are different and they do not need to be identical, but where a Finalist can use the same
elements in both displays, it is encouraged.

The following information are suggested guidelines for your physical display taken from
https://guides.nyu.edu/posters.

• Important information should be readable from about 10 feet away. The suggested smallest font on
your physical poster is 18 pt.
• Title is short and draws interest.
• Word count of about 300 to 800 words.
• Text is clear and to the point.
• Use of bullets, numbering, and headlines make it easy to read.
• Effective use of graphics, color, and fonts.

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 Appendix I. Submission and Review Process
Regeneron ISEF Paperwork
All finalists must submit a finalist questionnaire that includes all the ISEF paperwork required for their project.
Minimally, all projects must have Checklist Forms 1, Student Checklist Form 1A, Research Plan, and Approval
Form 1B. The forms that are to be made available at your project booth for the judges to review are the Official
Abstract, and if applicable, the Regulated Research Setting Form 1C and/or the Continuation Form 7. These
forms will be automatically passed over to ProjectBoard from Finalist Questionnaire. You will not be able to
upload them directly on ProjectBoard.

• Official Abstract approved by SRC (250-word format)

The abstract summarizes the information contained in the rest of this document. An abstract
includes: (a) the research question or engineering problem, (b) procedures used, (c) data, (d)
interpretation and (e) conclusions. It also may include any possible research applications. It should
be limited to these essential elements. Consider using the summary created by the Quad chart to
inform this narrative.

• Regulated Research Institutional Setting Form 1C (if applicable)

This form is required for work done at a Regulated Research Institution or Industrial Setting and is
to be completed after experimentation by the adult supervising. In 2022-2023, when many
Regulated Research Institution laboratories and facilities are closed to student researchers, the ISEF
SRC has suggested that a Form 1C be used when support from mentors and those in a laboratory
setting has been provided, even when the student received this support remotely. This can also
include situations in which a high school teacher is supporting laboratory activities on behalf of a
remote student to help clarify the student’s involvement in each step of the project.

• Continuation Form 7 (if applicable)

Any project that is a continuation of a previous year’s work must document that additional research
is new and different on Continuation Form 7.

Display & Safety

Display & Safety inspections will include a review of all submitted materials and enforcement of the display
guidelines as published in the International Rules and Guidelines. This includes meeting all of the format and
size requirements, providing appropriate credits for photographs, graphs and other visuals and in having any
permissions of individuals depicted in any project materials (on the board, slides or in the video) available.

Calendar of Processes
• All finalists must adhere to the deadlines below to compete at Regeneron ISEF 2023. Deadline to
submit Finalist questionnaire: 12 days after your fair ends and finalists are announced
• Final deadline for abstract rewrites by all finalists: April 19
• Final submission of presentation materials on ProjectBoard: Rolling Basis
• SRC rolling phone/video conference Interviews: Completed by May 3
• Display & Safety inspections of presentation materials: Completed by May 4

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 Appendix II. Project Presentation Instructions
You may prepare your Project Presentation for Regeneron ISEF 2023 using any software tools that you desire,
but the final document submitted for display to the judges and the public must satisfy the following
requirements.

Format Requirements
1. The Project Presentation must be uploaded to ProjectBoard as images (JPG, PNG or similar). Each page
will need to be a separate image and you are limited to no more than 12 pages. Tip: Powerpoint or
Adobe Acrobat pages can be easily converted to separate images when content and formatting has been
finalized.
2. The pages should be created following the templates provided below. The page should be created in
Landscape mode so that the entire page is visible at the same time.
3. Your pages must be without animation or active hyperlinks.
4. The page background color must be a light color and should not affect readability.
5. Text color must be predominantly dark to support readability.
6. All text should be easily readable when viewing the entire page at once. The smallest allowable font
size of body text is 14 pt. and an 18 pt. font is recommended. Exception: You may use a smaller font size,
down to 10 pt., for figure captions or photo credits.
7. All Project Presentation elements must conform to all Display & Safety rules as if placed on a physical
poster for display to judges and the public. Passing a Display & Safety inspection will be required to
compete. (Please see the highlight of Display & Safety Rules below.)

Format Recommendations:
1. Do not use non-standard fonts or colors to “stand out from the crowd” or to be entertaining. It is
recommended that you use a font such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica or Century Gothic.
2. Page titles should all be the same size. That size should be larger than headings within each page. In
turn, headings should be larger than body text.
3. Avoid long expository paragraphs. State your points succinctly.
4. Use bullets to set out individual points of interest. Use numbered lists when the ordering of points of
interest is important (e.g., instructions to be followed in order, or items needing a reference anchor for
citation elsewhere in your Presentation).
5. All body text should adopt a common font style and size. Similarly, all heading text should adopt a
common font style and size. There is no recommendation for the relation between body and heading
styles.

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 Display & Safety Rules Highlight for Project Presentation Materials
(Please see Display & Safety rules for full text.)
Photograph/Image Display Requirements
1) Any photograph/visual image/chart/table/student-created logo and/or graph is allowed if:
a) It is not deemed offensive or inappropriate (which includes images/photographs showing
invertebrate or vertebrate animals/humans in surgical, necrotizing or dissection situations) by the
Scientific Review Committee, the Display & Safety Committee, or Society for Science
b) It has a credit line of origin (“Photograph taken by...”or “Image taken from...” or
“Graph/Chart/Table taken from…”). If all images, etc. displayed were created by the finalist or are
from the same source, one credit line prominently and vertically displayed on the backboard/
poster or tabletop is sufficient.
• All images MUST BE properly cited. This includes student-created logos, background graphics,
photographs and/or visual depictions of the finalist or photographs and/or visual depictions of
others.
• All visual depictions of others require a signed photo/video release form is in a notebook or
logbook at the project booth. These signed release forms must be available upon request during
the set-up and inspection process but may not be displayed.
c) Sample release text: “I consent to the use of visual images (photos, videos, etc.) involving my
participation/my child’s participation in this research.”
2) Finalists using any presentation or demonstration outside of a project board must be prepared to show
the entire presentation to the Display & Safety Inspectors before the project is approved. All
aforementioned rules apply to this presentation and the presentation may not be altered in any way
after the final Display & Safety inspection. Examples of presentations that require approval include, but
are not limited to PowerPoint, Prezi, Keynote, software program/simulation and other images and/or
graphics displayed on a computer screen or other non-print delivery method.
NOT ALLOWED in your Presentation Materials
1) Any information on the project display or items that are self-promotions or external endorsements are
not allowed in the project booth.
a) The use of commercial logos including known brands, institutional crests or trademarks, flags unless
integral to the project and approved by the SRC via inclusion in the Official Abstract and
Certification.
b) Any reference to an institution or mentor that supported the finalist’s research except as provided
in an acknowledgement section of the poster and within official ISEF paperwork, most notably Form
1C.
c) Any reference to patent status of the project.
d) Any items intended for distribution such as disks, CDs, flash drives, brochures, booklets,
endorsements, giveaway items, business cards, printed materials or food items designed to be
distributed to judges or the public.
2) Any awards or medals, except for past or present ISEF medals that may be worn by the finalist.
3) Postal addresses, World Wide Web, email and/or social media addresses, QR codes, telephone and/or
fax numbers of a project or finalist. Note: The only personal information that is permissible to include
on the display is the finalist name, school, city, state, country, age and grade.
4) Active Internet or email connections as part of displaying or operating the project at ISEF.
5) Any changes, modifications, or additions to projects including any attempt to uncover, replenish or
return removed language or items after the approval by the Display & Safety Committee and the
Scientific Review Committee has been received is prohibited.

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Project Presentation Templates
Choose one of the following templates to create your presentation. Do not include information not specified in
this template. If you are submitting a continuation project, include only information related to this year’s
research unless otherwise directed in the instructions below. You may include graphical elements as they would
explain or illustrate your work and can be contained within the overall page limits.

Each of the required sections in each template must start on its own page and be in the order provided. Titles
per section are provided as recommended titles, but alternate titles may be used. Each section may extend
beyond one page as long as the total does not exceed 12 maximum pages.

TEMPLATE I: Science Projects

TEMPLATE II: Engineering Projects
TEMPLATEIII: Mathematics/Computer Science Projects

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Project Presentation Template: Science Project
1. Project ID and Title
• The following should be included:
o Project ID. This ID will be provided by Society for Science upon submission of ISEF
paperwork.
o Project Title
o Finalist Name (s)
o School(s)
o City, State, Province, Country

2. INTRODUCTION - What is your research question?

• Explain what is known or has already been done in your research area. Include a brief review of
relevant literature. If this is a continuation project, a brief summary of your prior research is
appropriate here. Be sure to distinguish your previous work from this year’s project.
• What were you trying to find out? Include a description of your purpose, your research question,
and/or your hypothesis.

3. METHODS - Explain your methodology and procedures for carrying out your project in detail.
• What did you do? What data did you collect and how did you collect that data? Discuss your
control group and the variables you tested.
• DO NOT include a list of materials.

4. RESULTS - What were the result(s) of your project?

• Include tables and figures which illustrate your data.
• Include relevant statistical analysis of the data.

5. DISCUSSION - What is your interpretation of these results?

• What do these results mean? Compare your results with theories, published data, commonly held
beliefs, and expected results.
• Discuss possible errors. Did any questions or problems arise that you were not expecting? How did
the data vary between repeated observations of similar events? How were results affected by
uncontrolled events?

6. CONCLUSIONS - What conclusions did you reach?

• What do these results mean in the context of the literature review and other work being done in
your research area? How do the results address your research question? Do your results support
your hypothesis?
• What application(s) do you see for your work?

7. REFERENCES/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• This section should not exceed one page. Limit your list to the most important references.
• List the references/documentation used which were not of your own creation (i.e., books, journal
articles).
• It is permissible to include a short statement acknowledging support from supervisors, research
groups and others that had a direct role in your project.

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Project Presentation Template: Engineering Project
1. Project ID and Title
• The following should be included:
o Project ID. This ID will be provided by Society for Science upon submission of ISEF
paperwork.
o Project Title
o Finalist Name (s)
o School(s)
o City, State, Province, Country

2. INTRODUCTION - What is your engineering problem and goal?

• What problem were you trying to solve? Include a description of your engineering goal.
• Explain what is known or has already been done to solve this problem, including work on which you
may build. You may include a brief review of relevant literature.
• If this is a continuation project, a brief summary of your prior work is appropriate here. Be sure to
distinguish your previous work from this year’s project.

3. METHODS - Explain your methods and procedures for building your design.
• What did you do? How did you design and produce your prototype? If there is a physical
prototype, you may want to include pictures or designs of the prototype.
• If you tested the prototype, what were your testing procedures? What data did you collect and
how did you collect that data?
• DO NOT include a separate list of materials.

4. RESULTS - What were the result(s) of your project?

• How did your prototype meet your engineering goal?
• If you tested the prototype, provide a summary of testing data tables and figures that illustrate your
results.
• Include relevant statistical analysis of the data.

5. DISCUSSION - What is your interpretation of these results?

• What do these results mean? You may compare your results with theories, published data,
commonly held beliefs, and/or expected results.
• Did any questions or problems arise that you were not expecting? Were these problems caused by
uncontrolled events? How did you address these?
• How is your prototype an improvement or advancement over what is currently available?

6. CONCLUSIONS - What conclusions did you reach?

• Did your project turn out as you expected?
• What application(s) do you see for your work?

7. REFERENCES /ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• This section should not exceed one page. Limit your list to the most important references.
• List the references/documentation used which were not of your own creation (i.e., books, journal
articles).
• It is permissible to include a short statement acknowledging support from supervisors, research
groups and others that had a direct role in your project.

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Project Presentation Template: Mathematics/Computer Science
1. Project ID and Title
• The following should be included:
o Project ID. This ID will be provided by Society for Science upon submission of ISEF
paperwork.
o Project Title
o Finalist Name (s)
o School(s)
o City, State, Province, Country

2. INTRODUCTION - What is your research question?

• Explain what is known or has already been done in your research area. Include a brief review of
relevant literature.
• If this is a continuation project, a brief summary of your prior work is appropriate here. Be sure to
distinguish your previous work from this year’s project.

3. FRAMEWORK - Notation and framework.

• Introduce the concepts and notation needed to specify your research question, methods, and
results precisely.
• Define relevant terms and explain prior/background results. (Novel concepts developed as part of
your project can be presented here or in Section 4, as appropriate.)

4. FINDINGS - Present your findings and supporting arguments.

• What did you discover and/or prove? Describe your result(s) in detail. If possible, provide both
formal and intuitive/verbal explanations of each major finding.
• Describe your methods in general terms. Then:
o Present rigorous proofs of the theory results – or, if the arguments are long, give sketches of
the proofs that explain the main ideas.
o For numerical/statistical results, include tables and figures that illustrate your data. Include
relevant statistical analysis. Were any of your results statistically significant? How do you
know this?

5. CONCLUSIONS - What is your assessment of your findings?

• How do the results address your research question? And how have you advanced our
understanding relative to what was already known?
• Discuss possible limitations. Did any questions or problems arise that you were not expecting?
What challenges do you foresee in extending your results further?
• What application(s), if any, do you see for your work?

6. REFERENCES /ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• This section should not exceed one page. Limit your list to the most important references.
• List the references/documentation used which were not of your own creation (i.e., books, journal
articles).
• It is permissible to include a short statement acknowledging support from supervisors, research
groups and others that had a direct role in your project.

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 Appendix III. Quad Chart Instructions
A “quad chart” is a single page divided into four quadrants providing a high-level summary of the project. It is
intended to be bulleted information that a judge could review at a quick glance and then proceed to the Project
presentation for more details. Follow the model below that corresponds to the Project Presentation template
you selected.
1. The page should be created so that the entire page is visible at the same time. The page should be
created in Landscape mode.
2. The page will have to upload as an image to ProjectBoard.
3. The page background color should be a light color and text color predominantly dark to support
readability.
4. The minimum allowable font size is 14 pt. and larger fonts are encouraged for readability. Exception:
You may use a smaller font size, down to 10 pt., for figure captions or photo credits.
5. Text should be in list or bulleted form and as brief as possible. This chart is intended as a high-level
summary that can be read at-a-glance.
6. All four quadrants of your Quad Chart should each be the same size with a single border line delimiting
each, as in the examples below.
7. The Title section should be only tall enough to include the required elements which are the same as the
abstract header. The project title should be at the largest header size of the document for easy
identification of the project. (See section on Quad Chart Title).
8. The Quad Chart should include all appropriate photo credits, should not include a bibliography,
references, or acknowledgments and must adhere to all Display & Safety rules.
Approximate examples of the format of a Quad Chart are listed below. Additional examples and a template
will be posted to the Society for Science website.

Science Project Quad Chart Booth ID

Author, School, City, State, Country
Q1: Scientific Question Q3: Data Analysis & Results
• Bullet 1
• Bullet 1 Image • Bullet 2 Data Chart
• Bullet 2
• Bullet 3
credit
credit
Q2: Methodology Q4: Interpretation & Conclusions
• Bullet 1
Image • Bullet 2 • Bullet 1
• Bullet 3 • Bullet 2
• Bullet 4 • Bullet 3
credit

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Engineering Project Quad Chart Booth ID
Author, School, City, State, Country
Q1: Engineering Problem & Objectives Q3: Data Analysis & Results

Q2. Project Design Q4: Interpretation & Conclusions

Math/Computer Science Project Quad Chart Booth ID

Author, School, City, State, Country
Q1: Problem or Question Q3: Findings

Q2: Framework Q4: Interpretation & Conclusions

Quad Chart Title:

• In the upper right-hand corner, list the Project ID.
• Line one is the title of your project.
• Line two is your name, school, city, state, country.

Quadrant 1: Research Question/Engineering Objectives

• This should reflect material in #2 of the Project Presentation Template.
• Please state the research question or engineering problem being addressed.
• A leading core graphic or visual is encouraged, but not required.

Quadrant 2: Methodology/Project Design

• This should reflect material in #3 of the Project Presentation Template.
• Please provide a succinct, bulleted summary of the methodology/project design.

Quadrant 3: Data Analysis & Results

• This should reflect material in #4 and #5 of the Project Presentation Template.
• It is advised that this quadrant should primarily be a graphic representation of relevant data and results.
• Text should be kept to a minimum.

Quadrant 4: Interpretation & Conclusions

• This should reflect material in #5 and # 6 of the Project Presentation Template.

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 Appendix IV. Project Video Instructions
Record a video (maximum duration 2 minutes) explaining your project. The target audience for this video is
members of the general public who will view the projects virtually during Regeneron ISEF and in the months
following. While judges will have access to this video, it will not be the focus of their project review. This video
must comply with all Display & Safety Rules, particularly those involving logos, acknowledgements and properly
crediting images/graphs/photos.

What to include in your video:

1. Introduce Yourself: State your full name and your city/state/country. Rather than reciting your project title,
consider explaining your project in a single sentence. The video should feature you presenting your project
orally as if in front of your physical project board presenting to a judge or a member of the public.

2. Explain Your Project: Summarize your research into main points:

a. What did you do?
b. What did you find?
c. What conclusions did you draw?

To note:
• Videos can either be uploaded directly to ProjectBoard or you can embed a YouTube video. The
YouTube link will need to be public, but it is not required that it be listed. It is recommended that the
video be named the project short title. If uploading directly, videos must be less than 500 MB in size.
• We encourage you to be prominently displayed in the video (as opposed to having the video be
prominently your slides).
• You can use any props or visuals you may have that are within the Display & Safety guidelines.
o Tip: This video is a summary statement about your project and the scientific or engineering
design process you followed; it is not intended as an advertisement or sales pitch.
• Do not include anyone in your video other than the student researchers of the project.

Best Practices for Filming:

These videos will not be edited. To ensure your video is the best representation of your work, please keep these
best practices in mind while filming:
• Please speak in English or provide English sub-titles.
• Film yourself in a well-lit and non-distracting environment so the viewer’s focus stays on you and your
work.
• For best results, film your video horizontally (landscape).
• Keep the camera still and in place during filming.
• Speak clearly and loudly enough that the recording is able to pick up every word you say.
• Avoid long pauses.
• Listen to your video after recording to ensure your voice is clear and audible, and that the video has not
picked up too much background noise.
• Confirm the size of the video is less than 500 MB.

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