This page will not be updated for the 2021 Fair. Please go to the Science & Engineering Fair page for current information.
A Few Reminders
If you skipped the Student Information and/or Resources page, please READ THROUGH THOSE PAGES NOW. You will need that information before proceeding with your application.
To complete your application to the Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair, follow the steps below. You should work closely with your ADULT SPONSOR who is responsible to make sure your application process is completed correctly. To avoid delays in approvals due to incorrectly completed paperwork, please follow these directions closely.
- Complete a research plan before starting the application process (see Form 1A, page 2, for the Research Plan description). The research plan must be an original plan written by the student. RESEARCH PLANS COPIED OFF THE INTERNET WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED, and your application will be rejected if you do not submit a research plan that you have written. You should print out and follow ISEF’s Student Handbook for guidance throughout your project.
- If you know your subject area that you want to compete in the science fair, but don’t have a project idea yet, try the Topic Selection Wizard.
- If you have not yet done so, complete the Rules Wizard. This is required before you proceed with the registration process.
Once complete, you can start your application process.
Step 1
Register Online (PLEASE do this only ONCE.)
Before entering online registration, have all the following information written out and ready to enter. You will need all this information to complete the online application. Team leaders only should complete the registration for all team participants.
- Name of student (or names if you are submitting a team project), including middle names. If a student does not have a middle name, type: None.
- Home address, city, zip
- E-mail address (contact for all team members) Do NOT use school-based email addresses, which block incoming emails. I must be able to communicate with you regarding the status of your project application and send additional information about the fair. You may use your parent’s email address, if necessary.
- Home phone (contact for all team members)
- Cell phone number
- Grade level (all team member grade levels)
- School Name
- Adult sponsor (whoever is helping you apply, and will provide supervision throughout your experiment)
- Adult sponsor’s email
- Identify the category of the project: Biological (BIO), Physical (PHY), Environmental (ENV), Engineering (ENG), Mathematics/Computer Science (M/CS), Behavioral/Social Science (BEH)
- Final Project Title (The title submitted must be identical to the title used on all other project paperwork and forms.)
Step 2
Complete the Appropriate Forms
Each project registration requires six forms included in the General Application packet:
1. ISEF Form 1
2. ISEF Form 1A
3. Completed Research Plan (Instructions are provided on page 2 of Form 1A. You MUST submit an originally written research plan. Research plans copied off the internet will NOT be accepted.)
4. ISEF Form 1B (one for each member of a team)
5. CCCSEF Photo/Video/Website Release Form (one for each member of a team)
6. CCCSEF Hold Harmless Form (one for each member of a team). Please complete the interactive forms online prior to printing.
A description of additional forms that may be needed is in Step 5.
Scroll down to review them.
If the project is a TEAM PROJECT, you are allowed up to three members. Include the FULL names for all members on the Checklist for Adult Sponsor (Form 1), the Student Checklist (Form 1A), the Research Plan and other required forms. In addition, each team member must submit an Approval Form (Form 1B) as well as the CCCSEF Forms Student Photo Release and Hold Harmless Agreement.
As a reminder, every project must complete the online Rules Wizard and use it to identify which forms are required and determine if your project needs pre-approval. Attach the Wizard Results to the front of your project paperwork when submitting your CCCSEF Application. (Please attach ONLY the Results page.)
If your project was completed at a professional lab, company, or institution, you need to submit, in addition to Regulated Research Institution Form 1C, a letter (on company letterhead paper) verifying the institution’s permission for you to conduct research there, the dates, the name of your mentor, their contact information, and the area of your research project.
When You Need Pre-Approval
If your project research involves Hazardous Materials, Microorganisms, Human Behavior or Human DNA, Tissues, Blood or Body Fluids or Vertebrate Animals or Vertebrate Animal DNA, Tissues, Blood, or Body Fluids, you are required to complete the appropriate ISEF Forms and submit for pre-approval by December 3, 2019 BEFORE you begin experimentation.
The SRC will determine if your plan is safe and is in accordance with ISEF regulations. To ensure the SRC has all of the information needed to approve your project, thoroughly describe your procedure that involves possible risk. If the SRC doesn’t have enough information to deem your project in compliance with ISEF Safety Regulations, it will not be approved and will be returned for corrections. Notification of project approvals for applications completed correctly will be within approximately two weeks after the deadline. Please keep copies of all project application forms that you submit.
NOTE: If you are not sure if your project requires pre-approval, submit the application for the pre-approval deadline of December 3, 2019 for the SRC pre-approval process.
Step 3
Mail Completed Application (with original signatures)
DO NOT USE CERTIFIED MAIL!!!
THIS WILL PREVENT DELIVERY OF YOUR PROJECT APPLICATION!!!
(Never mind what they tell you in the post office.)
Mail your completed project application to this address:
Janice Fujii, CCCSEF Administrator
4495 Big Pine Lane
Concord, CA 94521
Adult sponsors responsible for a number of projects may send them as one packet.
NEW DEADLINE: ALL 7th & 8th grade students from Catholic middle schools may submit project applications until the end of February.
See the Deadlines page for details.
Step 4
Pay the registration fee
**PLEASE NOTE: Payment is required for EACH student, not per project.
There will be no refunds given after January 31, 2021.
Step 5
Ensure All Required Forms Are Completed
The Intel ISEF forms constitute written documentation of what will occur, or in some cases, has already occurred, in a research project. They are designed to provide the information that is needed to review the project to ensure compliance with the Intel ISEF rules and with laws and regulations that apply to the project. INTEL ISEF Wizard >>
All of the forms are interactive and should be completed on the computer.
Forms 1, 1A and 1B are part of the General Application Packet and do not need to be printed separately.
Checklist for Adult Sponsor (1)— The checklist is provided so that the adult sponsor can review what information (and therefore which forms) must be provided. The date signed is the date that the sponsor first reviews the project plan before the experiment begins.
Student Checklist (1A) — On this page, the student outlines what the project is about. Items that especially need to be clear are the following:
- Explain when the actual experimental procedure (not the background literature review) will begin and end because ONLY a 12-month project that occurred within the last 18 months before this Intel ISEF is allowed.
- Explain where the experimental research will be done: research institution, school, field, home. Universities, research facilities, and industrial settings will require additional documentation on Form 1C to explain what was done at each facility. (Note: Pathogens may NOT be cultured at home.)
- Attach a research plan, as outlined in the Research Plan Instructions, which describes the project in detail and answers all applicable questions.
Approval Form (1B) — These statements attest that each of these people (or committees) approves or consents to this project. The dates should be signed as described below and are before experimentation unless otherwise indicated:
- Student/Date they attest that they understand the possible risks, that they have read and will follow the rules, and that they will abide by the ethics statement. b) Parent/GuardianDate they consent to their child doing this project.
Regulated Research Institution (1C)–This form is completed by the supervising adult, explains what the student researcher actually did and is signed after the project is completed. This form is only needed if the research was done at a research institution (university lab, for example) or in an industrial setting, but is not completed for work done at a high school.
Qualified Scientist (2) — On this page, the supervising scientist explains what will be done to oversee this project. The qualified scientist (QS) and, if needed, the designated supervisor (DS), will sign with the date that they approve this project (before experimentation takes place).
Risk Assessment Form (3)— Required for ALL projects using hazardous chemicals, activities or devices and microorganisms which are exempt from pre-approval.
Human Participant Form (4) — This page, along with the research plan, is submitted by the student researcher to explain how the safety and well-being of the test subjects and the confidentiality of results will be ensured. This review and the date signed must be BEFORE any experimentation takes place.
Informed Consent— This form is used to provide information to the research participant (or parent/guardian) and to document written informed consent, minor assent, and/or parental permission.
Vertebrate Animal Form (5A) — This form is filled out by the student researcher when the experiment is conducted in a Non-Regulated Research Site such as home or school and describes the housing and care for the animals.
Vertebrate Animal Form (5B) — This form is filled out by the Qualified Scientist when the research is conducted at a Regulated Research Institution and describes the study. A copy of the IACUC approval (not a letter from the Qualified Scientist or Principal Investigator) must be attached. (Form 5B is on the second page after Form 5A.)
Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents (6A) — This form is filled out by the student researcher and is required for all research involving microorganisms, rDNA and fresh/frozen tissue (including primary cell lines, human and other primate established cell lines and tissue cultures), blood, blood products, and body fluids. SRC approval is required BEFORE experimentation. The qualified scientist will sign and date.
Human & Vertebrate Animal Tissue (6B) — This form is filled out by the student researcher and explains the source of the tissue. The Qualified Scientist or Designated Supervisor signs and dates to document the source and handling of this tissue (before experimentation).
Continuation Projects Form (7) — To be filled out only if the INTEL Wizard has determined so. The date signed is the date the student researcher is certifying that this information is correct.
Abstract— The abstract is a summary of the study and is written after experimentation has been completed. For CCCSEF, please e-mail abstract to Janice Fujii after completion of the project. You must send the abstract before the beginning of the fair on March 12, 2020.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.
CCCSEF Administrator Email: jjfujii9@att.net or (925) 890-2624
CCCSEF Fair Director Email: apriltreece@ba-leeds.org or (925) 672-3759