Judge Qualifications
Criteria for Senior Division Judges: in pursuit of a master’s degree or higher or at least five years experience in a science and/or engineering field.
Criteria for Junior Division Judges: in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree or higher. In lieu of a degree, judges may have at least three years experience in a science and/or engineering field or four years work experience in a physical or life science field.
Sign Up to Learn More Project Categories and Subcategories
Judges are responsible for reviewing projects as well as providing encouragement and constructive criticism; your opinions are highly valued by these students. We expect over 1200 students participating in 20+ categories.
Judging takes place in two age groups:
- Junior level (middle school students)
- Senior level (high school students)
There also are two project types:
- Individual (completed by a single student)
- Team (completed by a team of two or three students)
Types of Judges
There are three types of judges for the Texas Science and Engineering Fair: Fair Award judges, Blue Team Award judges, and Special Award judges.
Fair Category Award Judges
Fair Category Award judges are assigned to a specific number of projects based on experience and qualifications in their field of expertise and will select first choice, second choice, etc. from one of the fair’s categories. The time commitment for a Fair Category Award judge is typically 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. the day of the fair.
Blue Ribbon Award Judges
Blue Ribbon Award judges are selected by the TXSEF organizing committee and are responsible for determining the Grand Prize and Best of Show awards from among the winners of the individual fair categories. Blue Ribbon judging will begin once all Fair Category Award judging is complete and results have been tabulated. The time commitment for a Blue Ribbon Award judge is typically noon – 5 p.m. the day of the fair.
Special Award Judges
Each year, professional and educational organizations, representing a wide variety of disciplines, may choose to recognize participants with special awards. Judges review specific projects in relation to their organization’s scholarship or award. These organizations recruit their own judges and establish their own criteria. The time commitment for a Special Award judge is typically 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. the day of the fair. If you or an organization you are involved in would be interested in being a special judge, please contact Ariel Tesch at ariel.tesch@tamu.edu.
