The Tasmanian Science Talent Search 2024

Species Survival: More than just Sustainability

Themed category submission due: 18 September 2024 (Submission Extended)
Open category submission due: 18 September 2024 (Submission Extended)

About - TSTS 2024
Submission Information
Themed Categories Submission Form
Open Categories Submission Form

The Tasmania Science Talent Search 2024 PDF can be found: HERE

TSTS 2024 – General Information

About the Tasmanian Science Talent Search

The Tasmanian Science Talent Search is an initiative of the Science Teachers Association of Tasmania. It has been operating continuously since 1960 (though not always by the same name) and has involved over 60,000 students since its inception.

Through the TSTS, we aim to:

  • Inspire a lifelong interest in science
  • Promote high quality teaching and learning
  • Highlight a Pathway to Excellence

The National Science Week 2024 Schools Theme is Species Survival: More than just
Sustainability. The theme aims to highlight the importance of science and innovation in ensuring the survival and thriving of different species in an ever-changing world. Students will have an amazing variety of topics to investigate, and be able to dive into issues of
particular interest to them: disease-causing organisms, life-saving chemicals, clean water,
photosynthesis, genetic screening, physics of building structures, artificial intelligence, and
microplastics. For resources and more information, check out the National Science Week Website.

Categories

THEMED
– Picture Book
– Creative Writing
– Scientific Infographics – Posters
– Photographic Essay
– Videos
– Scientific Essays
– Innovation Challenge

OPEN
– Research Investigations
– Environmental Science Project
– Engineering Inventions

Divisions

Please note not all divisions are eligible for all categories. See the category information for details.

Division 1: K – 2
Division 2: 3 – 4
Division 3: 5 – 6
Division 4: 7 – 8
Division 5: 9 – 10
Division 6: 11 – 12

Please note that not all categories
are available in all divisions.
See the category pages for details.

Contact and Help

For all queries or questions please contact TSTS Coordinator Alana De Luca via tsts@stat.org.au

Submission Information

Conditions of Entry


TSTS2024 is open to all Tasmanian students K – 12. All entries must be submitted via the stat.org.au
website, following the required submission procedure. STAT expects that work submitted to the TSTS is of a high standard. On the rare occasion that entries do
not meet that standard the judging committee reserves the right not to award prizes in any division. Entires submitted to the TSTS may be displayed on the STAT website or shared at presentation events. The Tasmanian Science Talent Search reserves the right to publish entries, entrants names, and any
photographs taken at TSTS related events.
If possible, students in Divisions 4 – 6 who submit entries for Creative Writing, Scientific Essay, STEM
Challenge, Research Investigations, Environmental Science Projects, or Invention & Engineering Projects
should pass their work through Turnitin and submit the report with their entry.
If students are not able to access Turnitin, the judges reserve the right to submit a student’s entry for
checking. A risk assessment is required for all TSTS entries in the Open Section categories & the STEM Challenge. A risk assessment form can be found at the end of this booklet. Entries that do not follow submission guidelines for their category will not be considered. Please read the
entry guidelines carefully. For the Inventions & Engineering Project category, models and inventions may contain commercially
available components but must not be solely assembled from or based on commercially available kits.

Entry Fees

STAT Members who have selected the TSTS add-on at registration (code will be issued to schools) – unlimited entries
STAT Members $10 per entry
Non-STAT Members $25 per entry

 

Safety Considerations

Students and their supervising teachers or parents should ensure that their science entries are conducted in a responsible and safe manner.

Projects involving microorganisms will only be accepted if adequate safety precautions are evident and the microorganisms present no threat to the health of individuals or the environment.

Projects involving hazardous chemicals, explosives, rocket fuels, detrimental to the environment, or potentially harmful to individuals will not be accepted.

All electrical experiments should not be in excess of 32 volts AC or 115 volts DC.

Projects involving illegal activities will not be accepted.

Electronic Submission Requirements

All entries should be submitted as PDFs EXCEPT in the video category where a weblink should be provided.

Picture Book

This category is open to divisions 1-3

Entry guidelines

  • Entries must be relevant to the topic of Species Survival and be a work of fiction.
  • Entrants may be individuals or small
    groups (of up to 3 students). Divisions 1
    and 2 may submit whole class entries.
  • Entries should include scientific
    concepts and information in the story.
  • Entries should consist primarily of
    pictures supported by minimal text.
  • An appendix including a brief
    explanation of 5 key science ideas
    used to develop the story should be
    included.
  • A bibliography listing all sources used
    to develop the entry should be included.
  • An acknowledgements statement
    listing any people who helped and what
    they did should be included in the
    submission.
  • Typed text is encouraged but not
    essential. Handwriting should be clear
    and legible if used.
  • Pictures can be created using any
    medium.
  • Downloaded images cannot exceed
    25% of total artwork and must be cited.

Word limits

  • Division 1: 200 words
  • Divisions 2 – 3: 300 words

Submission Deadline

11 September 2024

What to do:

  1. Decide on the 5 key science ideas you
    want to cover in your entry.
  2. Create your picture book. Remember,
    artwork can be created using any
    medium and at least 75% should be
    original work. Handwriting is OK as
    long as it is clear and legible, but typed
    text is preferred.
  3. Add your appendix summarising the
    science ideas you used to develop your
    story.
  4. Add your bibliography and
    acknowledgments.
  5. Submit your picture book as an A4 or
    A3 PDF All entries must be submitted via
    the www.stat.org.au website, following
    the required submission procedure.

 

Resources and inspiration:

Exploring Picture Story Books
Writing Your Picture Story Book

Creative Writing

This category is open to ALL DIVISIONS

Entry guidelines

  • Entries must be relevant to the topic Species Survival: More than just Sustainability.
  • Only individual entries will be considered
    for this category.
  • Entries must be imaginative. This could
    mean a diary, letter, speech, cartoon,
    narrative, fable, poem, etc.
  • Entries should include at least 5 key
    science concepts, which should be
    listed in an appendix.
  • A bibliography listing all sources used
    to develop the entry should be included.
  • An acknowledgements statement
    listing any people who helped and what
    they did should be included in the
    submission.
  • Typed text is encouraged but not
    essential. Handwriting should be clear
    and legible if used.
  • Illustrations can be used to complement
    the writing or as an integral part of the
    text style. Any medium can be used.
  • Downloaded images cannot exceed
    25% of total artwork and must be cited.

Word limits

  • Division 1: 50 – 300 words
  • Division 2: 100 – 500 words
  • Divisions 3 – 6: 250 – 1000 words

Submission Deadline:

11 September 2024

What to do:

1. Decide on the 5 key science ideas you
want to cover in your entry.
2. Write your piece. Be creative!
3. Add your appendix listing each
scientific idea covered in your entry.
For Divisions 3 and above, this
should include a short (1 – 3
sentence) explanation of each
concept.
4. Add your bibliography and
acknowledgments.
5. Submit your entry as an A4 PDF. All
entries must be submitted via the
www.stat.org.au website, following the
required submission procedure.

Scientific Infographics – Posters

This category is open to all divisions

Entry guidelines

  • Entries must be relevant to the topic Species Survival: More than just Sustainability.
  • Only individual entries will be
    considered for this category.
  • Entries should be informed by
    personal research or be part of a
    learning sequence.

Divisions 1-3

  • Entries should integrate understanding of scientific concepts with artistic skill and
    interpretation.
  • Entries should be in the style of a scientific infographic poster.
  • Posters may combine graphic and text elements.
  • Typed text is encouraged but not
    essential. Handwriting should be clear
    and legible if used.

Divisions 4-6

  • Entries should be in the style of a scientific infographic poster.
  • Posters should integrate visual style and information while containing both graphic and textual elements.
  • Typed text is encouraged but not
    essential. Handwriting should be clear
    and legible if used.

Submission Deadline:

7 July 2023

What to do:

1. Decide on the topic for your poster.
Posters should advertise a science
concept, issue or idea in a way that is
eye-catching, informative and/or
challenges a person’s thinking.
2. Create your entry.
3. Submit your poster as an A3 PDF. All
entries must be submitted via the
www.stat.org.au website, following the
required submission procedure.

Resources:


How to make an infographic

 

Photographic Essays

This category is open to divisions 2-6

Entry guidelines

  • Entries must be relevant to the topic Species Survival: More than just Sustainability.
  • Only individual entries will be
    considered for this category.
  • Entries should include a series of 6 – 8
    photographs that tell a story.
  • Photographs must be taken by the
    entrant for the purpose of this
    competition.
  • Photos may be edited by the entrant.
  • Each photograph may include a
    caption of up to 20 words.
  • Photographs can be arranged in any
    sequence.
  • No photograph can exceed 1 MB and
    entries must not exceed 8 MB in total.
  • Include a numbered list of all
    photographs in the order they appear
    and state what if any editing has been
    performed.
  • An artist’s statement of up to 200
    words, acknowledgments, and
    bibliography should be included in the
    entry.

Submission Deadline:

11 September 2024

What to do:

1. Take your photographs and edit them
if you would like to.
2. Create your title page. This should
include your project name, your
name, the division you are entering,
and your school’s name.
3. Add your photos (one per page) in
any order you like. Photos may be
accompanied by a caption (up to 20
words each).
4. Write your artist’s statement (no more
than 200 words).
5. Add your bibliography and
acknowledgments.
6. Submit your essay as an A4 PDF. All
entries must be submitted via the
www.stat.org.au website, following the
required submission procedure.

Videos

This category is open to ALL DIVISIONS

Entry guidelines

  • Entries must be relevant to the topic Species Survival: More than just Sustainability.
  • Entries may be submitted by
    individuals or by small groups of up to
    3 students. Divisions 1 and 2 may
    submit whole class entries.
  • Entrants may choose any topic related
    to the theme and any genre.
  • Videos should be informed by personal
    research or be part of a learning
    sequence.
  • Videos must be the work of the
    entrant. Any footage from other
    sources must make up less than 10%
    of the final video.
  • Only the entrant may work on the
    editing and postproduction of the
    video. Techniques taught by teachers
    etc must be done using unrelated
    footage.
  • Videos should be 90 seconds to 3
    minutes long not including credits.
  • Credits should include roles of
    entrants, bibliography,
    acknowledgments, and a list of
    equipment and software used.
  • Credits should be up to 30 seconds
    long.

Submission Deadline:

11 September 2024

What to do:

1. Choose the topic you wish to convey
in your video.
2. Write a script and plan your shoot.
Think about your use of sound, slow
motion, subtitles, animation, colour,
etc.
3. Film and edit your footage.
4. Include a credits section. Make sure
to add everyone involved and what
they did.
5. Upload your video to a video sharing
site like YouTube
6. Make sure your video can be viewed
by anyone with a link.
7. Submit your video by sharing a link to
your entry All entries must be
submitted via the www.stat.org.au
website, following the required
submission procedure.

Resources and inspiration

Sleek Geeks
MyState Filmmaking Guides

Scientific Essays

This category is open to DIVISIONS 4 – 6

Entry guidelines

 

  • Entrants may choose from one of the
    following topics for their scientific
    essays:

    1. The effect of microplastics on the health of waterways
    2. The relationship between habitat loss and the spread of infectious disease

  • Indicate the topic choice in the header of
    your entry.
  • Only individual entries will be considered
    for this category.
  • The essay must incorporate scientific
    information and evidence
  • Essays should follow conventions of
    persuasive writing.
  • References should be cited in-text and a
    bibliography included at the end of the
    essay.
  • Include An acknowledgements
    paragraph listing anyone who assisted
    with the essay and what they did.
  • Formatting: Times New Roman or Arial
    font, 12 pt., 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm
    margins.

Word limits

  • Division 4: 1200 words
  • Division 5: 1500 words
  • Division 6: 2000 words

Submission Deadline:

11 September

What to do:

1. Choose the topic you wish to write
your essay on. Make sure it is clear
which you have chosen.
2. Plan your essay. Write a thesis
statement, do some background
reading, and plan your arguments.
3. Write your essay. You may want to
use images, tables, or graphs to
support your argument, but these
should be used sparingly.
4. Cite your sources in-text and include
a bibliography.
5. Add an acknowledgements paragraph
at the end of your essay including
anyone who helped develop your
essay including in the planning or
editing stages.
6. Submit your essay as a PDF. All
entries must be submitted via the
www.stat.org.au website, following the
required submission procedure.

Resources and inspiration

Persuasive Writing
Plagiarism & Referencing

Innovation Challenge

This category is open to ALL DIVISIONS

THIS YEAR’S CHALLENGE IS TO DESIGN AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION TO HABITAT LOSS IN TASMANIA FOR AN ENDANGERED SPECIES.

PROJECTS SHOULD FOCUS ON THE STUDENTS LOCAL AREA.

Entry guidelines

  • Entries must be related to one of the
    two topics above.
  • Entries may be submitted by
    individuals or by small groups of up to
    3 students. Divisions 1 and 2 may
    submit whole class entries.
  • A bibliography should be included at
    the end of the report.
  • Reports may include photographs,
    drawings, schematics, and videos to
    support the text.

Submission Deadline:

11 September 2024

 

What is the problem you could solve, or
the research opportunity that you would
investigate, if you could?

  • Find out more.
  • What have other people done
    previously?
  • What are the limitations or
    constraints?
  • What is your goal or the mission of
    your project?
    How can you solve the problem or
    conduct the research?
  • What would you do?

Decide on and design your innovative solution

  • What is the innovative solution that you have developed to solve your problem.
  • Explain why you selected the
    approach you took and why other
    ideas were not chosen.
  • Why is your solution innovative and what makes it different and unique.

Prototype and develop

  • This doesn’t have to be a real working
    model, a design on paper is fine.
    Unless you really want to build, then
    great! Maybe it could be a computer
    aided design, or a coded animation.
  • Describe the engineering details; list
    the steps that would need to be taken
    and the materials needed, and how it
    will work.
  • Include labelled diagrams and details explaining your solution.
  • Identify any safety issues and how you
    would lessen risk.

What to do:

1. Decide which challenge you want to
undertake.
2. Do some research. What are some
existing solutions to the problems?
Are there any issues with these?
3. Follow the suggested STEM process
on the next page.
4. Write up a report.
5. Submit your entry as an A4 PDF. All
entries must be submitted via the
www.stat.org.au website, following the
required submission procedure.

Resources and inspiration

Science Week

 

Test your model

  • Imagine your model/research was
    real, what tests would you conduct to
    see if it works?
  • What are the strengths and
    weaknesses of your plan?
  • What modifications/refinements could
    you do to improve/adjust design?
  • What are future possibilities?
  • How could you improve your solution further?
  • Record your steps with notes,
    diagrams, and/or photographs or
    video.

Share and Reflect

  • Who would your solution benefit?
  • Who could you share your solution with?
  • What would your next steps be in getting your solution out into the world?

Research Investigations

This category is open to ALL DIVISIONS

Entry guidelines

  • This is an open section. Students
    plan, carry out and report on an
    experimental inquiry on a topic in
    which they have a personal interest, or
    is of community relevance.
  • Entries may be submitted by
    individuals or small groups of up to 3
    students. Divisions 1 and 2 may
    submit whole class entries.
  • An acknowledgments section listing all people who helped with the
    investigation and what they did must
    be included in the report.
  • Do not use standard school
    experiments. If based on a school
    experiment, it should offer a novel
    application, have some change, or use
    the method across a wider range of
    conditions.
  • Quantitative data is encourage but
    qualitative data will be accepted if
    analysed appropriately.
  • A risk assessment must be included
    with entries. Entries without a risk
    assessment included will not be
    considered for judging.
  • Formatting: Times New Roman or Arial
    font, 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm
    margins.

Submission Deadline:

11 September 2024

What to do:

1. Choose the topic you wish to
investigate.
2. Do some background research to
understand the main concepts
associated with your topic. Seek
expert knowledge from within your
community or the industry associated
with your topic.
3. Identify a problem or a knowledge
gap to address in your investigation.
4. Take some time to plan your
investigation and your experiments.
5. Perform your experiments! Keep a
detailed log book of your methods
and results. Make sure you note down
if anything goes wrong or was
unexpected.
6. Analyse your data and decide how
you want to display it. What kind of
graphs or tables will best show your
results?
7. Write up a report. Check out the
guides on the next few pages for
more information.
8. Submit your report as an A4 PDF. All
entries must be submitted via the
www.stat.org.au website, following the
required submission procedure.

Resources

 Writing a Primary Research Investigation Report

Writing a Secondary Research Investigation Report

Predictions v Hypotheses

Controlled Experiments

Variables

The Scientific Method

    Environmental Science Projects

    This category is open to DIVISIONS 4 – 6

    A Environmental Science Project can be used to report on a ‘grass-roots’ initiative in
    agriculture, conservation, land management or related disciplines. Projects can be Case
    Studies of works completed by a school, local community citizen science group or partnership.

    Unlike the Innovation Challenge, which focuses on planning and background research, Enviromental Science Projects must be carried out and include data generation, analysis, and discussion.

    Entry guidelines

    • This is an open section. Students plan,
      carry out and report on an experimental
      inquiry on a topic in which they have a
      personal interest, or is of community
      relevance.
    • Entries may be submitted by individuals
      or small groups of up to 3 students.
    • Entires should be related to the study of the environment or solving an environmental problem in
      the entrant’s school or local community.
    • A bibliography listing all resources used
      must be included.
    • An acknowledgements page identifying
      people who worked on the initiative
      must be included.
    • Formatting: Times New Roman or Arial
      font, 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm
      margins.

    Word limit

    • 1500 – 3000 words

    Submission Deadline

    11 September 2024

      What to do:

      1. Choose a problem or challenge you
      wish to address in your project. Make
      sure to clearly outline what this problem
      is in your background.
      2. Do some background research on your
      chosen topic. Seek expert knowledge
      from within your community or the
      industry associated with your topic.
      3. Write up a comprehensive background
      section summarising your research and
      your project aims.
      4. Include a section that addresses the
      methods, interventions, or strategies
      you will use to address your problem.
      5. Present your observations and results.
      Use measurements where possible.
      You can display your results however
      you like, as tables, graphs, photos,
      interview, maps, etc.
      6. Write your discussion section. This
      should describe the outcomes of your
      work, analyse what was and was not
      successful, identify errors or problems
      you encountered, and suggest possible
      improvements or future work that
      needs to be done.
      7. Write a report. Check out the guides below for more information.
      8. Submit your report as an A4 PDF. All
      entries must be submitted via the
      www.stat.org.au website, following the
      required submission procedure.

      Engineering Inventions

      This category is open to DIVISIONS 3 – 6

      Entry guidelines

      • This is an open section. Students plan,
        carry out and report on an experimental
        inquiry on a topic in which they have a
        personal interest, or is of community
        relevance.
      • Entries may be submitted by individuals
        or small groups of up to 3 students.
      • Using an Engineering Design Process,
        students identify a problem then create,
        test, and refine a working invention.
      • An invention may be a completely new
        idea or a significant refinement of an
        existing device. A method or process
        can be an invention.
      • An entry must be a working invention
        that solves a real problem. ICT-based
        projects in an Engineering or Science
        context are also eligible.
      • Entries must apply scientific principles
        and show research into similar or rival
        inventions or devices.
      • Entries must be well manufactured.
      • A bibliography listing all resources used
        must be included.
      • An acknowledgements page identifying
        people who worked on the initiative
        must be included.
      • Entries must include a risk assessment
        to be considered.
      • Both a logbook, video, and report must
        be submitted for an entry to be eligible.
      • Formatting: Times New Roman or Arial
        font, 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm
        margins.

      Word limit:

      • 800 – 3000 words

      Submission Deadline:

      11 September 2024

        What to do

        1. Choose a problem.
        2. Design a device or product to solve the
        problem or offer a different approach to
        the problem.
        3. Write up your report (use the Engineering Inventions Report link below as a guide)
        4. Submit your report as an A4 PDF. All
        entries must be submitted via the
        www.stat.org.au website, following the
        required submission procedure.
        Resources and inspiration
        Engineering Design Process

        Resources

        Engineering Design Process

        Engineering Inventions Report

        The Tasmanian Science Talent Search is an entirely non-profit endevour of the Science Teachers Association of Tasmania. TSTS relies on the generous support of sponsors to provide prize money and support the administrative costs of running this program.

        We would like to give a huge thank you to this years supporters, in particular, Rowe Scientific, without whom we would not be able to provide this opportunity to Tasmania’s science students.