SciPOP Science Demonstration Contest 2024 video highlights

The SciPOP Science Demonstration Contest 2024 was concluded on 11 May 2024. Thank you to all students and adjudicators for your participation in making the Contest a success. The results of the Final are as follows:

Champion      Pui Kiu College (Team B)

First Runner-up      St. Paul's Convent School (Team A)

Second Runner-up      Pope Paul VI College (Team B)

Merit Prizes (in no particular order)

The SciPOP Science Demonstration Contest is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Education Bureau. It aims at fostering the pursuit of science knowledge among secondary school students, enhancing their creativity, presentation and science communication skills. The SciPOP Science Demonstration Contest 2024 will have "Palaeontology" as the theme. Contestants are required to use props and experiments to present topics in palaeontology in a lively and interesting way. Winning teams will have the opportunity to join the Young Scientists Study Tour 2024 to go on a palaeontology related field trip for free. Local secondary school students aged 15 or above are welcome to participate. The application period will be from 3 October to 23 November 2023. Don't miss this precious opportunity. Come showcase your creativity and spread science together!

Eligibility
Talk cum Briefing Session
Application Period and Method
Details of the Contest
Prizes

Eligibility
• Contestants must be full-time Hong Kong secondary school students aged 15 or above (as at 31.12.2023)
• Contestants shall enter the competition on a school basis
• Each school can nominate a maximum of 2 teams, and each team shall comprise 2-4 students

Talk cum Briefing Session
Palaeontology may sound unfamiliar to you. In fact, it is a rich field that incorporates knowledge from biology, geology, ecology and even computer technology. It can help us to unravel the mysteries of past life on Earth, provide us insight for how ecosystem works, and how organisms evolve to climate and environmental changes.
To enhance the understanding of teachers and students on the Contest details and the theme "Palaeontology", a briefing session will be held to introduce the Contest details. The Hong Kong Science Museum is honoured to have Prof. PITTMAN Michael, Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, to give a talk about Palaeontology in the session.

Speaker: Prof. PITTMAN Michael (Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong) and Assistant Curator of Hong Kong Science Museum
Date: 03.10.2023 (Tue)
Time: 4:30 – 6:15 pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Science Museum
Language: Cantonese with English supplementation

Application Period and Method
3.10.2023 (Tue) to 23.11.2023 (Thur) (by 11:59pm)
(Application Closed)

Details of the Contest

Training Session on Presentation Skills
In order to empower students' science communication skills, a specific workshop is arranged and all the contestants are required to participate.
Date: 5.12.2023 (Tue)
Time: 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Science Museum

Preliminary Round
Participation Method: Submission of Demonstration Overview and Trailer, the 12 teams with the highest scores will advance to the Final.

Details of Preliminary
• Teams are required to choose a topic related to palaeontology and develop a science presentation
• Prepare a Demonstration Overview (in Chinese or English) and a 3-minute Demonstration Trailer
• Demonstration Overview and Trailer must be submitted within 27.11.2023 (Mon) – 11.1.2024 (Thu) by 11:59pm by the specified method

The Demonstration Overview must include:
i. Title
ii. Aim
iii. Introduction
iv. Science concepts involved
iv. Demonstration process, including a brief description of the props and experiments to be used for the demonstration (pictures and photos can be used to assist expression, but the number is limited to 10)

The 3-minute Demonstration Trailer must include:
i. Aim
ii. Science concepts involved
iii. Introduce the demonstration process in a fluent and attractive way, including related props or experiments, as well as key experiments (pictures and photos can be used to assist presentation)

Judging criteria include:
1. Scientific accuracy (30%)
2. Creativity and attractiveness (25%)
3. Use of props and experimental skills (25%)
4. Presentation skills (20%)

How to submit:
• The way to submit Demonstration Overview and Demonstration Trailer will be notified to the participating teams by email
• The deadline for submission is 11.1.2024 (Thu) at 11:59pm. Overdue works will not be accepted

Preliminary results
• The adjudicators will review the works of each team according to the established criteria, and the 12 teams with the highest scores will advance to the Final
•The Preliminary result will be announced in late February 2024.

Details of Final
Teams qualifying for the Final must:
• Based on the topic and content submitted in the Preliminary round, write and submit a detailed Demonstration Proposal and a 10-minute Demonstration Video for rehearsal and reference for the judging panel and the organisers
• Participate in the Final held on 11.5.2024 (Sat)

Submit Demonstration Proposal and Video:
• The method of submitting the Demonstration Proposal and Video is the same as that of the Preliminary
• The deadline for submission is 9.4.2024 (Tue) at 11:59pm, late entries will not be accepted

The Demonstration Proposal must include:
i. Title
ii. Aim
iii. Introduction
iv. Science concepts involved
v. Props/instruments/chemicals used in the demonstration
vi. 10-minute demonstration process (pictures and photos can be used to assist presentation, but the number is limited to 15)

10 minutes Demonstration Video
i. Make props and prepare experiments according to the Demonstration Proposal
ii. Record a 10-minute Demonstration Video to preview the presentation on the date of Final

On-site Rehearsal
• The finalists must go to the lecture hall of the Museum for on-site rehearsal
• Rehearsal will be held in the afternoons on 15.4.2024 (Mon) to 18.4.2024 (Thu).

Final
Participation Method: Conduct a 10-minute science presentation and take questions from the panel of adjudicators
Date: 4.5.2024 (Sat)  11.5.2024 (Sat)
Venue: Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Science Museum
• Each team must give a 10-minute science presentation to the adjudicators and the public
• Demonstrations must be conducted by props or small experiments
• Judging criteria include:
  1. Scientific accuracy (30%)
  2. Creativity (20%)
  3. Use of props and experimental skills (20%)
  4. Presentation skills (15%)
  5. Team work (15%)
• After the presentation is complete, the panel of adjudicators will question and score the contestants on the content of the presentation
• The results will be announced immediately after the Contest and will be uploaded to the Hong Kong Science Museum website later

Prizes
• Awards include the Champion, 1st Runner-up, 2nd Runner-up and three Merit Prizes. Trophies and certificates will be presented to all winning teams. Participation certificates will be presented to the remaining finalists.
• Students of the top three winning teams will be entitled to join the Young Scientists Study Tour 2024.
• The remaining finalists will compete for individual places to join the Young Scientists Study Tour 2024 through a group interview to be held on 21.5.2024 (Tue).
• The Champion, 1st Runner-up, 2nd Runner-up will have the opportunity to perform their demonstration at the Hong Kong Science Museum.

Young Scientist Study Tour 2024

The "Young Scientist Study Tour 2024" will be held during 22.7.2024 (Mon) to 27.7.2024 (Sat). Participants will meet the palaeontology experts and conduct field studies in the Mainland.

Important Dates

Terms and Conditions

1. The Contest is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Education Bureau
2. Contestants need to guarantee that the content of the entries do not infringe any copyright, and are the owners of the copyright and publication right. Please refer to relevant ordinances. The organisers take no liability whatsoever regarding any infringement therein. For the sake of respect for intellectual property rights, the source of any non-original content must be acknowledged.
3. Contestants shall understand and agree to grant and assign exclusively to the organisers all the intellectual property rights of the submitted entry. The organisers have the right to display the entry content, title, synopsis and contestants' information in any form of media for demonstration, publication, exhibition, promotion or any non-commercial activities. The organisers also have the authority to edit, translate, adapt, use, copy and distribute, in whole or in part of the entries without any need for prior consent of or payment of fees to the contestants.
4. Entries of non-awarded teams will be destroyed in one year after completion of the Contest.
5. Video and photo shooting will be performed in each stage of the Contest. The organisers are deemed to take and use images of contestants for educational and promotional purposes.
6. All decisions made by the organisers for the Contest are final and binding, and the organisers reserve the right to amend the rules of the Contest.
7. Contestants give consent to all rules of the Contest by submitting the application form.

Enquiries
Should you have any enquiries, please call Mr Tsui at 27315442 during office hours (Monday to Friday 9:00am-1:00pm and 2:00pm to 5:00pm, except public holidays)