Terms and Conditions of Entry in the Queensland Science Contest

• Failure to meet all entry deadlines may result in disqualification of the entry.
• Entries must meet the safety standards as described below & in the Contest Handbook. Projects involving illegal activities will not be accepted.
• Entries must be uploaded to the contest platform as outlined in the Contest Handbook.
• Models and inventions may contain commercially available components such as switches, motors, meters etc, however entries must not have been solely assembled from, or based on, commercially produced kits.
• Entries must not breach Copyright regulations.
• A reflective journal must be submitted with each entry.
• Acknowledgement of all assistance received in preparing the entry is to be noted in the reflective journal.

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Safety and Ethical Considerations 

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

For example:
• Any study involving experiments on living animals must be carefully considered to ensure that the animal(s) are properly cared for. Projects involving living animals must follow national guidelines.
• 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.
• Agar plates will NOT be accepted as part of an entry.
• All cultured organisms should be treated as potentially pathogenic. Agar plates should not be exposed where pathogenic organisms may exist, e.g. toilets, near persons coughing or sneezing. Further guidelines are available on the Queensland Department of Education website.
• Projects involving blood or other body fluids will only be accepted if they have been carried out under strict medical supervision, for instance, in a hospital research centre while working with a scientist. No blood products will be accepted as part of an entry.
• 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.

Entrants who are unsure as to whether their project complies with the safety considerations should contact the STAQ office for clarification before submitting their entry for judging.