As teachers we are constantly striving for ways in which to excite, motivate and reward our students. The competition programs are one resource that we should consider introducing to our students. They require students to go beyond the daily lessons of the science class and to take responsibility for a project of their choosing. Competition programs also provide a benchmark by which students can compare their work to those of other students across the country.
Different programs have different areas of focus and different appeals.
And the best part is that all students can be winners in a good competition program and some students can earn substantial scholarship money. My involvement with competitions has included a wide range of diverse programs all providing opportunities of growth for students and teachers. I briefly describe some of these programs below. I do know that some teachers shy away from competition programs because of some of the negative aspects that they attribute to competitions. In one sense, every endeavor is a competition of sorts.