Plan to double first prize in science and technology competition for students

The winning rate of the Science and Technology Competition for students may increase from 50 to 70% of the total number of entries, with the number of first and second prizes doubling.

According to the Draft Regulations for the National Science and Technology Research Competition for High School Students issued by the Ministry of Education and Training at the end of October, the competition will not count first, second, third, and fourth prizes as it does now, but will instead be ranked according to three levels of gold, silver, and bronze medals.

The winning rate of the competition has also changed. The number of gold medal projects accounts for a maximum of 10% of the total projects, double the current 5% of the first prize. Similarly, the rate of silver medal projects increases from 10 to 20%, bronze medals from 15 to 40%. The total award rate increases from 50 to 70%.

Current regulations	Prize ratio	Draft new regulations	Prize ratio
Best	5%	Gold Medal	10%
Second	10%	Silver Medal	20%
Three	15%	Bronze	40%
Private	20%

In addition, the Ministry of Education and Training plans to change the project evaluation criteria. The total score remains 100, but the score for data collection, analysis and interpretation will decrease from 20 to 15. This difference will be compensated by the creativity criterion, increasing from 20 to 25 points. The remaining criteria will not change their scores.

The Ministry requires that the content of students' scientific and technical research be practical and appropriate to the psychology of their age. Projects must also ensure honesty in scientific research; do not use or present the content or research results of others as students' own.

This draft regulation is open for comments until December 31.

The National Science and Technology Competition is held annually, usually in March. Last year, 143 projects by 272 students from middle school to high school made it to the final round.

The fields of the competition include: Mathematics; Physics and Astronomy; Chemistry; Biology; Information Technology; Engineering and Technology; Earth and Environmental Sciences; Social Sciences...

The winning students will receive certificates of merit from the Minister of Education and Training and the Central Youth Union. Projects that win gold medals will also be considered for participation in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Prize-winning candidates also have an advantage when applying for university because many schools directly admit or give priority to students who win prizes in this competition.

See full text of draft Circular