This is a wonderful question. I judge science fairs every year and I wish I could tell all students this. A great project is one that YOU come up with because an interesting question occurs to YOU. You figure out a way to test it. You figure out what your results mean and can talk about them. You come up with a graph that tells the story of your data. You may get help with things along the way, but the project is yours. You understand it and can answer questions about it. These get my highest scores. I have seen great projects on shaving cream, chewing gum, and twigs nibbled by deer.

I have given very low scores to projects with elaborate displays that did not reflect a student investigating his or her own question or projects with a lot of technical information that the student didn't understand.

Here's what I don't want to see, as a judge: A project you got out of a book/off an Internet site and didn't customize; a project that just demonstrates something already known without asking a new question to extend what we know; a project that you did because someone told you to; a report of stuff you found on the Internet, anything you can't explain yourself; a project that has no interesting question, it's just done because it seems easy (example: I gave this plant root beer, this plant orange juice, and this plant milk).

Start by looking around your home, school, areas where you play, etc. and trying to find questions about what you see, hear, eat, use, and wear. Think about how you could break big, complex questions down into simple ones you could answer with an experiment. Brainstorm with teachers, friends, and family. Write back if you have more questions.

Good luck with the project.