Grades K-2

All of our K-2 contestants were awarded a spinning medal and our earned highest respect for delving into the scientific method at such a young age! The judges were highly impressed by their enthusiasm, their level of understanding of their projects, and the degree to which their projects had been accomplished independently. We were also able to award special prizes, thanks to our sponsor Folkmanis Puppets:

Grades 3-4

This group was the biggest competitive category, and also the most hotly debated by our judges. There were so many truly excellent projects that the judges had an awful time deciding on winners. After long deliberation, they were able to pick five projects to honor, but couldn't narrow it down more than that. So we had two honorable mentions. One received a $20 gift certificate to Book Exchange, and the other received a year's subscription to The Happy Scientist. Our top three scientists received both these prizes, and our winner also received a birthday party from Mad Science of Hampton Roads. Exciting!

Grades 5-6

All of the top three in this category received a one year subscription to The Happy Scientist web site, and a $20 gift certificate to Book Exchange in Norfolk. The winner also received a family membership to the Mariner's Museum for one year, and one tuition to a series of homeschool classes there.

Grades 7-8

All of the top three in this category received a one year subscription to The Happy Scientist web site, and a $20 gift certificate to Book Exchange in Norfolk. The winner also received a middle school life science kit provided by eScience Labs.

Grades 9-12

We had one entry in our high school category. When the judges went in to interview her, I told them to really give her the third degree! They told me afterward that they had grilled her for a full 30 minutes, and that she'd been confident, poised, articulate, and serene throughout. They were very proud of her project and her demonstration of knowledge, and were happy to award her first place, even though she had no competition. Those of you who know her will of course realize that she's very used to competition. She's been to the national spelling bee multiple times! Rebecca received a gift certificate to Book Exchange in Norfolk, and also a $100 prize from one of our financial sponsors, Green Olive Tree.

Isaac Newton Hard-Hitting Research Award:
Karate Gi and three months of training at Norfolk Karate Academy

 This prize was awarded to one of our 3rd and 4th grade scientists. He was a student who several of the judges felt should be "in the medals" overall. One judge in particular was very impressed with his research and knowledge of his topic, so this was a chance for him to be recognized in a special way. This prize went to Nathan K. who will be enjoying three months of punching, kicking, and authorized yelling, courtesy of Norfolk Karate Academy.

In addition to those companies who donated prizes for us to give directly to the chidlren, our wonderful financial sponsors made it possible for us to underwrite the children's science class, demo, and IMAX movie as part of the registration fee, and also present nice medals and trophies to the kids. They are Green Olive Tree, Moore Expressions, SKS Science, and Brooks Systems. For more about our sponsors, please visit our sponsor page. Do say thank you, if you get the chance, for their support of this event. It means a lot, and we need your help to show our gratitude!