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Art of Science Contest – Rules and Entry

The contest is open to all students currently enrolled in grades 6-12 in Poudre School District. All entries must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on May 15, 2020 and winners will be selected and announced by May 28, 2020. Contest entrants are asked use a creative medium of their choosing (video, visual art, written, or music) to address one or more of the following categories:

  • a scientific concept in any field
  • a notable scientific experiment or achievement in any field
  • a current mystery or open question in science, in any field

Official Rules

  1. Every entry must be the original work of a current PSD student or group of current PSD students. People who are not PSD students may offer feedback and/or provide assistance for safety purposes, but all work deserving of a creator credit must be done by current PSD students.
  2. Students must have the permission of their parent/guardian to enter.
  3. One prize will be awarded per winning entry. If a team of students creates a winning entry, the whole team will receive one prize.
  4. Originality is important — prize decisions will be based in part on the originality of entries. Your entry should not closely mirror an existing work, though you may draw inspiration from existing works. 
  5. Entries must not be offensive, explicit, or derogatory. The LSOP reserves the right to reject entries we deem offensive, explicit, or derogatory.
  6. Winning entries will be made public on the LSOP website and social media. Winners’ names and schools will be announced, unless they opt out.
  7. Student(s) and parent(s)/guardian(s) give LSOP/PSD full rights to use their submission for fundraising, publicity, or other purposes to help achieve their goals. These uses may include (but are not limited to) printed and online publicity, social media, press releases, and funding applications.

Media of Entry

Video (short films in any style — live action, animated, etc.)

  • Film and submit a video up to 4 minutes in length.
  • Your work must have a title and be accompanied by an explanatory paragraph (limit 200 words, excluding author name(s) and the title).
    • The paragraph must be followed by a section listing any and all sources of information you used (this list doesn’t count toward the word limit). No particular citation format is required; just make sure we can find the source you used.

Visual art (drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, jewelry, sewing/embroidery, etc.) 

  • Your work must have a title and be accompanied by an explanatory paragraph (limit 200 words, excluding author name(s) and the title).
    • The paragraph must be followed by a section listing any and all sources of information you used (this list doesn’t count toward the word limit). No particular citation format is required; just make sure we can find the source you used.
  • Submit up to 6 images of your work.
    • You may submit a collection of work as a single entry, but the 6-image total per-entry limit still applies (and only one title and paragraph should be submitted per entry).

Music (compositions of any genre — pop, rap, country, etc.)

  • Compose a musical work and submit an audio recording up to 4 minutes in length of the composition being performed by the entrant(s).
  • Your lyrics must be an original composition by the entrant(s), though they may be set to the tune of an existing public domain work if this work is properly credited.
  • Your work must have a title and be accompanied by an explanatory paragraph (limit 200 words, excluding author name(s) and the title).
    • The paragraph must be followed by a section listing any and all sources of information you used (this list doesn’t count toward the word limit). No particular citation format is required; just make sure we can find the source you used.

Written work (short story, poem of any style, script for a mini-play, etc.)

  • The total word limit for all types of written work is 1500 words, excluding title, author names, and references.
    • You may submit a collection of work as a single entry, but 1500-word total per-entry limit still applies.
    • If you are submitting a script, names indicating the character speaking a line are excluded from the total, but stage directions are included.
  • All work must include a section listing any and all sources of information you used (this list doesn’t count toward the word limit). No particular citation format required; just make sure we can find the source you used.
  • Feel free to be creative with formatting, but use easily legible fonts or hand-lettering techniques (typewriter-style font good; medieval script font bad) and text colors (dark green good; light yellow bad).

Judging and Prizes

Colorado State University students and staff will judge the contest entries. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

  • Best explanation or representation of a science concept, experiment, or achievement
    • one prize each for life sciences and physical sciences
  • Best explanation or representation of a mystery or open question in science
    • one prize each for life sciences and physical sciences
  • Most creative representation of something that cannot normally be seen or heard
  • Most creative use of everyday objects
  • Best use of humor or comedy to explain a scientific concept

Originality will be weighed heavily in the judging process. Students whose entries closely mirror work already available online will be much less likely to win a prize than students whose work is highly creative and contributes uniquely to the broader set of artistic representations of science. 

The grand prize is a school visit by the Little Shop of Physics Traveling Science Experience during the 2020/2021 school year. Other prizes include:

  • Make a video at the Little Shop of Physics Studio!
  • Spend a day as a Little Shop of Physics Intern!
  • a USB microscope
  • duct tape and a multi tool
  • other awesome Little Shop of Physics prizes!

Entry Form