Revising Project Summaries Submitted to the
California Science & Engineering Fair

How do I add new research results to my Project Summary after submitting my application?

The short answer is that you can’t.

The slightly longer answer is that doing so wouldn’t matter.

The reason is that your judges are predominantly practicing professional scientists and engineers who understand the purpose of abstracts and their time frame. They themselves attend professional conferences where they, too, have to submit abstracts of what they intend to present at these conferences. Since the abstract deadline for a typical conference is several months in advance of the conference, everyone understands that what is in the abstract, and what will be in the actual presentation, are not one and the same, and in some cases will be very different.

You are in the same situation. You submitted a Project Summary describing the state of your project, but since then you've done more work and want to write about the latest greatest results you have. That’s understandable, but ultimately futile. Tomorrow you’ll have something newer to report. Instead, relax, knowing that your Project Summary is a placeholder to show what you've been working on, and when you meet with the judges you will show them everything that you have accomplished. The interview is where judges truly get to learn about your work. The Project Summary is where they will first learn something of your work, but they will only judge you on your project display and the interviews.

Exception: If there is some defect in the Project Summary, a defect so serious as to cause it to misrepresent your work (or say something contrary to what you had intended) then contact the Fair and explain what the problem is. They will be glad to work with you to fix such problems, but they will not indulge in wholesale changes or minor updates.