How projects are scored when judges see different ones
Each project's score is the average of the judges who judged it, not the total, so a project seen by two judges is not behind one seen by three. For each criterion the judges' points are averaged, then added up out of 100. Projects with fewer judges than most in their category are flagged.
The science fair rubric is the Regeneron ISEF grand award split: research question 10, design and methodology 15, execution 20, creativity and potential impact 20, poster 10 and interview 25. Change the names and points to match your fair's rubric.
Example: three judges, each seeing two projects
Judges A and B judge project 101 (18 and 16 out of 20), A and C judge 102 (12 and 14), B and C judge 103 (15 and 17). The averages are 17, 13 and 16, so 101 is first and 103 second, although 103 and 101 had different judges.
Hard and easy judges
When judges see different projects, a tough judge can sink their projects. In Results, turn on the judge adjustment: each judge's points on a criterion are shifted so their average matches the average of all judges on that criterion in the same category (or also stretched to the same spread). A judge with fewer than three projects in a category is measured over all categories, and one with fewer than three projects in all is left as typed. It works best when each judge sees a fair mix of projects.
Sharing out projects
Type how many judges each project should get and the tool shares the projects out evenly, within each judge's categories if you set them. Each judge's sheet lists only their projects, by number and title. Scholarship committees can use the Scholarship preset the same way, with applicants instead of projects.
Questions
What are the judging criteria for a science fair?
Fairs set their own. The Regeneron ISEF grand award criteria use research question (10 points), design and methodology (15), execution (20), creativity and potential impact (20) and presentation (35: poster 10, interview 25).
How many judges should see each project?
Use as many as you have time for. With two or more, one judge's view does not decide a place on its own, and projects may have different numbers of judges, because each is averaged over the judges who saw it. Set the number and the tool shares out the projects evenly.
How do you combine scores when judges saw different projects?
Average each project's scores over the judges who saw it. Totals would favour projects that happened to get more judges. If one judge is much harder than the rest, the judge adjustment in Results evens it out.
How are ties broken?
Projects level to two decimals share the place. You can pick a criterion to break ties, such as the interview, or leave the tie for the judges to settle.
Can we use it for scholarship applications?
Yes. Pick Scholarship in step 1: readers score each applicant on your rubric, each reader can take a share of the applications, and the ranked list shows how many readers saw each one.
Where are the scores kept?
In this browser on this device, saved after every keystroke. Nothing is uploaded. Save a backup file to hand the tally to another organiser.
Sources: Society for Science, Regeneron ISEF grand award judging criteria. Checked October 2026. Your fair's own rubric comes first.