Competition Process
Each team of students will receive a lunar or Martian soil simulant package complete with pots, masks, and a pH meter or strips. The lunar and Martian soil simulants are specially designed to mimic the soil of the Moon or Mars in chemistry, composition, grain size, and density. Teams will also receive a digital Project Guide from the Institute of Competition Sciences (available August 1). Following the Project Guide, you will create your own experiment to examine important variables related to plant growth in the simulant. Results from your experiment will be shown to our scientific evaluators to select Best in Show winning projects! Visit www.plantthemoon.com/timeline for more details about the project tasks.Judging Criteria
See https://www.plantthemoon.com/home for examples of past winning experiments.Awards & Recognition
Best in Show - High School Level
This award counts toward these ICS Academic Badges.
The Experimental Design badge is awarded to students who earn recognition in competitions that demonstrate their ability to plan and execute high-quality scientific investigations. This badge demonstrates knowledge in identifying important scientific questions, developing experimental protocols, isolating variables, and implementing operational procedures. Associated skills: Formulate valid hypotheses and design repeatable experiments; plan and execute scientific investigations; maintain a control system to validate testing; account for environmental and human error factors.
Best in Show - Collegiate Level
This award counts toward these ICS Academic Badges.
The Experimental Design badge is awarded to students who earn recognition in competitions that demonstrate their ability to plan and execute high-quality scientific investigations. This badge demonstrates knowledge in identifying important scientific questions, developing experimental protocols, isolating variables, and implementing operational procedures. Associated skills: Formulate valid hypotheses and design repeatable experiments; plan and execute scientific investigations; maintain a control system to validate testing; account for environmental and human error factors.
Florida Best in Show - High School Level
This award counts toward these ICS Academic Badges.
The Experimental Design badge is awarded to students who earn recognition in competitions that demonstrate their ability to plan and execute high-quality scientific investigations. This badge demonstrates knowledge in identifying important scientific questions, developing experimental protocols, isolating variables, and implementing operational procedures. Associated skills: Formulate valid hypotheses and design repeatable experiments; plan and execute scientific investigations; maintain a control system to validate testing; account for environmental and human error factors.
Georgia Best in Show - High School Level
This award counts toward these ICS Academic Badges.
The Experimental Design badge is awarded to students who earn recognition in competitions that demonstrate their ability to plan and execute high-quality scientific investigations. This badge demonstrates knowledge in identifying important scientific questions, developing experimental protocols, isolating variables, and implementing operational procedures. Associated skills: Formulate valid hypotheses and design repeatable experiments; plan and execute scientific investigations; maintain a control system to validate testing; account for environmental and human error factors.
Iowa Best in Show - High School Level
This award counts toward these ICS Academic Badges.
The Experimental Design badge is awarded to students who earn recognition in competitions that demonstrate their ability to plan and execute high-quality scientific investigations. This badge demonstrates knowledge in identifying important scientific questions, developing experimental protocols, isolating variables, and implementing operational procedures. Associated skills: Formulate valid hypotheses and design repeatable experiments; plan and execute scientific investigations; maintain a control system to validate testing; account for environmental and human error factors.
Massachusetts Best in Show - High School Level
This award counts toward these ICS Academic Badges.
The Experimental Design badge is awarded to students who earn recognition in competitions that demonstrate their ability to plan and execute high-quality scientific investigations. This badge demonstrates knowledge in identifying important scientific questions, developing experimental protocols, isolating variables, and implementing operational procedures. Associated skills: Formulate valid hypotheses and design repeatable experiments; plan and execute scientific investigations; maintain a control system to validate testing; account for environmental and human error factors.
Texas Best in Show - High School Level
This award counts toward these ICS Academic Badges.
The Experimental Design badge is awarded to students who earn recognition in competitions that demonstrate their ability to plan and execute high-quality scientific investigations. This badge demonstrates knowledge in identifying important scientific questions, developing experimental protocols, isolating variables, and implementing operational procedures. Associated skills: Formulate valid hypotheses and design repeatable experiments; plan and execute scientific investigations; maintain a control system to validate testing; account for environmental and human error factors.
Participate
Website: https://www.plantthemoon.com
Managing Organization: Institute of Competition Sciences
High School & University/Professional teams are all welcome to participate and will be judged & awarded according to their age division. Elementary & Middle School students can participate in Plant the Moon Challenge Jr!