Started in 1962, the Canadian-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) is an annual science fair in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

coordinated by Youth Science Canada. Finalists qualify from approximately 25,000 competitors at over 100 Youth Science Canada-affiliated regional science fairs in every province and territory, or, in the province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, the provincial science fair. Competition is split into three age/grade categories: Junior for grades 7 and 8, Intermediate for grades 9 and 10, and Senior for grades 11, 12 and Cégep. The Canada-Wide Science Fair is a weeklong event. Students travel with their respective regional representatives to the designated location (listed below). The Canada-Wide Science Fair has been held every year since 1962. The Canada-Wide Science Fair was presented by

Blackberry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...

from 2012 through 2014.

History

The First Canada-Wide Science Fair was held May 11 and 12, 1962 at the Science Building at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...

in Ottawa. In 1962, the fair was co-sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa Incorporated. The initial Headquarters for the Canadian Science Fairs Council was 45 Rideau Street, Ottawa. The two-day science fair was made up of 45 exhibits of regional winners from secondary school fairs across the country. The 2020 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton, Alberta was cancelled due to concerns over the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic: the cancellation was the first time that Youth Science Canada had ever cancelled the fair. Next year saw its return on a virtual basis.

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF)

Several competitors and winners from the Canada-Wide Science Fair have been selected for competition at the

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is an annual science fair in the United States. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Each May, more tha ...

as part of Team Canada, among them inventors

Ann Makosinski Ann Makosinski is a Canadian inventor and public speaker. She is best known for her invention of the thermoelectric flashlight in 2011. Early life and education Makosinski is of Filipino and Polish descent. Makosinski's family lives in Saan ...

and

Alex Deans Alexander Deans (born May 1, 1997) is a Canadian-British inventor. At age 12, he created the "iAid", a navigation device for the blind which won the 2013 Canada-Wide Science Fair in the intermediate category and several awards at the 2014 Intel ...

. Past Canada-Wide Science Fair winners Raymond Wang and Austin Wang both from

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, BC, won the Gordon E. Moore award at

Intel ISEF The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is an annual science fair in the United States. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Each May, more th ...

in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Awards

Almost $1 million in awards and scholarships is given out each year at the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Bronze, silver, and gold medals are awarded to outstanding projects in each age/grade category (see above). Challenge awards are presented for the best project in each of seven STEM challenges (discovery, energy, environment, health, information, innovation and resources) for each age/grade category. Sponsored special awards are also offered. Three Grand Awards recognize the top project from the gold medal winners in each age/grade category: The Best Project Award (including $2,500 cash) is presented to the top overall project, regardless of category. The top projects from the two remaining categories receive Platinum Awards, which include $1,000 cash. Two or three of the platinum award winners compete at the

European Union Contest for Young Scientists The European Union (EU) Contest for Young Scientists is a science fair, initiated by the European Commission. It is a part of the European Union Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, and is managed by the Directorate Gen ...

Host Cities

Below is a list of host cities of the Canada Wide Science Fair.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://cwsf.youthscience.ca/
Youth Science Canada
Educational organizations based in Ontario Annual fairs Scientific organizations based in Canada Pickering, Ontario Competitions in Canada Science competitions Fairs in Canada Science events in Canada Annual events in Canada 1962 establishments in Canada Recurring events established in 1962