
General
Will BTYSTE be proceeding as normal this year?
The 2022 exhibition will proceed but there will be no public facing exhibition this year due to the uncertainties around Covid-19 pandemic. The event will take place from Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 January, 2022. We have never at any stage felt that cancelling this 58 year institution would be the right thing to do and will work to ensure the exhibition will proceed in January in a fitting way.
Will the BTYSTE be held in the RDS?
No, for 2022 there will be no in-person public-facing exhibition. The exhibition will run online. We have made this decision in relation to the uncertainties around Covid-19 pandemic.
When is BTYSTE 2022 taking place?
BTYSTE 2022 will take place virtually from Wednesday the 10th of January to Friday the 12th of January 2022.
What format will BTYSTE 2022 take?
The event will be completely virtual this year. The entry process will remain the same with eligible students entering on-line in September but there will be no physical exhibition due to Covid-19.
Will the application deadline be extended due to Covid-19?
At the moment the application deadlines remains the 27th of September, but this will be constantly reviewed in line with the advice and decisions made by Department of Education and Skills, HSE and Department of Health, the Health and Safety of those involved in the exhibition is paramount. If this date changes we will notify people of the relevant changes via our social media channels.
Will the public be able to attend the BTYSTE 2022?
Yes! Just like last year, they can do this virtually via the BT Young Scientist Portal. We will not be having a public exhibition due to Covid-19. We are currently developing a full programme of activity that the general public can access on-line. More information on this programme will be launched later in the year.
Will Covid-19 affect the number of projects that qualify for the BTYSTE?
The number of projects that qualify will be a max of 550.
Will you have more entries next year to make up for reduced numbers this year?
There is no change in numbers this year, the number of projects that qualify will be a max of 550, this is the number that would have competed at a physical exhibition.
How will be BTYSTE be run virtually?
We will be running the 2022 exhibition via our online portal https://portal.btyoungscientist.com/ Students will submit videos of their projects and the public can roam our virtual exhibition hall to access these. The entry system will remain the same and is open to students at www.btyoungscientist.com.
Student/Teacher Questions
To note there will be no entry fee associated with entering a project into BTYSTE2022 – this fee is normally €20 per student
Will BTYSTE be judged virtually this year if the event doesn’t go ahead in the RDS?
Yes, all judging from screening of projects to shortlist qualified projects, to the final judging of those shortlisted will take place remotely for 2022.
To note there will be no entry fee associated with entering a project into BTYSTE2022 – this fee is normally €20 per student
How will projects be judged?
Stage one (to September 27th) – Please enter via www.btyoungscientist.com. Screening of all entries will take place as soon after closing date as possible.
Stage two (October tbc) – For those that that qualify you will be sent notification of the process for on-line judging and how to upload more information required by the judges.
Stage three (January) – Judging of top 550 projects will take place virtually and the process around this will be released in December at the latest. There will be changes to some of the T&C’s associated with the exhibition and we will inform those that these changes effect in good time.
How will students display their projects?
All projects will be displayed virtually as we will not have a physical exhibition this year. Qualifying Students will submit a 3 minute video that will act as their virtual “stand”
How will the judging work online?
Judging for the 2022 exhibition will once again be held via MS Teams. Students will receive an invite and be joined on the call by one of our Judges and a BT Volunteer
What technology partners will be involved in running this?
We are reviewing what technology and platforms we can use to do this. We are working through the mechanism of this over the next few months and will inform those that qualify in good time of how this will happen.
How does GDPR affect the exhibition moving online? Most students involved are under the age of 18?
We have existing GDPR guidelines and place which will reviewed and enhanced, if necessary, over the coming months. There will be changes to some of the T&C’s associated with the exhibition and we will inform those that these changes effect in good time.
Will BTYSTE be livestreamed for students who can’t attend due to social distancing measures?
Yes, students can access the portal to view projects, sponsors stands and shows at https://portal.btyoungscientist.com/
How will the format/ running order differ as the exhibition moves online?
We are working on how best to do this in advance of the 2021 exhibition dates. How this looks and feels will be announced in due course, we want to make sure that we have the best exhibition possible and we need to take time and resource to plan this properly.
What online child protection provisions will be in place for BTYSTE 2021?
We will be reviewing all child protection measures that we currently have in place for BTYSTE and will enhance those if necessary.
Will we be able to access virtual events/talks through the BTYSTE app on mobile/tablet?
We are working on how best to do this in advance of the 2022 exhibition dates. How this looks and feels will be announced in due course, we want to make sure that we have the best exhibition possible and we need to take time and resource to plan this properly.
When is the deadline for the BTYSTE 2022?
The deadline for student entries is the 27th of September, we will be constantly reviewing this in line with decisions made by the Department of Education and Skills, in relation to schools openings and timetables for the 2021/22 school year.
What kind of project can I enter?
Students can enter a project as normal, in the four categories we have for the exhibition. All the details are on our website www.btyoungscientist.com. The entry system will remain the same and is open to students at www.btyoungscientist.com.
Will the entry system change this year?
No the entry system remains the same and these can be accessed via our website www.btyoungscientist.com.
If my project is something physical how will I get to show that off to judges?
You will need to have a video of how your project works physically to show the judges, You also should have any prototypes with you when judging is ongoing so you can show the judges virtually how they work. We are reviewing the technology stack in regards to this part of the process.
Will the application deadline be extended due to Covid-19?
The deadline for student’s entries is the 27th of September, we will be constantly reviewing this in line with decisions made by the Department of Education and Skills, in relation to schools openings and timetables for the 2021/22 school year.
If I don’t get to enter this year can I still enter my idea next year?
If you are between 12-19 in second level education, yes you can enter next year.
Will patent protection still apply in a virtual/online setting?
Yes and guidance on this for qualified projects will be send out when you are notified that you have qualified. We hope to once again work with the Patents office so students can get free advice on patenting their projects.
Visitor questions
Will be school/ parents/ teachers still be able to attend and visit?
As we are not having a physical event then they will be unable to attend, they can of course attend virtually.
Will the public be able to attend the BTYSTE 2022?
As we are not having a physical event they will be unable to attend, they can of course attend virtually via https://portal.btyoungscientist.com/
Will visitors be able see the qualified projects?
Yes! Students projects can be viewed via https://portal.btyoungscientist.com/
How much are tickets for BTYSTE 2022?
Registration and access to the portal is completely free!
What happens if I miss a live event at the BTYSTE 2022?
Luckily with most of our live shows, you will be able to watch them back whenever you like on the portal.
The Primary Science Fair
When is the application deadline for Primary Science Fair 2022?
The deadline for Primary Science Fair will be in November 2021 – the final date will be announced in September.
How many qualified projects will be accepted this year?
We will be looking at approx. 100 projects to enter this year and these should come from full class groups in an individual school. If the school has a small community then one or more classes can do a project together as long as there are no more than 30 students involved. Students should be from 3rd-6th class.
How will judging for Primary Science Fair take place for 2022?
PSF judging will take place virtually, with the judges for PSF interviewing the class remotely. This can happen in a classroom setting via MS Teams. The class will be asked to present a poster outlining details of their project, final details of this will be sent to schools when we formally launch PSF @BTYSTE2022..
Will participating classes be able to present their project together virtually?
No, individual classes will need to present their projects.
Will the max number of students per project change for PSF 2022?
As we do each year, there will be a max of 30 students per project.
How will a participating class present their project for PSF 2022?
This will be done via a suitable digital platform, which is available to the school and also to the PSF judges.
What dates will the Primary Science Fair take place in 2022?
PSF @ BTYSTE 2022 will take place virtually from Wednesday the 10th of January to Friday the 12th of January 2022.