Intel ISEF 2013 Special Awards Ceremonies

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
Phoenix, AZ
May 12th-17th, 2013

Procedure

The award ceremonies will begin with a short introduction by a Society for Science & the Public (SSP) representative. Each organization will have an assigned seat near the stage and the SSP representative will introduce presenters from each organization. The presenter will take his or her place in the middle of the stage. The SSP representative will call out the names of the student and describe the awards while the presenter greets the student on stage and shakes their hands.

The award winners will be announced in ascending order. As the students come to the stage, many of their family and friends will come forward to take their pictures.

More than 200 awards will be presented at the Special Award ceremony. With your help, the ceremonies can be managed efficiently and without mishap. Below are some guidelines you should follow:

1. Presenters should plan to attend the presenter’s reception and then begin to gather in the arena about 20 minutes prior to the scheduled ceremony time.
2. Winners' names should not be announced prior to the ceremony. Please don’t do anything to tip them off in advance.
3. Your winning students' names will be announced in ascending order no one can guarantee the order in which the student arrive on stage. We recommend that you limit the actual items presented on stage and hand the student a blank envelope or rolled parchment on stage. You will be able to give the student their personalized award and any additional items which have been stored in the photography area off stage.
4. If you have ordered plaques or certificates that must be personalized, please inform award winners that these items will be shipped after the Intel ISEF.
5. Complimentary photographs of your Presenter and award winners will be completed by the official Intel ISEF photographers. These photos will be taken just after you leave the stage.

Sample scenario:

Dr. Estelle Landauer, who is presenting the awards on behalf of the American Centrifugal Force Society, arrives 30 minutes before the scheduled ceremony. A place card with the initials "ACFS" will mark the seat where she will be sitting. 

SSP staff will give brief directions and point out the photography area. She will then store the box with their winners' award items in the photography area and take blank certificates with her on stage to hand out to the student.

When it is time to announce the winners of her organization's awards, the SSP representative will step to the microphone and introduce her in the following manner: "Presenting the awards for the American Centrifugal Force Society is Dr. Estelle Landauer, Chair of the Physics Department at Southern Methodist University. The American Centrifugal Force Society gives three awards for excellence in the field of physics: a First Award of $1,000; a Second Award of $500 and a Third Award of $300."

Dr. Landauer will go to the center of the stage. The SSP representative will read off the winners' names, starting with the Third Award winner, the Second Award winner, and finally the First Award winner. As each student comes on stage, she will shake the student's hand and present him or her with the blank certificate. She will quietly tell them that their certificates are with the calligrapher and will be sent later.

At the same time, Dr. Landauer will instruct the student to follow her off the stage at the end of the ACFS presentation to get their photographs taken. As she is doing so, she will gently position the student so that as the last student is congratulated, all are standing in a line facing the front of the stage. (An SSP staff member will assist her in positioning the students.) Family and friends may take photos at this time.

After the audience applauds, Dr. Landauer will lead the students off the stage to the photography area. There, she will hand the students additional prizes. The photographer can take photos while she is handing students their awards or a group photo—depending on Dr. Landauer's preference. At this time, the students will return to their seats.

If you have any questions regarding your organization's participation in the Awards Ceremonies, please call:

Diane Rashid
(202) 872-5114 - direct
(202) 785-1243 - Fax
drashid@societyforscience.org