Seven hot tips for the 2021 Broadcom MASTERS application - Society for Science Skip to content

Seven hot tips for the 2021 Broadcom MASTERS application

Rachel Bergey at BCM Public Day 2019
Pictured: Rachel Bergey, winner of the Lemelson Award for Invention in the Broadcom MASTERS 2019.

The Broadcom MASTERS® is the nation’s premier middle school STEM competition. Annually, the program awards approximately $100,000 to extraordinary middle schoolers whose research projects explore a multitude of science and engineering questions, ranging from understanding eye disease to improving recycling to quantifying gerrymandering.

Society-affiliated fairs nominate the top 10% of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to compete in Broadcom MASTERS each year.  The deadline for the 2021 Broadcom MASTERS application is June 9, 2021 at 8pm Eastern Time. 

We want to show you the application is not a scary process – you’ve already done the hard work by completing your research project and presenting to judges at your local fair!  Below, we have highlighted seven important things to know for nominees applying to the 2021 Broadcom MASTERS.

Johan DeMessie at BCM 2019 Public Day
Pictured: Broadcom MASTERS 2019 second place math award winner Johan DeMessie.

1. You will be asked for a fair password to create an application.

When you received your nomination, you should have also received a digital nominee packet with information about the competition and a fair password that gives you access to the application. If you do not have this information, you can email masters@societyforscience.org with your name, city/state, and the name of the fair you competed in and the Broadcom MASTERS team will help you out.

2. The Official Rules have been updated for clarity and include a few new guidelines on Visual Aid requirements.

Each nominee is required to submit a Visual Aid as a part of the application. The Visual Aid is for nominees to show any visuals related to their materials/methods, research data, and/or analysis used to support the findings of the project. New for this year, the Visual Aid can be up to two pages. Be sure to read the full Official Entry Rules prior to completing your application!

3. Feeling stuck? Try answering the questions out loud first.

The project essay questions in Part 2 are written to feel like a judging interview, so try talking through the questions before typing them out. This will help you get started, and remind you that you already know these answers!

4. You don’t have to complete the application in one sitting.

It may seem long at first, but you can always save your work and pick up where you left off.  Try completing Part 1 (Formal Registration) and Part 4 (Personal Interests) first — these sections ask for basic information about yourself and about what you like to do in your free time. Once you have completed these two sections, you are already done with two out of the four application parts!

5. You can edit your application even after you submit, but it must be before the deadline.

We encourage nominees to submit early! Good news is that even after you submit your application, you may make as many changes as you would like before the deadline. Be sure to save each section, but you will NOT need to resubmit once you are done.

*A helpful tip: Download your application for review to confirm that all your changes were successfully updated.

6. Team research is allowed. While every team member is not required to apply to the Broadcom MASTERS, each team member who is planning to apply, must submit their own application.

The Broadcom MASTERS application primarily asks about your research project, but also includes essays that address your creativity and critical thinking skills. For this reason, judges will hear from each member of your team and individually assess your essay responses and understanding of your research project.

Teams can have a maximum of three teammates to qualify. While every member of a team is not required to apply, each team member who is applying to the Broadcom MASTERS, must submit their own application.

7. Video Resources are available to help break down each step of the application process.

Check out the videos in the “Resources” tab of the application, or on our YouTube page.  Additional live webinars are held throughout the spring. Open your application today to receive updates on when our next one will be!

Good luck as you complete the application process!  All nominees who submit applications will receive a Broadcom MASTERS t-shirt and will have the chance to win swag packages and other cool prizes like Raspberry Pis. 

For more information, visit our Nominee and Eligibility and Important Information pages. You can also email masters@societyforscience.org with any questions about the application or competition. Remember, you have nothing to lose by entering, so apply today!

Wendy Li