How to Participate

Obtain information from your teacher about the competition, select your team, and category.

• Look at the categories; brainstorm some topics for each category and select your favorite.

• Visit the ChemMatters website to see its current style
  at: www. acs.org, keyword search ChemMatters.

Begin Work

• Conduct preliminary research. Use at least three
  technical, professional resources.

• Discuss roles of each team member and how you will
  divide up the work.

Look for additional sources of information.

• Are there local chemists, engineers, physicians,
  environmentalists, or other scientists you could
  interview about their view of the future of the field?
  Don’t forget to include them in your references.

• Search the Web for any indications about where the
  field is headed (Start with www.acs.org.).
  Use science you learned in the classroom and let your
  imagination lead you to a new level.
  

• Support your innovation with factual information from
  your resources and with logical explanations.

Create your article and cover design then answer the essay questions individually

• Remember, this is a feature article in an issue of ChemMatters 25 years from now.

• Read the “Self-Evaluation Questions” to be sure key elements have been included. (The competition’s judging rubric, available through your school’s coordinating teacher, covers these elements in some detail.)

• Spell check and proofread your document; share it with someone else for feedback. Length of the article should not exceed 1500 words.

• Cite at least three technical references.

• Please do not include your name or your school’s name on the entry

Meet the deadlines your teacher sets.

• Your teacher will select your school’s entries.

• Failure to meet deadlines may result in ineligibility for
  the competition.

If your teams’ submission is approved by your teacher for the Chemagination competition, complete the online submission form before uploading your article and cover design.

• Your form and entry should be submitted between May 26th and May 30th.

  Next Steps: There is a next tier of competition. Teams placing first in our local section competition in the categories of Alternate Energy, Environment, Medicine, and New Materials will be eligible for the next regional competition, in which a team poster will also be required. Teams placing second in those categories may compete if first-place teams do not participate in the regional Chemagination competition. In case neither first- no second-place teams can compete, the team placing third, if any, becomes eligible.

• Answers to essay questions can be uploaded separately at the submission site

Self-Evaluation Questions

The articles, cover design and essay answers should show scientific thought, be creative, clear, thorough, and have evidence of teamwork.

Scientific Thought

• The background for the innovation includes information based on chemical principles.

• There is evidence that the team understands the chemistry behind the innovation.

• There is a reasonable amount of explanation and description of the innovation in the written article. The conclusion explains how this innovation will help improve the quality of people’s lives 25 years from today.

• The article includes the challenges in implementing the plan and reflects the team’s understanding of these challenges.

• More than three sources from scientific literature as well as popular literature are referenced in the reference/resource section of the article.

• The article demonstrates an understanding to the extent of the influence on the quality of people’s lives and the consequences of the innovation to this quality.

Creativity

• The article presents the idea/innovation in a distinctive manner while incorporating knowledge of chemistry.

• The innovation contributes uniquely to the quality of people’s lives 25 years into the future.

• The cover design for the magazine and the pages of the article are designed to fit the style of ChemMatters.

Clarity

• The innovation is described clearly in the article.

• The focus of the innovation is well defined in the article.

• The science behind the innovation is stated clearly in the article.

• The science behind the innovation is explained thoroughly and accurately.

Thoroughness

• The description of the breakthrough/innovation is complete.

• The science concepts and content have been
  explained in the article.

• Spelling and grammatical errors have been checked and corrected.

• The cover art reflects the theme of the article.

• The work is neat and free of errors.

• At least 3 technical resources have been cited in the reference/resource section of the article.

• The diagrams and illustrations in the article are appropriate to develop the theme of the innovation.

• The team reflects upon how they worked together and prepared for the competition.

• The team is familiar with the resources used to develop
  the article.

Teamwork

• Each team member was fully involved with the project.

• Team members did the work as a team. If other people helped in the development of this innovation, they are listed as an acknowledgement or in the resource/reference section of the article.