Finding an idea

Every Science Fair project starts with an idea! Here are some tips for finding an idea that will make you want to push yourself to the limit:

• Think about your hobbies, your interests, your favourite activities. Look around you; what do you find exciting? Do you like music? Sports?
• Among the people close to you—teachers, parents, friends, aunts, uncles—is there someone who’s a science buff or works as a scientist? An amateur stargazer or birdwatcher, perhaps?
• Have you recently observed a problem in your everyday life that you would like to solve?

Tips and exercises

The Indispensable Guide, for secondary and CÉGEP students, and the L'XYZ de l’Expo-sciences au primaire (for primary school: in French), also contain tips on finding a good project idea.

You can also consult the document Trouver une idée pour un projet en expérimentation (in French), which provides a few exercises you can do individually or in class to help with the search for your idea. The method also works for Design or Study projects. 

Still stuck?

You can also consult our ideas bank, based on the document 1001 ideas, thousands of projects, developed by the CDLS with support from Merck, Esso, and the Québec Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade. The documents refer to older Science Fair categories, but the ideas are still current. New versions of these documents will be made available soon.

Ideas in physical sciences

Ideas in computer science and mathematics
Ideas in applied science and technology

Ideas in Earth and environmental sciences
Ideas in social sciences
Ideas in life sciences
Ideas in biotechnologies

Click here to consult the new Science Fair categories.

Video: Exhibitors explain how they found their project idea; in French