Judging Criteria

All applications initially will be screened to ensure application elements are complete.  Make sure you:

• Have 2-4 Team Members + Teacher/Mentor on your team. Mentors can have as many teams as they choose. However, an individual student can only be a part of one team.
• Cite your sources and your work done prior to the Challenge launch (8/24/2011)
• Add attachments (when necessary)

All applications that are considered complete will move on to be judged by the following criteria:

• Local Environmental Issue or Problem (10% of total score) - How well does the entry describe the negative effects of a local environmental issue or problem, and its proposed solution?


• Community Engagement (20% of total score) - How well does the team describe its plan to generate awareness and action in the community? How effective was the team in this community engagement effort?

• Creativity/Innovation (10% of total score) - Is the entry original and creative in its communication, and does it take advantage of a variety of resources and combine them in an effective way?


• Scientific Approach (45% of total score) - Is the issue or problem well researched, and is research evidence cited in proposing a solution? Is the plan thoughtfully developed and clearly written, including carefully specified materials and detailed, sequential procedures? Are analyses based upon quantitative and qualitative data?


• Replication/Expansion: "How could other communities do it?" (15% of total score) - Does the team give recommendations on how other communities could use, improve upon, and expand the entry content? Did the team take any steps to help other communities implement their solution?

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