You have put in a lot of effort in your elementary science fair project. You have researched and chosen a great topic, framed your hypothesis, carried out exploratory experiments, maintained a journal, done your surveys and interviews and now you are ready with some interesting results. You are not done yet! So don’t take a break! Now you have to display your efforts so that the judge can see them.

 Yes, I am talking about your display board. A display board speaks aloud about the efforts you have put in. As your judges enter the room, the first impression is created by your display board. So you must pay good attention to it.

 Here are some basics of making the perfect display board:

Your Design: If you look at the  link sample display board, you will notice that it has been designed with simplicity and neatness. Everything is symmetrically arranged, and well organized. A first look, will invite you to come closer for more. Don’t you want to attract the judges towards your display board during the elementary science fair?  

Start by drawing a rough layout on a sheet of paper. Assign places on it for titles, sub-titles, printed material, graphs, charts, tables and photographs. Color it, and it will give you an idea of how your display board will look. Once you have a design of your layout, the next step is to begin building your display board.  

Materials and Supplies: First of all, you must find out what materials are allowed by the elementary science fair. Your teacher will be able to provide you with a list.   You will require materials such as cardboard, plywood, pegboard, foam board, glue, round tipped scissors, pencils, colors, ruler, contact paper, white printing paper, self-sticking letters, scotch tape, wallpaper, table cloth, table, screws, nails, safety blade, etc.  The Backboard: Your backboard must be made out of sturdy cardboard, plywood, pegboard or foam board. It should consist of three panels, and should stand on its own. It must not be made of material that is too light and that will bend or fall on its side. Avoid using wood as a wooden backboard may be too heavy to be carried around. Cover it with contact paper or wall paper.

 Color Scheme and Theme: Remember to always use a lighter colored contact paper or wall paper for the background.  Your color scheme should go along with your theme. For example if your project is about plant life, the background color can be light green; or light blue if you are researching marine life. Keep your colors to a minimum of three colors that are in contrast with each other. In order to make your printed material attractive you can put a dark colored border made of contact paper around it.

 One way to emphasize your theme is by making a border for your backboard. For example if your project is plant life, you can have some green grass all around the border; or some marine animals all around it if your topic is marine life. Remember not to make it too flashy. Definitely avoid neon or fluorescent colors, as they look too overpowering and unprofessional. To help guide you with these steps, download a free copy of Easy Steps to Award-Winning Elementary Science Fair Projects right now.  

Title: Your Title speaks aloud of your conclusion. Use large self-sticking letters which are centrally aligned on the central panel of your backboard.

 Sub-titles: Your Sub-titles summarize your project. The sub-titles should be smaller than the titles. Both the Title and the Sub-titles should be dark colored so that they stand out against the light colored backboard background.   Photographs: Photographs add life to your display board. You must display pictures of yourself at different stages of the experimentation. You can also display pictures of yourself with scientists and experts that you have interviewed. Photographs show that you have done the work yourself, and automatically call for extra marks.

Display Table: You can place your display backboard on a table, covered with a light colored or white table cloth. You must place your model or equipment, if any, in the centre of the table; and your abstract, your project report and your journal on either side of the model.   Above all, everything should be arranged in a symmetrical manner with a relevant central graphic that serves as a focal point, and leads to other sections of the display. Since no one has the time to read printed material, see to it that you display your work in as graphic and picturesque a manner as possible.