How to Write an ExploraVision Project That Stands Out

By Dr. Harman Brah, MD · Judge, California Science & Engineering Fair

A strong ExploraVision project starts from a real technology that exists today, explains the science behind it correctly, and then imagines how it could work 10 or more years from now. The written entry needs to carry that idea clearly in every piece: a 150-word abstract, the project description, a bibliography and a technology launch flyer.

The future idea is the fun part. The science underneath it is what makes it believable.

What ExploraVision asks for

ExploraVision is a national K-12 science competition run by Toshiba and NSTA. Teams imagine a technology at least 10 years in the future and write it up as a research and development project.

A few rules shape everything else:

• Teams have 2 to 4 students, plus a teacher or coach who is 21 or older (a parent or guardian can coach) and an optional mentor. There are no individual entries.
• Each student can be on one project per year.
• The category depends on the oldest team member: grades K-3, 4-6, 7-9 or 10-12.
• A project that already won a prize in another competition cannot be entered.
• No working prototype is needed. Regional winners later build a non-working model.

The coach submits the entry by 8:00 PM ET on January 27, 2027.

Start with today’s version, not the future one

The most common weak entry jumps straight to the invention and skips the present. Begin with something that already exists, such as a sensor, a material, a medical device or a way of growing food, and learn how it actually works.

Then ask what limits it. Is it too slow, too big, too expensive to make, too fragile? Your future technology should answer one of those limits, and the team should be able to say what scientific progress would have to happen to get there.

This is where the research lives. The students read, take notes and figure out the science themselves; a coach or mentor can point them to sources, but the thinking has to be theirs.

The 150-word abstract

The abstract is your whole project in miniature, and 150 words goes fast. A simple order works well:

1. The problem or limit in today’s technology.
2. Your future technology, in one plain sentence.
3. The science it builds on.
4. Who it would help.

Write it last, after the description is done, and cut every word that is not doing a job. The title gets even less room: 50 characters at most.

The project description

This is the longest part and the heart of the entry. It should walk a reader from what exists now to what your team imagines, step by step.

Explain how the current technology works in language your team truly understands. If a sentence only makes sense because you copied it, rewrite it until you could explain it out loud.

Then describe your future version and the breakthroughs it would need. Be honest about what is hard. A project that names its own obstacles reads as more thoughtful than one that promises everything works.

The bibliography

Every fact in the description should trace back to a source. Keep a running list from the first day of research instead of rebuilding it at the end.

Younger teams can lean on books and kid-friendly science sites. Older teams should reach for articles and reports from scientists and universities.

The technology launch flyer

The flyer imagines the day your technology goes public. It is a chance to show who would use it and why it matters, in a way that is quick to read.

Keep it clean: a name, a picture or diagram, a short explanation and the main benefit. The flyer should match the description, not introduce new claims.

The AI rules

ExploraVision allows AI tools for brainstorming and research. Any AI use has to be cited in the bibliography, and the team must follow the competition’s AI policy, so read it on exploravision.org before you start.

A practical habit: when a team member uses an AI tool, write down what they asked and what they used, the same way you would note a book. And check anything an AI tool tells you against a real source before it goes in the project.

Working as a team

ExploraVision is one of the few competitions where friends or siblings can enter together, from kindergarten up. Split the research by topic so each student owns a piece, then have everyone read the full description before it goes in.

The coach’s job is to guide and to submit on time. The ideas and the writing belong to the students.

If your student wants to go deeper into research with a mentor, see our science fair and research mentorship, or read about how to find a strong science fair project idea.

FAQ

Does my child need to build a working prototype for ExploraVision?

No. A working prototype is not required. Only regional winning teams build a model, and it is a non-working one.

Can my kid enter ExploraVision alone?

No. ExploraVision does not accept individual entries. Teams have 2 to 4 students and a teacher or coach who is at least 21; a parent or guardian can be the coach.

Is it okay to use AI tools for ExploraVision?

AI can be used for brainstorming and research, but it must be cited in the bibliography and the team has to follow the ExploraVision AI policy. The writing and the understanding should come from the students.

When is the ExploraVision 2027 deadline?

The coach submits the entry by 8:00 PM ET on January 27, 2027.

How long can the ExploraVision abstract be?

The abstract can be at most 150 words, and the project title at most 50 characters.