In place of the traditional Judging interview, the BASEF Online Fair will require an uploaded Video Presentation.

You are asked to record the presentation that you would ordinarily make to the Judges when they ask you “Tell me about your project”. For Junior (Grades 7/8) projects, your video should be 3 to 4 minutes in length. For Intermediate and Senior projects (Grades 9 to 12), your video should be 5 to 7 minutes in length.

About the Video Presentation
This video will be uploaded as an Unlisted video to YouTube. We are using YouTube since it is easy to create and and upload a video to that platform, and it is easy for Judges to watch the video on their own devices. As an Unlisted video, it will not be visible in YouTube or Google searches, and it can only be seen by people you share the YouTube link with.

About Pairs (Team) Projects
For a pairs project, most students will not be able to join their partner in person to record the presentation. You can choose to either have one student record the video entirely, or have each of you record a portion and upload two videos. Feel free to think of a creative solution to get both students involved.

What you need to be able to make a Video
Videos can be recorded on a cell phone, tablet, webcam, and most digital cameras will also record video. Some devices such as cell phones and tablets will allow you to record and upload directly in the YouTube App, or else you can record in another app and then edit your video before uploading.

For more tips and assistance, check out our Presentation Tips Video on YouTube.

You will need access to a YouTube Account
You will need to have a YouTube or Google account (go to https://www.youtube.com/account ). You can use an existing account or you can create a new one just for this upload. You must be age 13 or older to create your own YouTube account, otherwise you should have your parent or other adult create an account you can use for the upload.

How to Create and Upload your Video Presentation
There are many ways to create your video and upload it to YouTube. Smartphones and tablets can use the YouTube app and simply click on the camera icon at the top of the screen. This will allow you to record your video, and once you are satisfied with it, you can add a description and upload it directly to YouTube. Make sure to set the video as Unlisted (not “Private”, since private videos cannot be seen by the Judges). Then save or share the link to the video so that you can use it during the Online Fair submission process.
Play back the video and make sure that you can hear your presentation properly. You can also record your video using a camera or the camera app on your smartphone or tablet. If you would like you can edit your presentation and include video of your experiment or innovation, however this is not required. The final video can then be uploaded through the YouTube website.

What should be in your Video Presentation
You are looking to give an overview of your project for the Judges. Do a few practice presentations, and if you don’t think the video went well the first time, try it again. For Grades 7/8 look to make a 3 to 4 minute presentation. For Grades 9 to 12, go for 5 to 7 minutes. You may want to use cue cards to help you cover everything you would like to say, and try to speak slowly and clearly. Some things you may want to consider covering in your presentation:

  • Summarizing your Project
  • Additional information the Judges may find useful
  • Describe where you got the idea for your project
  • What difficulties you encountered
  • How you overcame those difficulties
  • What you enjoyed about doing the project
  • Where you did the project, and what supports did you get
  • What would be the next steps if you were to continue the project

Example Presentations
Check out these links for example presentations from past BASEF students. We’ll be adding more examples shortly:
Presentation 1 (Junior) : https://youtu.be/fARg_iLLjdI
Presentation 2 (Junior) : https://youtu.be/iGQTdtXCHOM
Presentation 3 (Intermediate) : https://youtu.be/DNoFGZYP4eM

Looking for more ideas? Check out some great tips from BASEF Student and Canada-Wide Award winner Christina.

Alternatives to a Video Presentation
If you are unable to create a video presentation or would like an alternative instead of a video upload, we will also accept a slideshow with a voice-over recording explaining and discussing your project. Again, feel free to be creative.

Have More Questions?
Check out our BASEF Online Fair FAQ Page here. If your question still isn’t answered, reach out to us by email at basef@basef.ca
You can also ask us questions through our Discord Chat Server.
We also plan to have an interactive livestream for questions in mid-April, stay tuned.