EST Contest for Schools
The Sun at a glance
The EST project is holding an international competition for secondary schools called "The Sun at a glance". Students from all over Europe are invited to research different subjects related to our star and help us build the EST Solarpedia, an open educational resource about the Sun.
Participants will have to design an infographic where the Sun is the protagonist. An infographic is a collection of images, charts, and minimal text that gives an easy-to-understand overview of a topic. The design technique is free, but it has to be an original creation.
The submitted infographics will be part of the EST Solarpedia, an online encyclopedia about the Sun which will be offered to the education community and the general public under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License, with due credit of authorship.
To help participants choose a subject, a list of possible topics has been compiled here.
The contest is open to schools in all European Union countries plus Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.
It is addressed to teams of students in the school years corresponding to the age groups 14-15 and 15-16. A teacher has to lead the team. He/she will serve as the contact point with the EST Communication Office and will organise the work of the students, often involving other STEM teachers as deemed appropriate. This is a unique opportunity to combine work in Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Art, IT, English and even History!
Teams should consist of four (exceptionally three) students, plus the teacher. There is no limit on the number of teams a teacher can lead.
Every participant will receive a certificate signed by the President of the European Association for Solar Telescopes (EAST).
PRIZES
There will be three prizes:
- The teams producing the two best designs, together with their teachers, will win a trip to Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) to visit Teide Observatory and the European solar telescopes in operation there.
- The third prize will be an H-alpha solar telescope. It will remain the property of the school.
The trip will take place around Easter (mid April 2022). If the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow travel at that time, the trips will be replaced by an advanced H-alpha solar telescope for each winning school, of the same value as the trip.
LANGUAGE
The text must be in English.
JURY
The jury will be international and multidisciplinary. It will include solar physicists, science communicators and design experts. The jury will evaluate the following aspects:
- Adequacy and relation to the topic suggested. The infographic clearly reflects the proposed theme (The Sun and Solar Telescopes).
- Approach to the subject. The infographic presents the information in a clear and concise manner and is supported by an attractive design.
- Technical and aesthetic quality. Consideration will be given to composition, colour and typography, which result in a visually appealing infographic. Abstract and intuitive; realistic or three-dimensional; artistic. The technique is free and all of them will be taken into consideration.
- Originality of the proposal. The infographic represents a new way of approaching the subject. The infographic does not copy similar images already famous in the design or scientific field.
- Capacity of the composition to provoke sensations and suggest scientific reflections. The infographic allows us to broaden our reflection on the proposed theme, serving as a starting point for new ways of approaching it, and contributing new aesthetic values.
REGISTRATION
The teacher leading the student team must register before November 12, 2021 (extended from October 30, 2021) to participate in the contest. There is no fee to enter the contest.
