In addition to participation medals, student competitors will be eligible for the following:

	Grand Awards - The top 5% highest scoring projects will be awarded first Grand Awards, the next 10% will be awarded second Grand Awards and the next 15% will be awarded third Grand Awards (this new awards program more closely follows that of ISEF)
	Intel ISEF - Two students will win an expense-paid trip to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair, thanks to Ecolab. The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, annually provides a forum for more than 1,500 high school students from over 50 countries to showcase their independent research. The Intel ISEF is the premiere science competition in the world exclusively for students in grades 9–12.
	AJAS - Two high school juniors will win a trip to compete at the American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS), thanks to Ecolab. At AJAS, held in conjunction with the national American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting, students meet others from around the country and participate in non-competitive oral and poster presentations.
	The top papers in both 7th and 8th grade will receive awards as well as the best in category awards.

Seagate Mentor Awards

The Seagate Mentor Awards provide an annual, statewide opportunity to recognize K-12 teachers who have mentored students participating in State Science & Engineering Fairs. The first award will be for a teacher having 1 to 10 years of teaching experience and the second for a teacher with 11 or more years of teaching experience. Winning teachers will receive $1,000 and a commemorative plaque. The teachers' schools also receive $1,000 and a plaque. Nominations can be made by students, colleagues or parent using this form: Nomination for the Seagate Mentor Awards. These awards recognize junior and senior high school science teachers who have found creative ways to n urture students’ interest in scientific inquiry and promote science education in their schools. The award criteria specifically considers the nominees’ support of students’ hands-on projects and experiences outside the classroom that generate interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Besides awards to teachers, Seagate also provides the following awards to students:

	Seagate Rising Star Award - Seagate employees pick the best overall projects in the state. A High School winner receives a $2,000 prize, and a Middle School winner receives a $1,500 prize.
	Seagate-Science Buddies Clever Scientist Award - Seagate Technologies and Science Buddies, a national non-profit that provides online science fair tools to students and teachers, are proud to sponsor the Seagate-Science Buddies Clever Scientist Award. Seagate employees will select the two most innovative projects which use low-cost experimental techniques to answer challenging scientific or engineering questions. Each winner will receive a Seagate Maxtor One Touch III, 200 GB drive and the opportunity to publish their project in the Science Buddies Project Idea library at www.sciencebuddies.org.
	First Year Awards - Awarded to the top projects of students competing at the State Science & Engineering Fair for the first time.

Special Awards

All Project presenters are eligible for special awards offered by Minnesota businesses and organizations. Organizations offering these awards will judge student projects based on the abstracts submitted during the registration process and presentations on the exhibit floor. If you or your employer is interested in sponsoring a Special Award, please contact the MAS office at 952.545.6789 or email at contact@mnmas.org.