What Should My Project Be About?

 A tried and true guide to a unique and interesting project idea that will grab the judges' attention!

When deciding to do a math fair project, picking a project topic can feel overwhelming. Infinite ideas, where to begin? Being in this mindset too long can be super stressful and lead to a late start. As long time math-fairers, we have both dealt with these feelings when choosing a topic, and have developed some tools to avoid getting stuck and still end up with a winning idea.

Over everything else, when choosing an idea, pick a field you are interested in and are passionate learning more about. If you're not truly interested in what you're doing, the project will quickly become a chore.

Additionally, pick a topic that easily lends inself to a relevant real-world application, such as the environment. Make it personal to you as well, a project about candy or a sports team could have been made by anyone, but a project about an issue in your community makes you stand out.

Once you have a topic, turn it into a research question that will steer your entire project and keep it on track. Trying to solve a specific problem or answer a question keeps you from exploring a topic broadly and not knowing when to stop.

Lastly, you can use topics on the web to guide you, but don't pick a question directly from Google. Tweak it to make it your own, or use it as a stepping stone to your own unique idea.