Sweden Revamps Evaluation Rules for 2026 National Science and Technology Competition

The Swedish Ministry of Education has announced significant changes to the evaluation regulations for the 2026 national science and technology competition aimed at middle and high school students. These reforms seek to enhance the integrity, fairness, and quality of judging in the prestigious competition.

Central to the new regulations is a restructuring of the project assessment criteria. Each project will be evaluated based on 20 distinct criteria, each scoring up to 5 points, culminating in a total possible score of 100 points. These criteria are organized into five groups that collectively assess research quality, implementation processes, and final outcomes, aligning closely with the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) evaluation framework.

To ensure independent and objective reviews, each project must now be judged by at least three independent judges selected through a lottery system conducted by the competition’s subcommittee. In addition, to address scoring discrepancies, if a judge’s score deviates by 20% or more from the average, they are required to provide a written explanation. Should the explanation be unsatisfactory, an additional judge is appointed for an independent evaluation. Judges are strictly prohibited from discussing or agreeing on scores to maintain impartiality.

Further emphasizing research integrity, the regulations require judges to verify project authenticity through research journals and original data, ensuring that students genuinely conducted the work and maintained continuity throughout their research.

The competition's structure has been refined by standardizing the areas of competition to 16 categories, some renamed to align with current educational directives. For interdisciplinary projects, the category is determined by the dominant field of research within the project.

These comprehensive reforms are anticipated to elevate the competition’s prestige, encourage authentic scientific inquiry among students, and ensure that recognitions are awarded solely based on project quality and ethical research conduct.