Competition Guidelines

Objective

The BioMonsters competition challenges students to apply bioengineering concepts and creativity to design fictional creatures — BioMonsters — that address environmental challenges. Teams will present and debate their designs to demonstrate scientific understanding, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Team Composition

  • Size: Each team must consist of 2-4 members.

  • Name: Teams must choose a competition-related name. If a name is not chosen, one will be assigned by the organizers. Names must not include harmful, political, or religious elements.

  • Representation: Teams can represent schools, clubs, or independent groups of interested students.

  • Participation Limit: Each student may only participate in one team per competition to ensure fairness and equal opportunities.

Competition Format

The competition will consist of two phases:

  • Presentation Phase: Teams will present their BioMonster designs.

  • Debate Phase: Teams will debate other teams, defending their designs and rebutting opposing arguments.

Design Guidelines

  • Originality: Each team must design a unique BioMonster that addresses a specific environmental challenge based on the designated competition prompt. Arbitrary challenges will not be accepted.

  • Eligibility: The competition is open exclusively to high school students, as defined by their educational system.

  • Scientific Foundation: The BioMonster must be grounded in sound biological and bioengineering principles.

  • Environmental Impact: Teams must demonstrate how their BioMonster interacts with the environment and provides a solution to the challenge outlined in the prompt.

Judging Criteria

Presentation (50% of Total Score)

  • Scientific Depth: The biological and environmental principles behind the BioMonster.

  • Creativity: The originality and ingenuity of the design.

  • Practical Application: How well the BioMonster addresses the chosen issue.

  • Presentation Skills: Clarity, structure, and the use of required visual aids during the presentation.

Debate (50% of Total Score)

  • Defense of BioMonster: How well the team defends its design against critiques.

  • Rebuttals: How effectively the team counters arguments from opposing teams.

  • Communication: The clarity and persuasiveness of the team’s responses.

Submission Requirements

Teams must submit their project digitally two days before the competition, including a brief description of their BioMonster and its purpose.

Teams are required to provide visual aids (e.g., posters, digital presentations, models) during their presentation.

Debate Format

Teams will be paired against each other for debates.

The debate format will include:

  • Opening Defense (5 minutes per team)

  • Rebuttals (3 minutes per team)

  • Final Defense (2 minutes per team)

Awards

  • Grand Prize: A single prize will be awarded to the team with the highest overall score, based on their presentation and debate performance.

  • Cumulative Scoring: The winning team will be determined by their cumulative score, calculated using the judging criteria.

  • Participation Certificates: All participants will receive a certificate of participation, recognizing their efforts and contributions to the competition.

  • Recognition for Winners: The winning team’s BioMonster design will be showcased on our website and social media platforms, highlighting their achievement and creativity.

Ethics and Integrity

Teams must ensure that their BioMonster designs are their original work.

Use of publicly available information and scientific concepts is permitted, but direct copying or plagiarism is prohibited.

Any external assistance must be disclosed during the presentation.

Schedule

The competition will take place over the course of one day.

Presentations will be followed by the debate rounds.

After all debates are completed, judges will evaluate scores, and the winner will be announced.