Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to some commonly asked questions. If you don’t find your answer here, please fill our Contact Form and submit your question there or send an email to info@whatifprize.org. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
- What is the What If competition?
- Who can enter?
- Can home school students enter?
- How do we register our team?
- Does each member of a team have to register or just one registration as a team?
- Do I have to be on a team to enter?
- How many people can be on a team?
- Can a team have students from two different grades?
- Why does each team have to have an adult sponsor?
- Who can be an Adult Sponsor?
- Can an Adult Sponsor sponsor more than one team?
- Can a team change, add or delete team members after they have registered?
- Can a team change the Adult Sponsor after they have registered?
- Can multiple teams come from the same school?
- Can team members come from different schools?
- Are international students allowed to compete?
- What are the prizes?
- How do I enter?
- What is the deadline?
- How does a team submit their entry?
- Why is the team name and security word required to submit an entry?
- Can a team change their entry once it is submitted?
- When will the winners be announced?
- If my team is the Grand Prize winner, will I have to use the travel stipend to go to the Innovation Summit or can I use it for something else?
- What is the What If competition?
The competition is an essay contest that should address all of these questions and follow all the Guidelines listed on this web site.
What if we had an orbiting space habitat for 500 families as the first step in building colonies on the moon or mars? What if you were one of the students in the “First Space Generation Middle School” onboard this orbital station? What subjects would be taught in your school? Would you still have Earth Science class? Discuss your subjects. What should the teachers use for teaching those subjects? What should the kids living in the station grow up to be (what jobs should they be trained for)? How would the people of the earth benefit from this habitat experiment and from what the kids are learning and doing on board the space station? How would this experiment change the world for the better?
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- Who can enter?
Teams of up to 2 middle school students (6th, 7th or 8th grade) and within the age range of 10-14 are eligible to compete. Each team must have one Adult Sponsor over the age of 18 to compete.
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- Can home school students enter?
Yes as long as they are in the equivalent of 6th – 8th grade and within the age range of 10-14.
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- How do we register our team?
You must register on this web site. There is a Register my Team button on the home page or you can click here to get there.
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- Does each member of a team have to register or just one registration as a team?
Each team only has to register one time. During the registration process you will list the names of all team members and the Adult Sponsor.
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- Do I have to be on a team to enter?
A team can be as small as one student and one adult sponsor.
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- How many people can be on a team?
Teams can have one or two students. All teams must also have an Adult Sponsor. So at a minimum there are two people on a team.
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- Can a team have students from two different grades?
Yes, a team can consist of two members from different grades as long as they are both in middle school grades. Please note that the team will be judged based on the highest level grade on the team.
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- Why does each team have to have an adult sponsor?
The Adult Sponsor will need to support you throughout your term of the competition but cannot do your work for you. The Adult Sponsor (or their designee) will need to travel with your team to the Innovation Summit if you are the Grand Prize winner of the competition. Each team Adult Advisor must acknowledge that they have read and understand the terms and conditions set forth in the competition rules in order for the team to be eligible for any awards.
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- Who can be an Adult Sponsor?
The Adult Sponsor can be any adult over the age of 18 years of age. If you need an adult sponsor, consider your teachers at school, your parents or a college student studying science, engineering or math.
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- Can an Adult Sponsor sponsor more than one team?
Yes, there is no limit to the number of teams an Adult Sponsor can sponsor.
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- Can a team change, add or delete team members after they have registered?
Yes, a team can change their teams after they have registered but the team will need to get approval from one of the What If Management Team members to do this. The What If Management team member will need to speak to the Adult Sponsor about this change before any changes will be approved.
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- Can a team change the Adult Sponsor after they have registered?
Yes, a team can change their adult sponsor after they have registered but the team will need to get approval from one of the What If Management Team members to do this. The What If Management team member will need to speak to both the old and new Adult Sponsor prior to the change being made.
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- Can multiple teams come from the same school?
Yes.
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- Can team members come from different schools?
Yes.
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- Are international students allowed to compete?
No, not this year. We have decided to limit the competition this year to the United States only. We plan on growing this international in the coming years.
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- What are the prizes?
The awards for the competition are listed in this Prize section of this web site.
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- How do I enter?
First, your team will need to register on the Registration Page of this web site. Then they will need to follow the rules and submit their entry in accordance to schedule deadlines.
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- What is the deadline?
The deadlines are listed on the Schedule section of this web site.
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- How does a team submit their entry?
Please go to Submit your Entry and follow those directions.
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- Why is the team name and security word required to submit an entry?
The Security Word and Team Name ensure that your team is submitting the entry and note someone else. This is for your protection. Please keep your security word and team name in a safe place so that you have them for the time of submission.
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- Can a team change their entry once it is submitted?
No, once a team’s entry is submitted, they cannot resubmit. Please ensure you entry is final before you submit.
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- When will the winners be announced?
The winners will be announced by March 3, 2009.
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- If my team is the Grand Prize winner, will I have to use the travel stipend to go to the Innovation Summit or can I use it for something else?
The travel stipend is only to be used for travel expenses to travel to the Innovation Summit. It will not be provided for any other purpose.
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