Competition Rules

Rules for the 2010 NZ Edition of the Cassini Scientist for a Day Essay Competition:

1. Students can work alone or in teams of up to four students.
   
   
2. All submissions must be students' original work. Entries containing plagiarised material will be disqualified.
   
   
3. Each student may submit only one entry.
   
   
4. Essays which are longer than 500 words will be disqualified.
   
   
5. The names and contact information will not be included in the word count for the 500-word essay.
   
   
6. Use only plain text (no images or attachments). Attachments will not be accepted.
   
   
7. Communication skills are an important part of being a scientist. Spelling and grammar will be considered in addition to the ideas expressed in the essay.
   
   
8. Write an essay (500 words maximum) explaining which one of the three possible imaging targets you think will return the best science, and explain why. NOTE: The spacecraft will image all three targets – in the international competition there will be a winner for each target in each age group.
   
   
9. Entries must be emailed to the specified email address: cassini-competition@spacefoundation.org.nz
   
   
10. Essays will be divided into two age groups for judging:
    • 13 - 15 years old
    • 16 - 18 years old
      
      
11. The name(s) and age of all students who contributed to the essay being submitted (a maximum of four).
    • The topic of the essay:
      • Target 1: Rhea
      • Target 2: Titan, Tethys and Enceladus
      • Target 3: Saturn.
        
        
12. The decision of the judges is final.
    
    
13. The New Zealand organizers will send the winning entries to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for participation in the international judging.
    
    
14. The overall winning schools for the international contest, and as many other schools as possible, will be invited to participate in a teleconference with Cassini scientists.
    
    
15. Participants agree to assign copyright to JPL and NZSF so that JPL, NASA and NZSF can post the essays, as excerpts or in their entirety, on the NASA and NZSF web sites, along with the authors' name, grade, school, city, state.
    
    
16. If a NZ school is a winner of the international competition, it is up to the school to arrange video conference facilities for the winner and their classmates.
    
    
17. If a New Zealand contestant wins the international prize to participate in the teleconference, and for reasons beyond our control cannot confirm attendance, the New Zealand Space Foundation or NASA will not be liable to provide a replacement prize.
    
    
18. For the international edition rules, please visit: http://cassini-2.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientistforaday9thedition/rules/