Project poster guidelines

Project poster guidelines

Visual aids and materials

Creating an engaging and informative project display is crucial for effectively communicating your research and findings at CWSF. Here’s what you need to know to prepare your project display, keeping in mind the provided equipment and guidelines for a successful presentation.

The CWSF Display Unit

Each finalist will be provided with a standard CWSF display unit for their project presentation. This unit is designed to showcase your work professionally and includes the following components:
  1. Preprinted Title: A header board with your project number, title and region preprinted by YSC, ensuring a uniform and clear identification for each project.
  2. Two Poster Panels: These panels are the primary space for your posters. You can bring printed pages or create two posters that fit within the space on these panels. While an exact fit is not strictly required, your posters should be sized appropriately to be aesthetically pleasing and easy to read. 
  3. Small Shelf for Display Items: A shelf is included for any physical display items you wish to include as part of your presentation. Be mindful of the space and note that it is only intended for items as heavy as a laptop and booklets.
Alert
Note: Tape is provided to all finalists for attaching their posters to the backboard. Please do not bring your own tape or thumbtacks/pins. 


Project Display Considerations

  1. Safety and Regulations: Ensure your display adheres to all safety guidelines and regulations. Prohibited items include any live specimens, hazardous materials, or anything that could pose a risk to attendees. Refer to the CWSF Project Displays policy for more information.
  2. Academic Integrity: Make sure that anything you include as part of your project – either on ProjectBoard or on your poster – is properly cited. Learn more with our Academic Integrity policy.
  3. Securing Valuables: The Project Zone is secured at night to protect your display and equipment. However, it’s wise to take any valuable items, such as personal electronics or sensitive materials, to your room for safekeeping.


Designing Your Project Poster

Youth Science Canada has developed resources to assist you in creating your project poster. These resources are available to CWSF finalists in the YSC Portal. After signing in, navigate to "Support Centre" to access the resources.
  1. CWSF PowerPoint & Canva Poster Templates & Supporting Video: A compelling poster is essential for presenting your project effectively. The CWSF PowerPoint and Canva Poster Templates provide a professionally designed layout that you can customize with your project information, ensuring your presentation catches the eye of judges and attendees. In collaboration with Mike Morrison, PhD, there is also a video explaining the science behind this poster template.  
  2. Three CWSF Poster Template Samples: To give you inspiration and ideas for designing your poster, YSC provides three sample templates that demonstrate effective poster layouts and design principles. These samples can help you decide how best to communicate your research visually.
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Your poster doesn't have to exactly match the dimensions of the backboard - it just has to fit within this space. You will notice the Canva poster templates come in multiple sizes - one is the exact backboard size and the other is a normal print size (which will be cheaper to print and can be done at any print shop!).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. The PowerPoint template is larger than the backboard dimensions. Is this correct?
  1. The PowerPoint template is larger than the space on the display. This allows for the trim and bleed lines. You should see some dotted guide lines along the edges of the template. If you do not see the dotted coloured lines on the template edges, go to View and select “Guides” to make them appear.
    1. Green lines: Safety lines – keep text within this line to avoid it getting cut off.
    2. Blue lines: Trim line – this is where the printer will trim the edges of your poster; anything beyond this line will be cut off.
    3. Red lines: Bleed lines – any coloured blocks and images that extend to or beyond this line will go to the edge of the poster, eliminating the white border.
  2. Use these coloured lines to guide your layout. They will not print on your poster. The printer will use the blue dotted line to trim the poster. Ask the printer to trim it to the correct size following these guides. 
2. How can I use the content from my ProjectBoard project to create my poster?
  1. The poster template includes the same sections as your ProjectBoard (minus the Summary and Video sections), with slightly smaller suggested word limits. On your ProjectBoard, you’ll see an “Export” button at the top right. This is an easy way to transfer all the text from your ProjectBoard to your poster, and it works even if your ProjectBoard is locked. Click the “Export” button to download a file of all the content, which you can use to copy and paste into your poster. The export won’t include images, but you can add those directly as you design your poster. You may need to find or create versions of your images at higher resolution (300 ppi is best).



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