California State Science Fair
Project Allocations - 2004

The California State Science Fair has established the nominal target number for participating projects in the 2004 Fair at 850, the same as in recent years. Based upon our experience with the results of allocations in the previous five years, we have established this year's allocations for each affiliate as given in the table below. Note that the total of all allocations is significantly greater than our participation target — built into the allocations listed below is the assumption that a certain fraction will not be utilized. Thus it is important to recognize that unutilized allocations of one affiliate will not be reassigned to another.

The fractions of the total allocations which derive from each of the previously established criteria (population, previous participation and category awards, and a baseline to protect small affiliates) have not been changed for 2004. They are given in the following table.

The allocations computed from this policy are given in the next table. For your reference, the values used for each of the three input quantities are also included, as well as the year 2003 allocations and the actual number of projects participating in 2003. Allocations for 2004 are rounded (up or down) to the nearest integer.

The actual count of projects for certain fairs in 2003 appears greater than their allocations owing to qualification through STS and special appeals. The allocations for 2004 are changed for about half of all affiliates, and of these, about half were increased and half decreased. Small fairs are guaranteed not to have their allocation reduced below the baseline specified in the policy table above. In cases where the revised allocations for 2004 cause extreme difficulties, affected affiliates are urged to contact us immediately.