Getting Started

How do I get involved with a heritage fair?

Individual schools should register their fair with their board, while regional fairs…. If a student wishes to participate in a fair and their school is not participating it is sometimes possible to attend a fair at another school in the board with special permission from the principal or school board heritage fair coordinator.

What kinds of project can I do?

While individual teachers may choose to allow students to work with partners or in groups at the school level, they are strongly cautioned that the regional levels and higher do not accept partner work. Only projects that are done individually can go to the National Heritage Fair.

All projects must have a Canadian theme – history, geography, heritage, or culture – and include written research conducted by the student.

Teachers or other adult supervisors can help, but all submissions must be produced by students.

Projects can be in a single format or a combination of the following:

3D projects
Models
Posters
Crafts
Maps
Artistic Displays
Collections
Demonstrations
Caricatures

For national heritage fair there are some size restrictions eighty centimeters in depth, one hundred and fifty centimeters in width and one hundred centimeters in height.

Creative Writing and Performance

Short Stories and Diary Entries Length must be 2-11 pages. Legibility, style, and grammar may be considered.
Poetry Minimum length is 14 lines. Legibility, style, and grammar may be considered.
Scripts Scripts must be: 2-4 pages for grades 4-6; 5-10 pages for grades 7-9 (Sec. I to III in Quebec).
Music and Dance Presentation of music and/or dance can be in any form: classic, contemporary or alternative. Possible ideas for projects include the performance of folk songs, construction of simple musical instruments, and composition of original works.
Debate and Public Speaking Projects could be re-enactments of historic speeches and debates, or a modern day debate about historic events. Other ideas include dramatic monologues, original oral presentations, and speaking in character.
Drama Presentations may be of existing or original work.

Multimedia Presentations

Computer-based projects should be undertaken with minimal technical assistance from teachers, advisors, and parents. All projects must be on a USB or DVD/CD-Rom and include a title and credits.
Video – All submissions must be in VHS or DVD format and must not exceed 15 minutes. All videos should be written and directed by the students with minimal technical support from teachers, advisors, or parents. Each submission must include a title and credits.
Audio – All submissions must be on ¼” audiocassette and must not exceed 5 minutes. All projects must include a title and credits.
Photography – All photographs must have the original work of the presenter and must have a title or be part of a labelled display.

* Presenters requiring electronics, computers or projectors should discuss their equipment needs with Fair organizers in advance of the event. Student presenters will be responsible for their artwork and their own technical equipment. The schools and/or organizing committees will be responsible for their own equipment. Students participating in the National Fair will be responsible for meeting their own computer software and hardware needs.

General Requirements

Students and their projects must be registered with the local Fair organizing committee. Some personal information is required, including: a brief description of the project, the student’s full name, address, telephone number, school and grade, address of school, name of contact teacher, and name of parent/guardian.

Because of space limitations in certain areas, the Fair organizers reserve the right to register participants on a first come/first served basis.
Projects should be ready for display. Those selected for the National Fair may not exceed: eighty (80) centimetres in depth, one hundred & fifty (150) centimetres in width, and one hundred (100) centimetres in height.

All presentations must avoid profanity, racial or sexist remarks, innuendo, negative stereotypes, or any other potentially offensive matter.

Any person or organization clearly identifiable in a presentation must have given permission to the presenter.

Students must be present to interpret their displays at scheduled times during the day(s) of the Fair.