Virginia FFA Agriscience Fair Quick Start Guide

Contest Rules

The Virginia contest follows all National FFA guidelines and regulations as published in the Agriscience Fair Handbook, except for interviews being held in person at the Virginia FFA State Convention (National FFA interviews are held virtually).

Visit the National FFA Agriscience Fair website (ffa.org/participate/awards/agriscience-fair/) for the current version of the handbook and a summary of changes from the previous year.

Virginia Contest Information

The go-to location for dates and links to current resources is the Virginia FFA Agriscience Fair Website (https://www.vaffa.org/agriscience-fair). Application information, processes, and deadlines are updated annually on this site.

Timeline and Key Activities

• August-May: FFA members conduct agriscience research & prepare written reports 
• 5 weeks before State Convention: Intent to submit form due 
• 3 weeks before State Convention Applications (including written report) due 
• 2 weeks before State Convention: Participants receive feedback on reports from judges and are notified of required changes to applications 
• 1 week before State Convention: Revised applications and reports due 
• State Convention: Interviews with Judges, state winners announced at the session 
• July 1: State winner applications submitted to the National FFA for judging 
• Summer: National Judging of Applications (including written report) 
• September: National Finalists interviews (virtual) 
• National Convention: All national finalists are expected to participate in a scientific career exploration, networking, and immersion experience

Agriscience Fair Pathways

Participants may conduct original scientific research in one of six pathways, as listed below. Full descriptions of the pathways and examples of project topics are provided in the National FFA Agriscience Fair Handbook.

• Animal Systems 
• Environmental Services/Natural Resource Systems 
• Food Products and Processing Systems 
• Plant Systems 
• Power, Structural, and Technical Systems 
• Social Science

Judging Criteria

The Virginia FFA Agriscience Fair uses the National FFA rubrics for judging at the state level. Rubrics for the written report and interview for the current year are available on the National FFA Agriscience Fair website (ffa.org/participate/awards/agriscience-fair/).

Divisions and Grade Levels

The National FFA Agriscience Fair currently has six divisions based on team size and grade level. Starting with the 2027 contest, projects will be judged solely by grade level. To ensure consistency with the National contest, Virginia will also be changing to a grade-level format for the 2027 contest. Details for both structures are provided below. 

Agriscience Fair Divisions (2026)

1. Individual member in grades 7 & 8 
2. Team of two members in grades 7 & 8 
3. Individual member in grades 9 & 10 
4. Team of two members in grades 9 & 10 
5. Individual member in grades 11 & 12 
6. Team of two members in grades 11 & 12

Agriscience Fair Grade Levels (starting with 2027 contest)

Projects can have 1-3 team members, and all projects in a grade level are judged together as follows:

• Grades 7 & 8 
• Grades 9 & 10 
• Grades 11 & 12

Resources for Teachers

Dr. Hannah Scherer, the coordinator for the Virginia FFA Agriscience Fair, is available to answer questions and provide support to advisors and FFA members. As an Extension Specialist for STEM Education in Agriculture, she is always happy to help in any way she can. To request assistance, please email Dr. Hannah Scherer (hscherer@vt.edu).

A Google Drive folder contains a wide variety of resources for Agriculture Teachers to support the Agriscience Fair, both in the classroom and when working with individual teams. Teachers are also welcome to add their own resources to the folder for colleagues to use. Resources include information about the process of science, sample timelines, and lesson plans. To access the Drive, please email Dr. Hannah Scherer (hscherer@vt.edu).

Agriscience Fair workshops are regularly held at Virginia Association of Agricultural Educators conferences. If you have a specific idea or need that you think would make a good workshop, please email Dr. Hannah Scherer (hscherer@vt.edu).