What is Realise the Dream

Realise the Dream - The National School Science and Technology Awards

Realise the Dream is the acknowledgement and celebration of New Zealand's finest examples of science research or technological development which has been carried out by school students. It is an integral part of the celebration of science and technology excellence in New Zealand. The Royal Society is keen to build on this success and to further enhance the reputation of the event by ensuring all participants exhibit the excellence that is its hallmark.

Realise the Dream is the culmination of competitions such as regional science and technology fairs and ETITO Bright Sparks. It also is an opportunity for students who have carried out excellent research projects as part of their school work or in programmes such as CREST to have this judged against the very best of New Zealand student's work.

To participate in Realise the Dream students must reach a very high standard. To ensure this is the case the judging criteria is transparent, rigorous and is applied equitably to each of the nominated students.

From 2010 The Royal Society is going to raise this standard even higher to ensure the participants can be recognized as the very best of New Zealand's school students and their work can be appropriately celebrated by the science and education sectors. The winner of Realise the Dream will carry the mantle of the Prime Ministers Future Scientist.

Raising the standard may well mean the number of students involved in Realise the Dream will initially be less than in previous years. It will also mean that participants will be secondary school students. While the Royal Society will miss the involvement of some of the younger students that have participated in the past this new approach will ensure that we are celebrating the very best of New Zealand's talent.

The activities at Realise the Dream will also reflect the excellence of these students. The programme will involve them in the exciting science and technology taking place in New Zealand and working with talented and inspirational people in these sectors.

Selection Process

From 2010 all secondary school students will have an opportunity to be nominated for Realise the Dream. This means that nominations can come from a student's teacher if they feel the student has undertaken an outstanding piece of science research or technological development.

Nomination forms will be required to be sent to the Royal Society by mid October so that the Realise the Dream judging panel could read them thoroughly before the panel meeting takes place. An addition to the present judging process is the option for the Judging Panel to interview students to ensure they have a thorough understanding of their work.

Awards

There will be three categories recognized at the Celebratory Awards function. They are the Genesis Energy Supreme Award, DairyNZ Outstanding Award and UNESCO Outstanding Award. In recognition that getting to Realise the Dream is an outstanding achievement in itself each of the participating students will be acknowledged at the function.

Objectives of Realise the Dream

Using young achievers and their achievements to promote science and technology to other young people and the community is one of the most powerful ways of encouraging them and others with potential.

• enable the recognition and celebration of excellence and achievement in the area of science research and technological development
• provide further learning for these talented students
• promote outstanding students for New Zealand and international honours
• give scientists and technologists opportunities to inform and enthuse about their work
• support scientists and technologists to present their work as champions/role models to the youth sector and their parents
• develop and build links with, and networks for, excellent undergraduate and postgraduate students
• use our talented students in leading and inspiring others

Who are the major Sponsors?

The principal sponsor of this event is Genesis Energy and the support partners are the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and DairyNZ.

"Attending Realise the Dream has enriched and broadened my knowledge of science and technology in general, and I have made new friends from all around the country. It has also shown me that there are many opportunities in New Zealand in the science field. So a big thank you to everyone involved in organising the event. Realise the Dream has been an amazing experience and I hope to partake again."