Frequently Asked Questions

How do you prevent duplicate accounts?

To prevent users from creating multiple accounts, we do a check and make sure that their name and email don't already exist in our system. If we already have their name and email in our system, then we force them to login, thus preventing them from creating a duplicate account.

How do you recover your forgotten Password Or Username?

For information on recovering your password see: Recovering Password

How do I update my profile information?

For information on updating your profile see: Update your Profile

Account Management & Setup

How do you prevent duplicate accounts?

To prevent users from creating multiple accounts, we do a check and make sure that their name and email don't already exist in our system. If we already have their name and email in our system, then we force them to log in, thus preventing them from creating a duplicate account.

How do you recover your forgotten Password or Username?

For information on recovering your password see: Recovering Password

How do I update my profile information?

For information on updating your profile see: Update your Profile

Who can delete accounts?

• Admins: Can delete Admin, Staff, Teacher, Volunteer, and Student accounts.
• Staff: Can delete Staff, Teacher, Volunteer, and Student accounts.
• Teachers: Can delete student accounts assigned to them.

How should administrators test fair setup and registration workflows?

As part of the setup process, we recommend registering fake test accounts for students, judges, and teachers so you can preview the process, adjust your workflow, and ensure you gather all required information.

How do I set up user access permissions and custom roles for my staff?

This is easily managed through the platform. Have your staff members register under standard roles (Volunteer, Teacher, Judge), and then an Administrator can promote them to higher access levels (Staff, Admin) from the user management screen.

Paperwork, Forms & Approvals

Who can approve student paperwork / ISEF Forms?

Teachers can view their students' forms, but only Staff and Admin users can approve paperwork. To restrict approval authority strictly to Admin/Staff users, turn on the setting "Only Allow staff members to approve paperwork" under Staff Tools > Fair Setup > Settings.

Who is required to sign the media release?

Media release requests are sent directly to your contest participants (students).

We combine the media release with the Hold Harmless release; should I break them out?

That is up to your organization. The system tracks them as a single document, so ensure your release text clearly encompasses both agreements.

Contest Operations & Customization

Can we add custom questions to registration forms?

Yes. Custom questions can be added to any registration form (Judges, Students, Teachers) to collect specific details needed to manage participants or place judges with the right student.

How do you set or update the contact person on the "Contact Us" page?

Navigate to Staff Menu > Fair/Contest Setup > General > Update Contact Info, update the details, and click Save.

Where does the pre-populated school database come from?

Pre-populated school lists (such as Massachusetts schools) include both public and private institutions sourced from government databases. Note that external database records may occasionally require manual updates.

What is the difference between Project Plan and Project Description?

• Project/Entry Plan: Serves as the research plan where participants outline their overall project scope.
• Project/Entry Description: Provides a general overview of the project, distinct from the separate Abstract entry field.

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