Participant

Participant Registration

Tips

• Don't worry if you make a mistake, your fair coordinator, Teacher or a Staff user will be able to assist you during the registration process and you will have access to review and adjust information in your profile until the information freeze period goes into effect.
• Once started you can also continue from where you left off (you'll visit all the same pages, but saved information, with the exception of passwords, will still be present in each of the fields).
• DO NOT CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT MULTIPLE TIMES FOR THE SAME USER. This will cause confusion for the event Staff & Admin users and make it harder to get you the assistance you might need.
• If you forget your username or password, click on the “Login Help” found on the login section. You can also use Google, Facebook, or Windows to log you in.

Getting Started

Every participant will create a new account every year they enter into this event. After an account is created, then you can log in with your credentials to finish entering your project/entry information.

There are a few different approaches to register on your event, and depending on how your event director sets up your registrations depends on what you will see. We will show you all options, so follow which direction you see for your event.

Navigating from the Home Page

There are two places you can go to sign up to register. The main place is “Create Account” which is found in the menu at the top of the page. Just scroll down to “Participant” to start registering.

Your Home Page may also have a place to register on the right side of the screen.

Basic Style registration

Account widget new style

After clicking “Register” or “Create Account” you will need to choose “Participant” to continue on to registration.

NOTE: If you get a screen that says registration is closed, you will need to wait to register until the date listed.

Following a Link That Was Emailed to You

You may have received a link to register. In most cases, these links will take you directly to the registration page. However, sometimes directors send the URL to the event site instead.

If you received a link to the registration page, fill in the required information.

Where This Page Can Vary

• You may be asked for a user name.
  • Note: If you are not asked for a username, your participant ID or your email address will be your username.
• You may not be asked for participant ID (a.k.a: student ID).

To Create an Account

1. Fill in your First Name, Last Name, and a viable email into the fields, and click “Save and continue”.
2. On the next screen, you will be asked to verify your email address. You will be prompted to check your email for a verification link. Open up your email and click on the link.
   • Emails are sent from NoReply@zfairs.com. Check your SPAM folder if you don’t see it in your inbox.
   • Some school computers and school email addresses block emails from zFairs. It is always best to use a personal email.
   • If you used a personal email and still did not receive an email, use a different device, like a cell phone, and go to the log in section and use the “Login help” to resend the email verification link.
   • DO NOT recreate an account if you already entered your information in the “Sign-Up Now” section, even if you tried to sign up for the event weeks ago. Use the Login Help or the Google/Facebook/Windows to get a new email link.
   • If you are still having trouble receiving a verification email, reach out to us by emailing support@zfairs.com.
3. You have now reached the Profile page. Fill out all the fields. Any fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required and you cannot proceed without filling these in.
4. Choose a password. The password requirements are:
   1. 6 characters
   2. At least one number
   3. One uppercase letter and one lowercase letter
   4. One special character (` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + - = [ ] \ { } | ; ' : " , . / < > ?)
5. Save and Continue.

Where This Can Vary

After saving the profile page, you may see a page with additional questions. These may be required, so read them carefully and save and continue when you are finished filling them out.

Entry Pages

1. Pick an entry option. Most participants are going to “Start a New Entry”. The exception is if you are on a team, and your team leader has registered. Then you will want to “Link to Existing Entry”.
   • Team Projects - To join as a team project, acquire the project key for your team.
     • If you are the first on your team to register, then fill out the Project/Entry information fields as you normally would. Be sure to check the "Will this be a team project" box on the Entry Info page.
     • If you are joining an existing Project/Entry, get the project key from someone who is already registered on the project/entry, and then click on the Link / Join Existing Team Project button.
       • Team members can find this project key when they finish their initial registration on their account confirmation page, or after they are registered, in their profile by clicking on their name in the UI, selecting My Profile. Under the Entry tab, then in the "Project Key" field. You can copy and paste the key to send in a message to team members.
       • The Project Key will look something like the following: c2a734ff-aa31-40a1-a5a4-c2d86009fbf2
       • DO NOT include spaces when entering the key into registration.
       • If you forget or don't link to your team's existing project/entry during registration, you will need to contact the event Coordinator or a Staff / Admin user for the event to get assistance in getting your team linked properly.
2. The next group of pages are the Entry pages. The progress bar at the top will show these pages as small circles and you can use this to see how far you have to finish registration. You may see some or all of these pages. Content may vary.
   • School Page:
     • Select your school from the drop down list or select “Not Listed” to add your school to the list, and then choose it from the drop down.
     • Select your teacher from the drop down list or select “Not Listed” to add your teacher to the list and then choose them from the drop down.
     • Select your grade from the drop down. If your grade is not showing, you probably are not able to participate in this event. Talk to your teacher or the fair director to make sure you are able to compete.
   • Entry Page:
     • Enter in:
       • Title
       • Choose category from dropdown list
       • Check the box if it will be a team project
       • Add a description*
       • Check the box if you want your entry to be considered for ISEF
       • Enter in your Project/Research Plan*
       • Add your Abstract*
       • Upload your display board, Log Book, and any images (PDFs work best, but you should be able to upload most any other file types. Reach out to your fair director if you have any questions.)

     *You can copy and paste from a document into these fields.

   • Additional Questions: These may be required, so read them carefully and save and continue when you are finished filling them out.
   • Mentor Information:
     • Fill out your mentor information if you have one. Click “Save and Continue” to bypass this page.

Forms

Forms can be submitted by uploading or filling out interactive forms. Depending on your event’s setup and needs, the forms pages can look different.

• If you see these pages, navigate to “Forms Upload” to read how to submit these forms.
• If you see these pages, navigate to “Form Packets” to read how to submit these types of forms.

1. Make sure you upload any forms that are labeled as required. Forms can be bypassed during registration, and can be filled out/added later.
2. Any forms with a template file or “download” option showing means you can download the form to fill out. Most of these forms can be filled out online and printed to be signed, or saved to your personal files then be uploaded into zFairs.

Policies and Fees

1. The Fair Policies Page is the last page before you are required to pay the fair registration fee. Read through each section and check the box next to each section. You may be required to type in your name before you can proceed.
2. Fees are not always required. Navigate to How to Check Out for assistance.
3. Congratulations! This is your account confirmation page. If you have team members, don’t forget to copy the project key and send it to them. You can now log in and out of your account as needed.

AutoPlop

If your event coordinator has opted to use the AutoPlop feature there are a few things you should know about this Virtual Judging Only feature.

• There will be no assigned interview times
• You will log in on the day of the fair at your appointed start time and click the Virtual Contest and then the I'm Ready button
  • Once you click the I'm Ready button don't navigate away from that page. Doing so will remove you from the queue and could prevent you from being judged
  • AutoPlop will pair you with appropriate Judges and the appropriate number of judges and then place you in your Project/Entry Virtual Interview Room (NOTE: You can also manually access your Virtual Interview Room by clicking the Blue Button at the left but only do this if directed to do so by a Staff or Admin user for the event)
  • When AutoPlop places you into a room with judges give it a full 60 seconds before being concerned that something didn't connect properly. It normally takes just a few seconds, but depending on everyone's connection speeds it could be delayed slightly.

Scheduled Interviews

If your event coordinator has opted to use scheduled interviews you will want to log in and click on Virtual Contest to see your list of interview times.

• Interview times will be in chronological order

When it is time for you to begin an interview follow these steps to get into your Project / Entry Room

1. Log In
2. Click the Virtual Contest menu option
3. Click the blue Enter Virtual Judging / Interview button
4. ... well there really isn't a step 4 but I guess if there needed to be one it would be have an awesome interview and do great things!
5. Click on the red Hang Up or the red Leave buttons to exit your interview when you are done.

If you get the chance to test your video and audio connections prior to the day of the fair please be sure to have two different devices join your room as otherwise you may find that your network is blocking video and audio feeds on the day of the fair when you are just wanting everything to go smoothly.

• You can log in to your same user on two different devices to see if video and audio works properly.

After the Fair

Congrats you made it through. Depending on your event's configuration you may be able to log in and see your awards as well as print out any associated certificates.