DSR Report contest

OBJECTIVES

The international contest Dark Skies Rangers Report is promoted by NUCLIO with the following objectives:

• Communicate the causes and consequences of light pollution;
• Raise awareness of the importance of using outdoor lighting that are energy efficient and that direct the light downward;
• Contribute to the reduction of light pollution and the preservation of the night sky;
• Promote interest in Astronomy.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

The contest is intended to students between 5 and 18 years old. Students must have the orientation of one teacher.

Students must create a report about the effects of light pollution (not about the night sky observation), according to the objectives of the contest. The report must be original, written in English or Portuguese and produced individually or in group.

The report can be produced in the form of:

• article – it could be a written description, interview or investigation. The text should be illustrated with at least one image (photograph, graph or infographic) and a subtitle with a maximum of 20 words. The title should not exceed 10 words and should be followed by a summary of the report with a maximum of 50 words. The written text, excluding illustrations, should not exceed 1000 words;
• photography – can have a maximum of 6 original photos, with a scientific legend and a maximum of 20 words. Photos should be in image format (jpeg, bmp, png, tif or gif) with good definition. The report must be accompanied by a descriptive text with a maximum of 150 words, explaining how the work was done, and a summary of a maximum of 50 words;
• video – can be in documentary or interview format with a maximum of 3 minutes. The video must be published on YouTube, Vimeo or another social network. Must have a title with a maximum of 10 words and a abstract with a maximum of 50 words. It must be accompanied by a descriptive text with a maximum of 150 words, explaining how the work was carried out;
• poster or music.

The report should include the sources of information (references) consulted by students.
Participants must register on the contest page and send the report to concurso@nuclio.pt
Students between 5 and 10 years old can also apply for the Dark Skies Rangers Drawing contest.

TERM

The registration and the report must be submitted until June 17, 2022. Only the reports submitted by the deadline will be considered in the contest.

JURY AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

The jury, composed of NUCLIO elements, will select the best reports according to the following parameters: relevance according to the objectives of the competition, scientific accuracy, quality and originality.

The jury can reject any report that does not meet the conditions of participation in the contest or if the quality is considered insufficient.

PRIZE

Three students and one teacher will be awarded according to the following categories:

• Students between 5 and 12 years old;
• Students between 13 and 15 years old;
• Students between 16 and 18 years old;
• Teachers.

The prizes will be:

• 1st prize – Tablet or voucher
• 2nd prize – Telescope Celestron or voucher
• 3rd prize – Telescope Zoomion or voucher

If the work is done in group, only one prize will be awarded for all the members of the group.
The winners will be announced until June 30, 2022.

WORKS USAGE RIGHTS

In the context of Dark Skies Rangers project and sharing of best practices, NUCLIO has all the rights of reproduction, publication and exhibition of the works, worldwide, in any medium, without prior notice, consent or compensation.

The works will not be subject to any kind of marketing, unless agreed by all parties and to promote the Dark Skies Rangers.

SUPPORT

Direção-Geral da Educação
ABAE – Programa Eco-Escolas
Galileo Teacher Training Program