Project Guidelines and Content Requirements

Project Guidelines

  • The fair is open to students from grades 4 to 10 in the English and French Ottawa-Carleton public and catholic school boards, private schools, Pikwakanagan First Nations education network, and home- schooled children.
  • The Ottawa Regional Heritage Fair is coordinated with the schools in the Ottawa-Carleton Region. Students who are interested in participating must coordinate their participation through their teacher/school.
  • Students have a choice of preparing an individual project or a small group project with a maximum of 2 students per group project.
  • The project can be presented in English, in French or in a bilingual format.
  • Teachers in an immersion classroom will need to indicate the level of language proficiency on the submission form.
  • Accepted project formats include Video, slide presentation or PDF presentation with images and narratives (see Project Formats and Copyright for details).
  • As in past years, we are capping the initial registration at 7 projects per school and will consider additional spots on a case-by-case request. We want to encourage school representation from across the Ottawa region.

Each project registration must also include:

  • Headshot(s) of student(s) presenting the project and their given name(s).
  • A summary of the project (maximum 500 words).
  • The Student Permission and Media Release Form signed by the parent/guardians and student.

Content Requirements

  • The project must explore an aspect of Canadian history and heritage – Canadian personalities, legends, milestones, or achievements. Possible subjects include: military history, Indigenous history and culture, regional history, genealogy, a person in Canadian history, Canada’s historic places and monuments, multicultural diversity, Ontario’s history, women’s history, biographies, social justice, and Ottawa built heritage. See Project Selection and Topics.
  • Students must demonstrate that they have conducted in-depth research on their subject by integrating primary and secondary resources.
  • The project must reflect the use of primary and secondary sources and oral histories. Projects must include a list of these sources.
  • The fair offers students the opportunity to share unique stories in Canadian history. Projects can include interviews, interesting and historical photographs or archival documents, dressing-up in costumes, historical re-enactments, historical background music, and much more. See Project Formats and Copyright for information about image and music copyright.

The best Heritage Fair projects begin with a research question to which the student tries to find an answer.

  • Historical Significance – What and who should be remembered?
  • Evidence and Interpretation of Evidence – Does your evidence support your conclusions?
  • Causes and Consequences – Why did historical events happen the way they did and what are the consequences?
  • Continuity and Change – How are lives and conditions alike over time and how have they changed?
  • Perspectives – What does the past look like when viewed through the lens of time?
  • Ethical Judgement – Is what happened right or fair?

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