InquiryQuest

InquiryQuest is a controlled research challenge in which students receive one organizer-issued science problem — from Chemistry, Physics, Biology or General Science — and convert it into a disciplined inquiry over a 7–10 day research window.

The competition rewards research quality, source judgement, method, evidence handling, analysis, scientific writing and reflective improvement rather than memorised scientific facts. It is research-first, not recall-first: students are not rewarded for producing the "expected answer", they are rewarded for the quality of the inquiry that leads to a justified conclusion.

One common problem brief creates a comparable research challenge while still allowing different research questions and approaches. Sources and evidence are judged for quality and relevance, not merely counted. Raw or summarised evidence must be traceable to the student's source log or data record. Revision is assessed positively when it is evidence-driven — changing a weak method is a sign of learning, not failure.

The primary submission is a structured scientific inquiry report (recommended 1,500–2,000 words, roughly 6–8 A4 pages of main content) with a source log, an evidence and data record, and a reflection and revision record.

If the issued problem can be answered adequately through secondary research, students are not required to perform an experiment simply to appear more scientific.

Domain: Academic & Intellectual Development