Register for VDSF

KEY REGISTRATION DATES

Student registration opens:  Friday, January 15, 2027  12:00:00AM

Student registration closes:  Wednesday, February 10, 2027 11:59:59PM

Final e-mail confirmations will be sent out by Friday, February 12.

 

[Last updated: August 2026]

 

HOW TO REGISTER FOR VDSF

Is your school new to VDSF? If so, your sponsor teacher needs to be added to VDSF Teams as early as possible (ideally by late October). Your school’s VDSF contact can put in a request for them.

  1. Ask your teacher sponsor for the link to the VDSF Registration form. You must be signed in as a VSB student to access it. Each project partner completes and submits their own form.
  2. Check your VSB e-mail for an e-mail from VDSF within the next 24 – 36 hours. This e-mail will assign you a project tag (put this in your subject line for all future e-mails with VDSF and GVRSF) and provide links for submitting your project profile and project abstract. If your project is flagged for ethics approval, you will be prompted to submit a formal request or explain why your project is exempt.
  3. Continue to check your VSB e-mail regularly for updates to your registration status. If any part(s) of your registration are missing, follow up right away!
  4. All applicants will be e-mailed after registration closes. If your project has been waitlisted, follow the instructions provided as you may still have a chance.

Watch for that confirmation e-mail! A completed registration does not automatically mean that a project has been accepted to VDSF.

 

Top 5 reasons why your registration is incomplete

  1. No teacher verification: Your project was selected for VDSF, but your teacher sponsor hasn’t submitted their nomination form. Check with them!
  2. Your project partner: You’ve submitted your registration form, but your project partner hasn’t. Check with them!
  3. Missing project profile and/or project abstract: Check your VSB e-mail for the links to these forms. Maybe you started writing the project abstract, but haven’t finished it. Project abstracts are read by judges and used to review waitlisted projects.
  4. Pending ethics check: Your project was flagged because it involved the use of humans and/or animals, but not in a way that requires ethics approval. Be ready to provide additional details to see if an exemption is justified.
  5. Pending ethics approval: You either haven’t submitted a formal request to vdsfethics@gvrsf.ca (or didn’t include vdsfprojects@vsb.bc.ca on your e-mail) or haven’t answered the GVRSF ethics reviewer’s follow-up questions. Don’t delay on this!

AFTER REGISTRATION CLOSES

What happens after your project has been accepted to VDSF

KEEP THAT CONFIRMATION E-MAIL! It contains links to various Microsoft Forms for indicating your availability for judging sessions, along with other useful info.

 

#1. Submit PROJECT CONFIRMATION FORM & PROJECT DISPLAY CHECK 

Submit ONCE per project

  • Open your confirmation e-mail and click on the links to the VDSF project confirmation form and VDSF project display check.
  • Consult with your project partner and choose dates & times when both of you are available on Teams for judging before submitting the project confirmation form. If you or your partner’s availability changes after the form has been submitted, e-mail the Chief Judge at vdsfjudges@vsb.bc.ca right away.
  • Judging schedules will be e-mailed to all participants in the week leading up to the fair. There should be no further conflicts at this point. If there are, please e-mail the Chief Judge at vdsfjudges@vsb.bc.ca immediately.

#2. Complete and submit ETHICS APPROVAL FORMS 

Submit ONCE per project

  • When you receive the GVRSF ethics reviewer’s e-mail granting your project ethics approval, check that your project title is correct as you will not be able to change it from this point forward (including for GVRSF).
  • Validate your ethics forms by writing the GVRSF ethics reviewer’s name and the date of his approval e-mail in the last section of the Advice for Request or Ruling from the Committee and on your Letter of Information.
  • Save these changes to your VDSF ethics package and submit this using the link in your confirmation e-mail.
  • Print out your finalized VDSF ethics forms and a copy of the GVRSF ethics reviewer’s e-mail (no phone copies) to bring to Langara. The safety or ethics officer will collect these papers from you during the safety check.

#3. Submit PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM

Each partner submits their own form. 

  • Open your confirmation e-mail and click on the link to the VDSF participant consent form.
  • Your parent/caregiver needs to be present to answer the last few questions on the participant consent form.

#4. Attend a PARTICIPANT ORIENTATION SESSION 

Mandatory for participants new to VDSF, but recommended for all. Teacher sponsors are encouraged to attend.

A number of orientation sessions are offered in the week leading up to the fair (see your confirmation e-mail for meeting links and times). Sessions are on Microsoft Teams and take about an hour. The objectives are:

  • To go over what to expect in a virtual vs. in-person judging session and how to prepare
  • To make sure students can join breakout rooms, share their screen, etc. on their computer
  • To review what students can/can’t bring for their project display at Langara
  • To answer questions that haven’t already been addressed elsewhere on the VDSF website

 

[Last updated: August 2026]