What is the iGem Competition?
iGem is dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology, and every year, they host a competition designed to push the boundaries of synthetic biology. Originally designed for undergraduate students, this competition now spans 46 countries, and is open to high school and graduate students. Every year, teams work together to create a project to solve real world problems. They present their deliverables in the form of videos, presentations, etc. iGem projects often serve as prototypes for startups, and iGem even has a Startups Program, helping develop startups and showcasing them at their Grand Jamboree in November. More information about iGem Startups can be found here: https://startups.igem.org/
iGem Competition
iGem takes place annually, where teams made up of members specializing in different subjects work together to build a final project. After months of work, all of these competitors will present their work and compete at the Grand Jamboree. There are many rules to participation and registration, if you want to learn more, check out the iGem competition here: https://competition.igem.org/participation/introduction iGEM Late Registration is open until May 31.
Teams are also required to have mentors, as such, if any help is needed or they hit a roadblock, a mentor with more experience can help them get back on the right track.
iGem also has a collection of genetic parts that can be used for synthetic biology devices, and teams participating in the iGem Competition will be able to access these parts and characterize any new parts they make for future teams.
At the Grand Jamboree, teams compete for many awards, and have their project judged by a panel of experts. Teams must also understand what they are competing for, which are medals and awards, and how to earn them. Make sure to develop a proper understanding of how judging works before the competition so you have all the proper information on your wiki pages, judging forms, and registry pages. Learn more about judging here: https://competition.igem.org/judging/introduction
iGem Competition Medals
Medals range from Bronze to Gold, with Bronze being more of a participation award, while Gold shows that the judges loved the work that you did.
Bronze - Participated, Presented, work will impact future teams
Silver - Work addressed key principles of iGem
Gold - Excellence in a team’s chosen specializations and general Biological Engineering
While the Bronze medal may seem like a participation award, you must still prove to the judges that you earned it, to do this, make sure you present and document your work well and respond well to the judges during the competition. The specific criteria for the medals are listed below: https://competition.igem.org/judging/medals
iGem Competition Awards
Grand Prizes - Grand Prizes and Runner Up Prizes are given to 2 teams in EACH of the Undergraduate, Overgraduate, and High School categories.
Village Awards - Village awards are given based on the accomplishments of teams. Here are some examples of village awards: “Best Diagnostics Project”, “Best Climate Crisis Project”, “Best Environment Project”. When considering your project and what you want to accomplish in the iGem Competition, make sure to consider these awards as well. You’re not only trying to be the best out of everyone, but also competing for village awards like these.
iGem Competition Judging
How does judging actually work? Well, judges have a rubric with many separate categories, and these categories are graded on a score of 1-6, with 1 being the best.
“1. Amazing work; Impressive”
“6. Poor work done or completely absent”
https://competition.igem.org/judging/rubric
When creating your project and working with your team, make sure to check the rubric, and understand all the questions that all the categories are asking, that way, you do not score any 6’s. Also, make sure to understand all the deliverables that your team needs and to complete the registration forms properly. Remember, iGEM late registration ends on May 31st.
iGem Competition Safety
Teams must fill out a safety form, and must complete additional forms if using organisms or activities that are not part of iGem’s Whitelist. Teams must also consider what to do if using Gene Drives, antimicrobial resistance factors, or live SARS-CoV-2. Also, they must receive permission for experiments with vertebrates, some invertebrates, dead organisms, and animal samples. Teams using Human subjects must also comply with all rules necessary, and are not allowed to work with Risk Group 3-4 organisms. Finally, teams cannot test their project on humans, and cannot release their project outside a laboratory during the Competition or Grand Jamboree. Specifics regarding safety regulations can be found below, make sure to check these out when planning your project! Unauthorized animal use can lead to disqualification.
https://competition.igem.org/participation/rules-and-policies
iGem Competition Communication
In the spirit of the competition, make sure to accurately represent your project in all of your deliverables. Don’t over promise and make sure to represent the scale of your project well. Also, make sure to accurately represent your team in this project, and don’t spread any stereotypes through your project.
Furthermore, do NOT do any of the following:
Use country flags
Use disturbing imagery
Use Copyrighted Materials
Host Content outside iGem Servers
Violation of any iGem rules could result in full or partial disqualification, or ineligibility for prizes, medals, and future involvement.
Final Remarks
Overall iGEM is an amazing competition where students can learn a lot about topics they are interested in and pursue their desires to make a project that can truly help the world. iGEM bridges the theoretical and practical, and allows students to work independently under the supervision of a trusted mentor. Students can develop teamwork experience, can network with other strong teams, and learn to handle finances. Students should consider creating a team and participating in the competition, it is a valuable experience, and students of all ages can learn from it.
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
