WHAT IS FAMELAB?
FameLab is a regional talent competition to find the new faces of science in Greece and South East Europe, and is part of our wider Beautiful Science programme.

Based on the highly successful UK FameLab model, the competition was originally created by the UK’s Cheltenham Science Festival. The idea of the competition is to take science out of the classroom and make it fun, and to encourage young people with a passion for science and technology to share their enthusiasm and knowledge with the general public in an interesting and entertaining way.

AM I ELIGIBLE?
The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over working in or studying science, technology, engineering, mathematics or medicine – undergraduate and postgraduate students, teachers and lecturers, scientists and researchers are all welcome to apply!

HOW DO I ENTER?
Complete and return the registration form, and then turn up at one of the qualifying rounds in Athens or Thessaloniki and present any scientific topic to our panel of expert judges. Impress them with your knowledge of science, clarity and charisma and you could be selected to compete in the final!

Deadline for submission of registration forms: 3 April 2009.

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE QUALIFYING ROUND?
You will be given a maximum of three minutes in which to impress the judges. The panel will be looking for exciting and engaging talks that can be understood by a general public adult audience. Props are allowed but you must be able to carry them on and off stage with you – there is no set-up time or assistance and no table to put them on. PowerPoint presentations are not permitted.

WHAT EXACTLY AM I EXPECTED TO DO?
Inspire and excite public imagination by giving an entertaining and original talk in either English or Greek that is scientifically accurate in front of a live non-scientific audience. The judges are looking for three qualities: content, clarity and charisma. So make sure your subject matter is well chosen and clearly put across, that your facts are right, and that you let your passion for your subject shine through!

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE FINAL?
The finalists will be asked to give a new five-minute presentation on a contemporary science topic that is different from that presented at the qualifying round. The judges will ask the finalists questions on the topic and give them feedback.

WHO ARE THE JUDGES?
Leading figures from the world of science and media.

WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?
The 10 participants chosen to go through to the final will be invited to a free Masterclass weekend in science communication led by experts from the UK and Greece.

The FameLab Greece winner chosen at the final will travel to the UK for the Cheltenham Science Festival on 3–7 June 2009, where he/she will compete in FameLab International together with the other nine South East Europe and UK winners.

Other prizes:

WHEN & WHERE

INFORMATION
For further information, please contact:

FameLab is being organised in collaboration with the National Hellenic Research Foundation and IANOS.

Kindly supported by Avgo Books, the Greek branch of Euroscience and the Greek Physics Association.