Frequently Asked Questions

Yes - an independent student and their teacher (or parent) must make arrangements with their local Regional Heritage Fair Committee to have their project judged prior to being accepted for the Regional Heritage Fair. Contact Heritage Saskatchewan for further details on independent students.

Independent students are also strongly encouraged to participate in the Virtual Heritage Fair.

No. The overall number of participating students from a class (or school) determines how many can attend the Regional Heritage Fair. It is perfectly fine for less than a whole class to participate. Some schools have created a Heritage Fair Club in the past (ranging from 6-12 students).

Yes. When they register, teachers need to declare which Regional Fair they want their students to attend. Usually, this is the closest Regional Fair geographically or with the most accessible/direct road.

Anyone interested in having a Heritage Fair in their school or community can contact Heritage Saskatchewan about participating in the program. It is possible to have students advance directly from a local fair to the Provincial Fair if arrangements are made in advance. (This is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.) 

The Virtual Fair is open for students anywhere in the province, and teachers/parents are encouraged to enter their students in that contest. It can be a great way to start and get familiar with the experience of creating and presenting a project without the pressure of organising a whole event or travelling to a Regional Fair.

The respective Regional Heritage Fair committees determine how many students per school can attend each Regional Heritage Fair based on the total number of students participating from each school. (These numbers are taken from teachers' registrations.) Note that the committees take the total numbers per school, not per class. It is up to the individual schools to determine how to assign their allotted spots to each class, if they wish to do so. Schools can host a school-wide Heritage Fair to determine their winners; they can also choose their winners from each participating class. This is up to the participating teachers from each school.

Teachers need to provide support for their students: introduce them to the topics, guide them in their research, etc. Teachers also need to register online with Heritage Saskatchewan and then register their students who are advancing to the Regional Heritage Fair. It is ultimately up to the teacher how much they want to be involved.

At least one teacher (or education assistant) from each school should attend the Regional Heritage Fair as a chaperone. Most Regional Heritage Fair committees stipulate that one teacher from each school attend as a chaperone, even if there are only two or three students participating. (Chaperones of independent students do not need to be teachers.)

For the Provincial Heritage Fair, any school that has two or more finalists needs to provide a chaperone associated with that school, but this does not have to be a teacher - it could be a parent, adult family member of a student, education assistant, or administrator as well.

This is at the discretion of the relevant Regional Heritage Fair committee. The committees and Heritage Saskatchewan all want what is best for the students, but the deadlines are in place to ensure that the program runs smoothly.

Unfortunately, no, there is no longer a National Heritage Fair. In 2025, Canada's History introduced the Heritage Fair National Showcase. The top two winners from each Regional and Community Fair in each province and territory are chosen to be part of the National Showcase. 

Due to the deadlines set by Canada's History and the timing of the National Showcase, the deadline to submit projects has passed before we have the Provincial Fair. Also, since not all provinces and territories have Provincial Fairs, it would not be fair to only choose winners from the Provincial Fair alone. 

No, it can be about anything relating to Canada. Students are encouraged to choose a topic that they enjoy and want to learn more about. (Teachers do have the option to assign specific topics.)

(This is often phrased as: "What about topics that pre-date Confederation? What about areas that are now part of Canada, but were not at the time of the topic in question? What about topics that are connected to Canada, but also include what is now the USA and Mexico, or other countries?")

For the purposes of Heritage Fairs, anything has a connection to Canada if it took place in what is now Canada, involved people who lived in what is now Canada, involved non-humans (i.e. animals, plants, etc.) who lived in what is now Canada, or had a direct impact on Canada, no matter when.

Teachers can choose to assign specific topics if that works best for them or their class, and depending on how it fits into the curriculum. For example, sometimes teachers have had their whole class study local treaties, explorers, famous Saskatchewan people, or their students' family histories.

Because judges need to be able to understand a language in order to properly judge a project, Heritage Fairs projects are currently accepted in English or French. A project can also be bilingual in English & French, or be bilingual in either of those and another language. Students can also include words from other languages, along with translations, as part of their display and presentation. In order to have a project presented in any language other than English & French at the Regional or Provincial levels, the organisers of the Heritage Fair would need to have enough notice to find judges fluent in that language.

Students can submit projects to the Virtual Heritage Fair in any language. Regardless of whether or not the project is able to be judged, it will be showcased virtually. (Without sufficient notice, Heritage Saskatchewan cannot guarantee that a judge fluent in a language other than English or French will be available.)

Living Heritage is about the past, present, and future. It does not matter how old something is for it to be considered heritage.

Absolutely. Science is a big part of our heritage.

As learning about local animals is part of the Grade 4 Science curriculum, for example, having students do a project on an animal with connections to North America is an option for a Heritage Fairs project.

Any of these could be potential topics, as long as they relate to Canada in some way. It does not matter how famous someone is or was. Someone who is very famous to a student might be someone that the judges have never heard about!

It does not matter how old or young someone is, whether or not they are alive, whether or not they are retired, or whether or not they have spent the majority of their career abroad, as long as they have a Canadian connection.

Students do not only have to pick people who are "good role models", especially as they get older and want to delve into more nuanced topics. Controversial aspects of a person can be addressed in the project (i.e. retired athletes who advocate against vaccination, people misrepresenting their ethnic background, etc.).

Many events that happened in other countries have a Canadian connection (such as a war that Canadians participated in). Anything that took place within and around what are now the borders of Canada are also acceptable, even if they primarily took place in what is now the United States (such as the Underground Railroad). Some people move away from Canada for their careers, such as actors, but they still have a connection to Canada. Non-Canadians who have lived in or partially live in Canada can also be acceptable topics.

However, students should make sure that the connection to Canada is readily apparent in their projects.

There is no such thing as a "bad" topic, but a topic can be poorly handled. Also, a "bad" topic would be one which has no connection to Canada or wherein the connection to Canada cannot be readily inferred. This is why "Project Description" was added to the registration form for the Regional Fairs, as a title alone can be misleading.

No, but the student needs to do good research and be respectful in their display and presentation. (In such cases, students should avoid costumes.) They must be mindful that members whichever cultural group they are depicting may be among the other students, chaperones, judges, and visitors.

If the student participates in an aspect of a cultural group (such as dance), wearing a uniform, costume, or regalia that they have earned in this capacity is entirely acceptable.

Please avoid the following (for all Heritage Fair projects):

• Black-/yellow-/red-face makeup [painting one’s face to look dirty to portray a miner, a railroad worker, a disaster victim, etc. is acceptable, as is painting one's face to look like a clown or mime]
• Sexualised costumes
• Racist/sexist phrases, cartoons, videos, or models (without historical context)
• Content expressing overt, non-historical racism, sexism, anti-2SLGBTQ+ views, etc.
• Links to content (i.e. websites) expressing overt, non-historical racism, sexism, anti-2SLGBTQ+ views, etc.

For in-person Heritage Fairs, please also avoid:

• Food
• Loud audio that drowns out neighbouring students (bring headphones for judges or visitors to view an audio-visual project)
• Heirlooms or artefacts that cannot be replaced or would be permanently damaged if they get broken, wet, or dirty
• Items that would make a mess if broken, such as a bag of grain or anything involving liquid (if you want to include these in a model or as part of your display, make sure to have cleaning supplies with you, like paper towels or a dustpan)
• Large items, especially anything longer or wider than 4ft (1.5m)
• Anything that needs to be attached to a wall

Students can include food as display items only if it relates to their project.

Due to rules about food safety as well as food around museum displays, food cannot be served in samples. Individually-wrapped candies may be acceptable, but should be avoided.

To display food, use empty packaging, sealed packaging, photos, or models. If the food appears edible, such as a loaf of ornamental bread, please include a "Display Only" sign.

This is up to each individual Regional Fair committee's discretion at the Regional Fairs and up to Heritage Saskatchewan at the Provincial Fair.

If a project is too large, it might not be able to be displayed properly. Organisers are not obliged to accommodate oversized projects.

If a teacher or parent asks in advance, it is easier for organisers to accommodate a project. If a project is within the size requirements but is an unusual shape (like a display that is meant to be placed on the ground rather than on a table), organisers could accommodate this with advanced notice, such as putting the project at the end of a row of tables.

Also, please be mindful that students are not entitled to extra space merely because the projects around them are smaller or narrower. At the Regional Fairs, each space is marked out with tape. Please get permission from your neighbour before letting anything cross the tape!

For the Provincial Fair, if one is making changes to one's project in terms of size, please ask Heritage Saskatchewan in advance if it can be accommodated.

As an educational project, Heritage Fairs falls under “fair dealing” for copyright purposes. Therefore, as long as students document their sources and give credit for photos, video clips, etc., their projects are not infringing on copyright.

For more information, see our Plagiarism & Copyright page.

Music in general at the in-person Heritage Fairs should only be included if the topic is music-related. Audio clips, video clips, music to accompany a dance demonstration, or the student performing are all acceptable.

However, music and other loud noises are distracting to neighbouring students and judges, so students must be mindful of their neighbours, especially if they are singing or dancing. For audio or video clips, consider having headphones for the judges.

As long as credit is given, music falls under “fair dealing” if it is part of a video or audio clip in a project about the performers or writers of that music. It also falls under “fair dealing” if the student sings the song or a portion thereof, or if the student parodies the song.

Music does not fall under “fair dealing” if it is being featured in a project on a topic unrelated to the performers or writers, especially if it is just as background music. For example, a clip of “My Heart Will Go On” is fair use in a project about Celine Dion (the song’s singer), but not in a project about the Titanic disaster. Students can obtain written permission from the copyright holder of any piece of music, but they are encouraged to use royalty-free music.

Yes. As long as credit is given (especially if the clip is linked from the project directly to the copyright holder’s website or social media channel), students can include videos or video clips that they did not produce themselves. These also fall under "fair dealing".

1. Students who qualify for the Regional Fair through their school can participate in both contests, but their in-person performances at the Regional Fair will be prioritised for awards and advancing to the Provincial Fair.

2. Students who do not qualify for the Regional Fair through their school can submit a virtual version of their project to the Virtual Fair.

Yes. Any student in grades 4-8 in Saskatchewan can submit a project to the Virtual Heritage Fair.

Students do not need to register in advance for the Virtual Heritage Fair as long as they submit their project before the submission deadline.

For the Virtual Fair, teacher registration helps Heritage Saskatchewan plan the event and keep track of which schools are participating. If we know that someone (a teacher, parent, or student) has registered, we can provide better follow-up and track down any projects lost in cyberspace. Having a rough estimate of how many projects to expect will also assist Heritage Saskatchewan in our planning.

No, not all students in a registered class have to submit their projects to the Virtual Heritage Fair.

The flexibility reflects how we want the program to be more inclusive and reflect community needs. We want Heritage Fairs to fit into the lesson, not have the lesson fit into Heritage Fairs. From a practical perspective, we have more space virtually to accommodate small groups and grades on the edge of eligibility, whereas the in-person events are limited by room capacity, food budget, time constraints, etc.

Variable:

Grades 1-3: If they are paired with a student in grades 4-8, they are eligible to participate fully.

Grade 3 (if they are part of a split 3/4 class): Can participate fully even if they are not paired with an older student, but will be judged alongside grade 4 students.

Grades 1, 2, & 3 (not part of a split 3/4 class): If they create a project for school, they can submit it to be showcased (i.e. not be judged or eligible for awards). Students would still be recognised as participating.

Grade 9: If they are paired with a student in grades 4-8, they are eligible to participate fully. 

Grades 9, 10, 11, & 12: Cannot participate in the Virtual Heritage Fair. Students in grades 9-12 who are interested in heritage-related projects should contact Heritage Saskatchewan, through a parent or teacher. We would like to highlight their work and help them build connections within the heritage community in Saskatchewan, including career options and volunteering opportunities.