High School science fair projects should not be looked at as a problem...they should be considered an opportunity. Science Fair winners, especially at the high school level, are shoe-ins for scholarships, and often get to pick their school. All it takes is a single project.

...And that makes the choice of project that much more important. At the high school level, judges do NOT want to see a frivalous experiment about eye color or state of matter. They want to see a project that goes above and beyond, tackling a modern issue, or studying something highly pertinent to the world today. Invention-style projects tend to do very well, especially if the invention is a very good idea. Of course, great inventions don't come along everyday, and many students may have an idea, but not the means to turn it into reality.

If an invention is out of the question, it is up to the student to study something and invent a solid experiment based on their interests. As with any science fair, something relevent, well-crafted, and presented properly will usually get the job done.