There are many Science competitions in Singapore for students to take part in, and we can classify these competitions into some of the following categories.

Quiz type - The most common type of competition, and possibly the least scientific of them all. Quiz based competition is the easiest to organise, to judge (only right or wrong) and yet it can be the most entertaining of all types of competitions. We can do it in a Pyramid game style, Who wants to be a Millionaire style etc. The feedback is instant and the majority gets very impressed with the student who can spell "Geobacillus stearothermophilus" and identify that it is a cause for food to spoil. You don't need to know Science, you just need to memorise everything about Science. Like what Feynman said, what's the point of memorising Science when all you need is a few seconds to look up the answer? The winner will be the guy who is a walking wikipedia.

Short-term project type - Usually students will be tasked with a project and given a short time frame (hours, days or even weeks), they may be given materials or a seminar on the project and the students will come out with a product at the end of the project. On the competition day, students will have to present their product or take part in some form of race with their products. Some science may be involved in the design and making of the product but the level of science involved various from project to project. For instance, you do not need to know science to build a bridge, though some science background will help you in improving the design of the bridge. These type of competition can be very exciting and entertaining but the bulk of the competition is actually conducted behind the scenes when the students build their products.

Long-term project type - Maybe it is a new invention to improve life, maybe it is a research project that advances our human knowledge. Students usually take months and perhaps even years to make or study something that little or nobody have done before. This is Science (and perhaps Engineering for inventions) at its core. Unfortunately, these are the most boring type of competitions because it is not assessible to the general public and the winner is decided by a panel of expert judges. Much like the Nobel Prize, the excitment comes only when they announce the winners. Are you sure you want to watch 100 hopeful candidates present what they found out about Zebra fishes etc?

--------------------------
Hence the most entertaining form of competition, the type that you will get to see on television, is actually the least scientific of them all. How ironic! Do we want substance over form? Is it better to have students who can give us, word for word, the definition of Newton's 3rd Law in Latin or to groom students who win awards because they know what is Science?

In the ideal world, if we tackle the substance, the form should come.... But seriously, these are two opposite directions in the approach for preparing students. (I know because I organised competitions before and the winning team comes had students who mugged University level textbooks before the quiz) In the ideal world, the public, in particular parents, will place more emphasis on substance.