About

ISEF is open to students in grades 9–12 (under age 20) who qualify by placing at a Society-affiliated science fair — a network of 400+ fairs operating at local, regional, and national levels across the United States and internationally, with most affiliated fairs concluding by mid-April. Students may enter as individuals or in teams of up to three. Projects span 22 categories from biomedical engineering and environmental science to mathematics and behavioral science, and must represent original research conducted within a 12-month continuous research period under the student's own direction, with safety and ethical compliance reviewed by a Scientific Review Committee at each affiliated fair before advancement. Finalists present their projects during a week-long event each May to panels of judges who are required to hold a PhD or equivalent degree and/or six years of relevant experience — over 1,000 such professionals judge each year. More than 600 individual and team awards are distributed across the 22 categories, with top category prizes ranging from $600 to $6,000, alongside special awards from more than 45 professional organizations and the $75,000 grand prize, with nearly $9 million awarded in total.

ISEF and Regeneron STS occupy different but complementary positions in the science research landscape. ISEF is global in scope, open from grade 9, and rewards students who have developed a strong research project through the affiliated fair pipeline — the credential is finalist status among roughly 0.03% of the estimated 7 million students who begin at local affiliated fairs worldwide. STS is US-only, seniors only, and more selective at the finalist level; a student can submit the same project to both in the same year if they qualify. For a student who has completed serious original research and is not yet a senior, ISEF is the most prestigious and globally recognized platform available. For a senior with the same project, both are worth pursuing simultaneously.

ISEF is the right competition for a high school student in grades 9–12 who has completed a research project mature enough to compete at the regional level —and the pipeline itself, from local fair to international finalist, is one of the most rigorous research development experiences available to any pre-college scientist.