12 Science Fairs Open to High School Students

By Brandie Erickson • December 11, 2024 • BS/MD Admissions Consulting College Application Press Waitlist

Science fairs offer a platform for students to study any topic they are interested in and present their findings to an audience. They are a fantastic opportunity for high school students to explore their scientific interests and showcase their ideas. These events allow students to demonstrate their commitment to advancing the scientific field and make them more competitive in the college and combined medical program admissions process.

Benefits Of Participation

Participating in a science fair is not just about the competition, but the long-term benefits. It allows students to brainstorm and implement their novel solutions to real-world problems. They design experiments, learn lab techniques and develop inventions or produce results that can lead to significant discoveries. From the start of the process to the end, it is a rigorous but gratifying activity that will lead to bonding with peers, learning a new field and creating an impact. Whether they are interested in biology, chemistry, physics or engineering, students can use these fairs to explore subjects beyond the standard curriculum of their high schools and gain hands-on experience in research and innovation.

Developing Communication Skills

In addition to gaining technical skills, science fairs offer a chance to build communication skills. After the scientific work is finished, students present their projects to judges. Training for this last step refines their ability to explain complex concepts in an accessible way. These events also foster a sense of community, allowing students to talk with peers and mentors who share their mutual enthusiasm for science.

Impact On College Applications

Excelling at science fair competitions can also substantially boost college and combined medical program applications. Admissions officers look for students who have demonstrated a passion for science and can independently work on a project, such as scientific research. A winning project at a science fair can highlight a student’s dedication and curiosity, making them stand out in the competitive admissions pool.

Upcoming Science Fairs

Participating in a science fair involves advanced planning and staying up-to-date with their deadlines is essential. Here are some science fairs that offer students a chance to showcase their scientific talents.

 

Davidson Fellows

  • Location: Washington, D.C.
  • Dates: Summer 
  • Registration deadline: January/February
  • Cost: None
  • Age requirements: Must be less than 18 years old
  • Team sizes: No more than two people
  • Prizes and awards: $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000 scholarship
  • Overview: Project categories include Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Literature, Music, Philosophy and Outside the Box. The scholarships are awarded to pieces of significant work, which includes a creative application of existing knowledge, an innovation, a prodigious performance or another demonstration of a prodigious accomplishment.

Odyssey of the Mind

  • Location: Varies by association area
  • Dates: Varies by association area
  • Registration deadline: December/January
  • Cost: $290 for standard membership and an additional $190 for a second team within the same school
  • Age requirements: Grades 6-8 (less than 15 years old) for Division II and grades 9-12 for Division III
  • Team sizes: Up to seven people (no minimum)
  • Prizes and awards: Place awards, Creativity award, Role Model award and Spirit award
  • Overview: This is a problem-solving competition with five problem categories: Vehicle (students build an efficient and powered vehicle), Technology (students create an innovative device), Classics (students present a piece of literature), Structure (students build a wood and glue structure) and Performance (students showcase a performance). Each team must have a coach, and each team must compete with its local association group. There is a regional, state and world finals level.

Regeneron ISEF

  • Location: Varies by area
  • Dates: Varies by area
  • Registration deadline: October
  • Cost: $800 for 1-3 projects and incremental increases for additional projects
  • Age requirements: Grades 9-12 and under 20 years old
  • Team sizes: Individual competition
  • Prizes and awards: One $75,000 award, two $50,000 awards and three $10,000 awards
  • Overview: Categories include behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental sciences, technology, mathematics, physics, robotics and software. Students must first compete in the local, regional and state fairs to participate in the final competition with the grand awards. Projects must be completed within 12 months of research.

Regeneron Science Talent Search

  • Location: Varies by area
  • Dates: Varies by area
  • Registration deadline: November
  • Cost: Free
  • Age requirements: Attending last year of secondary school
  • Team sizes: Individual competition
  • Prizes and awards: Three hundred $2,000 awards and a top award of $250,000
  • Overview: Students will submit essay questions, a maximum of 20 pages of original scientific paper, recommendations, transcripts and optional test scores. The top 40 participants are invited to the final competition in Washington, DC.

MIT Think Scholars Program

  • Location: MIT’s campus
  • Dates: February to June
  • Registration deadline: November
  • Cost: Free
  • Age requirements: High school student
  • Team sizes: Up to two people
  • Prizes and awards: $1,000 in funding for the project and an all-expenses-paid trip to MIT’s campus
  • Overview: This program is unique because instead of requiring the student to have a fully fleshed-out science fair project, they are looking for a 10-page research proposal, including necessary procedures. Semifinalists are interviewed, and MIT professors provide mentorship to carry out the project if selected as finalists.

ExploraVision

  • Location: Varies by area
  • Dates: April to June
  • Registration deadline: January 
  • Cost: Free
  • Age requirements: Middle level is grades 7-9, and high school level is grades 10-12; Must be less than 21 years old
  • Team sizes: 2-4 students
  • Prizes and awards: $10,000 Savings Bond for four teams, $5,000 Savings Bond for four teams, a trip to Washington, DC for eight teams, a Chromebook for 24 teams and an honorable mention for about 500 teams.
  • Overview: Students compete in this science fair with a teacher or coach by submitting an abstract and project description. This fair is developing a new, more efficient method of technology that doesn’t exist today. Students must pass the regional competition to participate nationally for the monetary awards.

Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

  • Location: Varies by area
  • Dates: January to May 
  • Registration deadline: January
  • Cost: Free
  • Age requirements: Grades 9-12
  • Team sizes: Individual competition
  • Prizes and awards: 1st place regional wins $2,000 in college scholarship; 2nd place regional wins $1,500 in college scholarship; and 3rd place regional wins $1,000 in college scholarship; each 1st place national wins $12,000 in college scholarship; each 2nd place national wins $8,000 in college scholarship; each 3rd place national wins $4,000 in college scholarship
  • Overview: Competition categories include environmental science, biology, engineering, mathematics, physics and chemistry. Students submit a 250-word maximum abstract and research paper. Participants must pass the regional symposia to compete in the national science fair.

Destination Imagination Challenge Experience

  • Location: Varies by area
  • Dates: February to May
  • Registration deadline: August
  • Cost: $165 per team and $5,500 per team for Global Finals
  • Age requirements: Middle level (Grades 6-8) and secondary level (Grades 9-12)
  • Team sizes: 2-7 people
  • Prizes and awards: Place awards
  • Overview: This program comprises “Team Challenges” and “Instant Challenges.” For the “Team Challenges,” students work together to develop a solution to present at the tournament. Categories for this include technical challenge, engineer challenge, scientific challenge, fine arts challenge, improvisational challenge and service learning challenge. For the “Instant Challenges,” students will have to solve a problem quickly on the spot during the competition.

The Tech Challenge

  • Location: Varies by year
  • Dates: October to April
  • Registration deadline: April
  • Cost: $50
  • Age requirements: Grades 4-12
  • Team sizes: 2-6 people
  • Prizes and awards: Three Judge’s Choice awards, Best Costume, Best Team Safety, Outstanding Collaboration Award, Judges’ Inspiration Award, Jerry Lovelace Love of Engineering Award, three Outstanding Device Performance awards, three Outstanding Engineering Design Process awards, three Outstanding Engineering Journal awards and three Outstanding Overall awards.
  • Overview: Each year, participants spend months developing an engineering design for a specified real-world problem. Students must keep an engineering journal, recording each step of their development process, to be turned in for the judges’ review. The program culminates in a final weekend where teams demonstrate their devices and present their engineering journals.

Genes in Space

  • Location: Varies by year
  • Dates: January to August
  • Registration deadline: April
  • Cost: Free
  • Age requirements: Grades 7-12
  • Team sizes: Individual competition
  • Prizes and awards: Five finalists will receive mentorship from Harvard and MIT scientists, five Junior Scientist Awards will be given to students in grades 7-8, and one winner whose experiment will be conducted aboard the International Space Station.
  • Overview: Students must design a DNA experiment that solves a problem in space travel. All projects must include one component of the Genes in Space toolkit: a fluorescence viewer, PCR thermal cycler or BioBits cell-free system.

American Academy of Neurology Neuroscience Research Prize

  • Location: San Diego, CA
  • Dates: June to October
  • Registration deadline: October
  • Cost: Free
  • Age requirements: Grades 9-12
  • Team sizes: Individual competition
  • Prizes and awards: Each winner receives a $1,000 prize and the opportunity to present their work at a poster session at the AAN Annual Meeting in San Diego, California
  • Overview: This competition invites students to perform scientific research on the brain and nervous system. Participants must submit a maximum 300-word abstract and research report. Judges are looking for relevance to neuroscience, creativity, accurate interpretation of data and quality of the research report.

Conrad Challenge

  • Location: Houston, TX
  • Dates: November to April
  • Registration deadline: November
  • Cost: $499 Innovation Stage entry fee
  • Age requirements: 13-18 years old
  • Team sizes: 2-5 people
  • Prizes and awards: Scholarships, consulting services and Dell Latitude laptops
  • Overview: This competition has four stages: activation, Lean Canvas, Innovation and Power Pitch. The Activation stage comprises the registration process, the Lean Canvas stage is the brainstorming period, the Innovation stage is where participants write an innovation brief, record an innovation video and create a website. The Power Pitch stage is where top teams are invited to pitch at the Innovation Summit.

This article was originally posted on Forbes.