News & updates
ISEF news & updates
Season announcements, deadlines, results, and guidance for students preparing for the International Science and Engineering Fair.
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Which Fields Reach the STS Top 40? Our Eleven-Year Dataset of 371 Finalists, 2015-2026
Our own classification of 371 STS finalists across eleven program books: Mathematics leads at 12.1%, computational biology second. STS is open only to US high-school seniors.
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STS vs ISEF 2026: Which US Science Research Flagship Can You Actually Enter?
STS is for U.S. high-school seniors and takes direct applications. ISEF is open worldwide in grades 9-12, but has no direct entry: you must win an affiliated fair first.
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The ISEF Literature Review, Decoded (2027): How to Prove Your Project Is New Without Journal Access
A 10-hour literature search protocol for ISEF, legal open-access routes to papers without a university login, and five honest ways a high-school project can be new.
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ISEF 2026-27 Season: What Is Confirmed, What Is Not, and Why Your Real Deadline Is Not in May
ISEF 2026 drew 1,700+ finalists from 365 affiliated fairs. We are told 2027 returns to Los Angeles in May, ahead of any Society posting. Your real deadline is your own fair.
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The Statistics ISEF Judges Expect (2027): Analysis That Survives the 20-Point Execution Criterion
Execution is worth 20 of 100 points at ISEF and names statistical methods directly. How to plan sample size, choose the right test, and report results judges can verify.
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ISEF 2027 Research Window Rules: One Project, 12 Months, and How Continuation Projects Work
ISEF allows one project per student, no more than 12 months of continuous research, and a cut-off date. How the window works and what counts as a legitimate continuation.
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ISEF Pre-Approval 2027: Which Projects Need SRC or IRB Review Before You Start
Some ISEF projects need SRC or IRB approval before the first experiment. Which features trigger review, the form set with signature timing, and the failures reviewers see most.
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The Records ISEF Judges Trust: Lab Notebooks, Data, and Reproducibility
ISEF judges reward work they can trace and believe. A coach-style guide to the lab notebook, raw data, and reproducibility habits that make a project credible.
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No University Lab? How to Build a Competitive ISEF Project from China
You do not need a university lab to reach ISEF. Five project routes Chinese students can run with a laptop, a phone, public data, or a school workshop — matched to categories.
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How Mainland-China Students Qualify for ISEF: The CASTIC Pathway (2026-2027)
You cannot apply to Regeneron ISEF directly. Here is how mainland-China students reach the May finals through the CASTIC affiliated-fair pathway, and what to confirm officially.