The isef science fair is a prestigious global competition that allows high school students to showcase their research projects. Here, they compete against other winners from around the globe in an exciting array of events.
Select a topic you are passionate about! Learning about your chosen subject requires significant time and energy, so make sure it is something you find enjoyable.
The Rules
The ISEF science fair is an international competition that draws top high school students from around the globe. It offers a more challenging test-of-strength environment than most school science fairs.
At ISEF, the projects are more difficult and take a considerable amount of time to finish. You’ll need to conduct background research, draft an extensive report, attend multiple science fairs, connect with a mentor, etc.
ISEF differs from other school science fairs in that it requires you to create research that is both useful and innovative. This can be challenging if your project has already been done before or if the topic does not have much value to other scientists.
No matter the scope of your project, it is essential that you abide by ISEF rules. These guidelines help keep everyone uniform for judging, guarantee accurate results from your experiment, and safeguard other students and judges’ safety.
Rules for Exhibits
Exhibits must occupy a maximum space of 30 inches front to back and 48 inches side to side, with no maximum height exceeding 108 inches (ISEF tables will not exceed 36 inches).
Students wishing to stand their exhibits up may use a support mechanism provided by the Fair. This support must be size and fitted to your display as determined by the Fair Director.
Large exhibits must receive prior approval from the EISEF Safety & Standards Committee.
Projects must be accompanied by a typed abstract of the project (no more than 250 words) and project notebook. These do not need to be displayed physically but will be presented during virtual chat during OCSEF Fair Week (March 8).
All projects must adhere to the Display & Safety requirements set forth by the affiliated fair(s) in which they compete, in order to qualify for ISEF participation. On occasion, the ISEF Display & Safety Committee may require students to make adjustments to their displays in order to meet these standards.
Rules for Research
The ISEF Rules Wizard can be a helpful resource in determining what forms are necessary before beginning an experiment. Unfortunately, this tool cannot take into account all unique circumstances of your research.
Each fair adheres to the ISEF Rules Book, which sets forth guidelines for judging and displaying projects submitted for competition. These regulations are created by the ISEF international committee as a guideline to help students conduct research safely, ethically and legally.
Before beginning any experimentation involving human subjects, vertebrate animals, pathogenic agents, controlled substances, recombinant DNA or human/animal tissue it must be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Scientific Review Committee (SRC). This applies even if the research takes place at a non-affiliated science fair or at a school/institution.
Rules for Presentation
Projects are judged based on a presentation in the form of an informal free talk, featuring excellent oral communication skills. Students should practice their talks before the fair and be ready to answer judges’ questions if needed.
Research projects must begin with a comprehensive research plan that clearly states the hypothesis and methods for collecting data. This may require review and approval by either an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Scientific Review Committee (SRC) affiliated with an ISEF-affiliated fair before experimentation begins.
Once SRC approval is obtained, students will receive an official abstract and certification to display at the ISEF science fair booth. The Abstract should be displayed vertically on either the front edge of the table, project display board or free-standing acrylic frame.
