Dates and Schedule

Dates & Deadlines

Separate fair events for Junior / Senior and Elementary *New for 2024

• Junior / Senior Fair will be at UM-Flint
• Elementary Fair will be at the Sloan Museum of Discovery

Resources for Science and Engineering at Home

• ISEF Science at Home Resource Page
• FRSEF Student's Page
• FRSEF Project Guides: Part 1  Part 2

Senior Fair (Grades 9 - 12)

Judging Format

• Preliminary Round: Projects will be scored by judges based on students' online submitted materials.
• Final Round: Judging interviews
  •  All submitted materials will be available to judges prior to and during the interviews.
  • All students (finalist and non-finalist) will have interviews.
    • Non-Finalists: 1-2 interviews at your display board
    • Finalists: Interviews with judging teams at your display boards
      • Teams will be multi-disciplinary - be prepared to explain your project to people who are not experts in your field!
      • Be prepared to be at your display for multiple hours
    • Super-Finalists: Round of interviews after the Finalist Round *New for 2024
      • Top 8-10 projects
      • 90 minutes of interviews with 20+ judges.
    • Students can bring hands-on models or prototypes.

Materials for Judging

Templates for all can be found on the Templates webpage and the registration site

• With Registration / Before Start of Experimentation (submitted via the online registration portal)
  • Research Plan
    • Information on this is available when you register and add a project.
  • SRC Forms
    • 1, 1a, 1b
    • All SRC Forms for projects requiring pre-approval (ex. Human Subjects, Bacteria)
  • Special Awards Nomination (part of registration portal)
• By March 1 at 11:59 PM EST  (submitted via the online registration portal)
  • Display Slides
    • Template does not have to be followed, provided as a starting point.
    • Only pdf files are accepted.
    • Maximum of 12 slides
  • Research Report (optional)
• Bring to Fair
  • Display Board
    • Can be display slides printed and placed on a tri-fold
  • Logbook / Research Notebook (optional)
  • Research Report (optional)
  • All SRC forms

UM-Flint Campus Tours

Students and parents are invited to tour the UM-F Murchie Science Building Saturday afternoon after judging. You may reserve a spot by registering here

Junior Fair (Grades 6 - 8)

Judging Format

• Preliminary Round: Projects will be scored by judges based on students' online submitted materials.
• Final Round: Judging interviews
  • All students (finalist and non-finalist) will have interviews at their project display board.
    • Non-Finalists: 1-2 interviews at your display board
    • Finalists: Interviews with judges (3-4) at your display boards.
      • Be prepared to be at your display for multiple hours.
  • Students can bring hands-on models or prototypes.

Materials for Judging

Templates for all can be found on the Templates webpage and the registration site

• With Registration / Before Start of Experimentation (submitted via the online registration portal)
  • Research Plan
    • Information on this is available when you register and add a project.
  • SRC Forms
    • FRSEF E-Z Forms
  • Special Awards Nomination (part of registration portal)
• By March 1 at 11:59 PM EST  (submitted via the online registration portal)
  • Display Slides
    • Template does not have to be followed, provided as a starting point.
    • Only pdf files are accepted.
    • Maximum of 12 slides
• Bring to Fair
  • Display Board
    • Can be display slides printed and placed on a tri-fold
  • Logbook / Research Notebook (optional)
  • Research Report (optional)
  • All SRC forms

Elementary Fair (Grades 3 - 5)

Judging Format

• Judging interviews
  • All students will have interviews at their display board.

Materials for Judging

Templates for all can be found on the Templates webpage and the registration site

• With Registration / Before Start of Experimentation (submitted via the online registration portal)
  • FRSEF E-Z Forms
• By April 1 at 11:59 PM EST  (submitted via the online registration portal)
  • • Last day to register.
• Bring to Fair
  • Display Board
  • Logbook / Research Notebook (optional)

*Note, SRC Paperwork is required as part of project registration and is available within the registration portal.  Projects requiring pre-approval need to be submitted by January 15.

Does my project need pre-approval and what forms do I need?? - Use the ISEF Rules Wizard to find out!