Awards
Projects will be awarded per grade during the Awards Ceremony after all judges’ scores have been tallied.
Projects will be awarded in each grade level/category as follows
- All projects will receive a participation ribbon.
- Top 3 ranking projects in each category will receive a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place ribbon.
- The ISEF winner will receive a $200 check and trophy (9th - 12th grade project chosen).
- 6 (six) Best of Fair projects will receive a $100 check each and a medallion.
- 3 (three) Honorable Mention projects will receive a $50 check and certificate.
ISEF Winner
Awarded to one top-placing project in 9th-12th grade. Every year, tens of millions of students participate in science fairs around the globe but only about 1,800 earn the right to compete for nearly $5 million awards bestowed each May at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). ISEF locations vary by year. See here for a list of top prizes at ISEF.
Broadcom MASTERS
A national science competition for U.S. middle school students. Top projects in 6th- 8th grade are awarded an invitation at their Regional Science & Engineering Fair to apply for the national Broadcom MASTERS competition.
Students apply through an online application process that consists of project information and other essays. From there, 300 semifinalists are selected and announced. From the 300 semifinalists, 30 finalists are selected. Finalists week typically takes place in Washington DC in the fall. Judging occurs over three days and consists of project judging as well as a variety of STEM challenges performed by six teams of five students each.
Special Awards
Special awards are awarded to projects that stand out in their given category, i.e. mathematics, engineering, psychology etc. Special Awards may be awarded to a placing project or a project that has been found deserving of Honorable Mention. Special Awards may include one of the following: a certificate, medallion, monetary award or scholarship.
Lemelson Early Inventor Prize
The Lemelson Early Inventor Prize is to be awarded to one middle school project (6th, 7th or 8th grade) that meets the invention award criteria:
- Demonstrates problem-solving by identifying a critical problem.
- Applies empathy and STEM knowledge to find a practical solution.
- Displays entrepreneurial thinking by developing a tangible invention.
- Develops an invention to solve a critical societal problem and improve the lives of others.
- Ideally, exemplifies environmentally-responsible thinking in their research and creation of the product.
