About the Famous Intel Science Fair

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, or Intel ISEF, is an annual event that allows high school students to receive money and recognition for outstanding accomplishments in science and engineering. It’s the world’s largest international science competition for those who are pre-college, and covers 65 countries, regions, and territories. More than 1,500 students participate each year.

The fair began as the National Science Fair in 1950, and became international in 1958 when Canada, Japan, and Germany all began participating as well. It has continued strong since then, and now covers a huge range of people and places. The winners of local science fairs are sent to regional and state-wide fairs, with the final winners of the preliminaries sent onto the Intel ISEF itself. The competition is therefore tense, with everyone having to be skilled just to make it into the fair itself. With prizes totaling over $4 million, it’s not hard to see why – students can gain a great deal from a successful entry into the fair.

Past winners have included a California team that managed to find a safer method of cancer treatment, a Thai team that found more environmentally friendly packaging sources, and more. The top three prizes are a single $75,000 award, the Gordon E. Moore award, and two $50,000 awards, the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards. In addition to these three, there are far more awards for other projects, often sponsored by individual companies seeking specific forms of technology – for example, the APA offers awards for psychiatric research, while Google offers rewards for developments in computer science. Some of these organizations seek out specific participants, as well, rewarding women and minorities in the sciences.

For students interested in participating, while participation in smaller fairs is needed, there are many steps to begin on your project. The website of the Intel ISEF has many links to helpful resources in their Getting Started section, which might provide inspiration or scientific guidance. (This website is, of course, also a great guide!) Talking to your school about making sure that students are eligible for Intel ISEF fairs might also help you – the website also offers guides for teachers and other school staff to make sure that their fair is Intel ISEF affiliated, making sure that you’ll be able to progress from the local level on. Prepare well and start working on your next project now, and perhaps next time the Intel ISEF comes around you’ll find yourself in it!