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International Science and Engineering Fair

Annual science fair in the U.S.

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Through Nonprofit organization, COVID-19 pandemic and Chemist

Each year, an estimated 7 million students from 75 countries participate in affiliated local, regional, and national science fairs that serve as feeders to ISEF, with roughly 1,800 finalists (about 0.03%) advancing to the international competition. Each May, finalists compete in the fair for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prizes, including one $100,000 and two $75,000 college scholarships. All prizes together amount to over $9,000,000. Two major awards ceremonies are the Special Awards Organization Presentation and the Grand Awards Ceremony.

History

The International Science and Engineering Fair was founded in 1950 by Science Service (now the Society for Science) and was sponsored by Intel from 1997 to 2019.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals became the title sponsor for ISEF in 2020, but the event was cancelled that year and replaced with an online version due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 ISEF was a fully virtual event while 2022 was held online and in-person in Atlanta, GA, and 2023 was in person in Dallas, TX. The 2024 ISEF was held in person in Los Angeles, CA, the 2025 ISEF in Columbus, OH, and the 2026 in Phoenix, AZ. The 2027 ISEF will be held in Los Angeles, CA.

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