The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is an annual science fair in the United States.[1] It is owned and administered by the Society for Science,[2] a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.[3] Each May, more than 1800 students from roughly 75 countries and territories compete in the fair for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prizes, including one $75,000 and two $50,000 college scholarships. All prizes together amount to over $8,000,000.[4] Two major awards ceremonies are the Special Awards Organization Presentation (which now includes the Government Awards Presentations) and the Grand Awards Ceremony. 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.[5][6]Regeneron Pharmaceuticals became the title sponsor for ISEF in 2020,[7] but the event was cancelled that year and replaced with an online version due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 ISEF[8] was a fully virtual event while 2022 was held online and in-person in Atlanta, GA,[9] and 2023 was in person in Dallas, TX. The 2024 ISEF was held in person in Los Angeles, CA.[10] The 2025 ISEF will be held in Columbus, OH.[11]
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair logo
Contestants are selected from regional, district, and state ISEF affiliated fairs. These fairs usually encompass multiple states or entire regions of a country. The regional fair committee is responsible for managing the fair when their city hosts the event.
Individual science projects and team science projects both compete for prizes. Teams are composed of two to as many as four high school students (grades 9–12). In addition to the judging of projects and an open session for the public to view them, there is time set aside for students to experience the host city with tours and activities. A significant component of the program is social, as students interact with each other during mixers and ceremonies. Throughout much of the week, various seminars are also held for students, mentors and teachers.
Projects and judging are divided into 22 subject categories as follows:
George Yancopoulos Innovator Award: $75,000 scholarship, given to the top of the Best of Category Award winners, selected on the basis of innovative research and potential of the project to have an impact in the particular field and the world as a whole.
Craig R. Barrett Award for Innovation: A $10,000 award given to the finalist who best demonstrates an innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, recognizing that research and innovation are dependent on the integration of these disciplines, as well as the impact they collectively have on our everyday lives
H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research: $10,000 is given to the project that represents the best in fundamental research that furthers our understanding of science and/or mathematics and promotes the understanding of natural phenomena without clearly defined applications towards processes or products in mind.
Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication: A $10,000 award honoring Peggy Scripps who was a science journalist who served as a writer and editor of Science Newsletter for many years. This award is given to the finalist who is best able to communicate their project to the lay public, explaining both the science and its potential impact on society.
George Yancopoulos Innovator Award Regeneron Young Scientist Award Regeneron ISEF Best of Category Awards Regeneron ISEF Grand Awards Regeneron ISEF Special Awards Regeneron ISEF Experiential Awards Dudley R. Herschbach SIYSS Award Regeneron ISEF Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations Regeneron ISEF Craig R. Barrett Award for Innovation Regeneron ISEF H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research Regeneron ISEF Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication
Statistics
First induction
1950
Precedence
Next (lower)
Varies, depending on rank
Finalist Medal (gold with blue ribbon)
The Regeneron ISEF Finalist Medal is given to about 1800 students from 75 countries each year, which are participating at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, which is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.
Each year about 7 million students participate in different regional, district, and state ISEF affiliated fairs. Some of the winners of these affiliated fairs, which exist in over 75 countries, get the chance to take part at the Regeneron ISEF as a finalist, and each of them is awarded Regeneron ISEF Finalist Medal. In 2013 there were 1611 finalists at the Intel ISEF in Phoenix, Arizona.
The medal has a diameter of 48 mm and is golden galvanized. The obverse shows the official logo of the Regeneron ISEF, the reverse shows the year of participation and the location of that year's Regeneron ISEF.
The ribbon bar is blue with a width of 40 mm and has a golden romanic 1 in the middle.
Top prize winners
When Intel began sponsoring ISEF in 1997, the Grand Awards were replaced with the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards, awarded to the top three projects.[5] In 2010, the top award was renamed for Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore.[24]
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and replaced with a virtual fair. Because some qualifier events did not name winners, the fair was not judged and prizes were not awarded.[47]
George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award: Robert Sansone (Fort Pierce, FL)
Young Scientist Award: Rishab Jain (Portland, OR)
Young Scientist Award: Abdullah Al-Ghamdi (Dammam, Saudi Arabia)
Gordon E. Moore Award for Positive Outcomes for Future Generations: Chris Tidtijumreonpon, Napassorn Litchiowong & Wattanapong Uttayota (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
Craig R. Barrett Award for Innovation: Amon Schumann (Berlin, Germany)
H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research: Rebecca Cho (Jericho, NY)
Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication: Anika Puri (Chappaqua, NY)
Grand Award: Aditya Mehta and Manav Kothari (OMOTEC, Mumbai, India)[48][49]
^ abBellinger, Robert (June 9, 1997). "Intel exec decries latest labor trend". Electronic Engineering Times. No. 957. p. 130. ...the company became the key sponsor of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), recently held in Louisville, Ky.
