The California Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF) is an annual event that celebrates and showcases the achievements of young scientists and engineers across the state. CSEF is the final science fair of the academic year for students throughout the State of California in grades 6 through 12. Participants present their original research projects in various scientific and engineering disciplines and compete for awards and recognition, engaging in scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and communication skills development. Entrants in the California Science & Engineering Fair qualify through an affiliated county or regional fair. These fairs are held throughout the State during the months of February and March (and occasionally even late January or early April).
All affiliated fairs are allocated a certain number of projects that they may qualify to CSEF, based upon judging done by fair judges (i.e. not special or recognition award judges external to the fair). In some fairs, this number will correspond to "all first place winners," but in others it may include "all first, second, and third place awards" or only a fraction of the first place winners. Each affiliate has the final authority and responsibility for choosing the best project from its fair to represent itself.
Eligible winners at these affiliated county and regional fairs must then submit an application to the CSEF.
Awards are given in several categories at both junior (grades 6–8) and senior (grades 8–12) levels, with prizes totaling over $40,000.
Location(s)
- Virtual
Schedule
- Annually in April
Cost/Compensation
- Each applicant must pay a registration fee (amount not known)
Eligibility Requirements
- Each applicant must be a student in an educational institution recognized by the State of California and enrolled in grades 6-12 at the time of qualification.
- Each student must qualify through the single affiliated fair responsible for the geographic domain in which the student receives instruction.
- Each student may enter only one project each year.
- Each project may have one to three authors.
- Team projects will be placed in competition with individual projects in the same categories, though judging panels will have a higher level of expectation for team projects commensurate with the number of students on the team.
- All work must be done by the student(s) named as author(s). Projects entered into the Fair under an individual's name but discovered by the judging panel to have been prepared by a team of more than one student will be disqualified.
Deadline
- Application deadlines are in March but vary by county or regional fair with which the student project is affiliated. See the list of exact deadlines here.
Application or Entry Requirements
- Qualified students will be sent a link to register after their affiliated fair reports results to CSEF.
- Students must complete an application that includes, among other basic information, the following items:
- Project Abstract
- Category Selection
- Methodology and Experiment Design
- Students must then submit a Project Presentation that will serve as their project display during the fair within two days of their application deadline.
Notifications of Decisions
Financial Aid Details
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
Have other questions?
The California Science and Engineering Foundation is a non-profit organization that oversees the California Science and Engineering Fair. Working in conjunction with sponsors including the California Science Center, the foundation manages the recruitment of judges, the logistics of student applications and presentations, and the dispersal of awards to ensure the success of the annual event.
