The Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair (MSEF) is an annual competition open to students in grades 6-12 from all public, private, and home schools in Massachusetts. Students from a Massachusetts High School are eligible for competition in MSEF either by direct entry from their enrolled high school or by participation in their school’s Regional Fair. There are six Regional Science Fair organizations located across Massachusetts. Each regional science fair may send 40-50 of their top-scoring student projects to the statewide Science & Engineering Fair, provided that the students are certified by the Regional Fair Chairperson. The top-scoring projects and paperwork are promoted to the State Fair after the Regional Fairs. Find your Regional Science & Engineering Fair information at www.scifair.com/fairs. The top-performing projects at the MSEF will move on to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
Middle school research categories include: behavioral and social science, biology, chemistry, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, environmental science, mathematics, and physics and electronics.
High school research categories include: behavioral and social science, biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science and technology, astronomy and space science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, earth and environmental engineering, earth and environmental science, mathematics and computational modeling, and physics.
Location(s)
- Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts (High School Fair)
- Worcester Technical High School, Worcester, Massachusetts (Middle School Fair)
Schedule
- Held annually in April (High School) and May (Middle School)
Cost/Compensation
Eligibility Requirements
- Students in grades 6-12 attending a Massachusetts public, private, or home school.
- Projects can be completed by an individual or a team of 2-3 students, and only one project per student can be submitted
- Students must work with at least one qualified adult
Deadline
- Mid December (Category 1 projects that require pre-approval)
- Early February (all other projects)
Application or Entry Requirements
- Participation in the Massachusetts Science & Engineering Fair begins at the local level. Schools and Districts may have a local fair to identify students to proceed to Regional and/or State events, however students at schools without a fair can still participate in the Fairs but need to coordinate with their school to participate. Homeschool students or students who do not have the support of their schools also have a path to participation. Contact info@scifair.com for details.
- School and student must both complete an online registration form
- Student must submit detailed research plan, abstract, and all required forms and paperwork
- All projects that will be participating in a Fair need approval by the Statewide SRC before participating in a Regional or State Fair. Submit forms once your research plan is complete. Teachers will request approval through the portal when your forms are ready.
Notifications of Decisions
Financial Aid Details
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
Have other questions?
The Massachusetts Science & Engineering Fair (MSEF) is the culmination of programming for high school students who have produced science or engineering projects exhibited in local school or Regional Fairs that have advanced to statewide competition. MSEF gives high school students throughout Massachusetts a unique opportunity to compete for college scholarships, awards, honors programs, and other exciting prizes. Each year, young scientists and engineers from public, private and parochial high schools and middle schools pursue specialized fields of science by working on individualized research projects, either as part of their core curriculum or through independent study. These projects broaden scientific and engineering awareness and allow students to delve deeply into areas of special interest giving them a chance to explore, to gather information, to think critically, to arrive at conclusions, and to present ideas in a competitive forum.
