2026 Regeneron ISEF Announces Award Winners

ISEF, the International Science & Engineering Fair, celebrating its 76th anniversary, visited Phoenix, AZ this year with more than 1,700 finalists participating with the sponsorship of Regeneron. Finalists represented approximately 60 countries, regions and territories. Congratulations to all the participants from the Synopsys Championship and to the award winners announced on May 14 (special awards) and May 15 (scientific category awards). ISEF winners from the Championship are listed here.

Congratulations to our outstanding Santa Clara County students! 123 Synopsys Championship participants (101 projects) qualified to compete at the California State Science & Engineering Fair on April 12, 2026.  Winners were announced online and are posted on the CSEF web site.  SCVSEFA has a summary page of all 49 winning participants from the Synopsys Championship.

Special congratulations to Elizabeth Zhang who was awarded Project of the Year in the Senior Division and Riya Mehrotra for qualifying for ISEF!

Congratulations to Jonathan Du, from Los Altos, CA for winning 9th Place. Forty finalists, including eleven (11) students from California, participated in the finals week competition of Regeneron STS March 5 – 11, 2026. Regeneron STS is the nation’s oldest science and mathematics competition for high school seniors. The competition was in-person this year, culminating in a public Exhibition of projects and a formal awards ceremony on March 10th.

SCVSEFA announced the 2026 Synopsys Championship winners on the web site on March 29, click here to see results, including the students who qualified for CSEF and Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) nominees.

The 2026 Synopsys Championship Awards Ceremony is set for March 29th at the Heritage Theater in Campbell.  See the Winner Summary page for a list of students who are invited to the ceremony.

The Awards Ceremony is an ‘Invitation Only’ event for each student. Middle school students are allowed 2 guests and should arrive at 12:40 PM. High school students are allowed 2 guests and should arrive at 3:10 PM. Details can be found here.

If any students have changed their email addresses since applying to the 2026 fair, they should notify fairmanager@science-fair.org at once.

Summit Education hosts virtual summer programs for high-achieving students interested in STEM. In 2026, students have the opportunity to apply to the Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF) and Summit Research Scholars (SRS).

• Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF): SSF empowers the next generation of STEM leaders by helping students explore a wide range of STEM fields and career pathways while building leadership and life skills. The fellowship is a flexible 10–15 hour per week commitment, allowing students to participate alongside other summer activities. 
• Summit Research Scholars (SRS): SRS equips students with the tools to conduct original research, covering essential research methods and technical skills. At the end of the program, students complete a Research Capstone and practice applying their skills to solve real-world problems.

Applications for Summer 2026 programs are now open. Admissions are rolling, and students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. To learn more and apply, please visit www.summiteducation.org.

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the 2026 Synopsys Championship! A special thank you to our sponsors, teachers, judges and amazing volunteers for making the event a success. Stay tuned for the winners’ list!

Stay connected by reading our 2026 Spring Newsletter and following us on Instagram!

Be sure you bring the following Forms on Monday, March 9th Check-In Day:

• Project abstract (1 copy)
• Compliance-Checklist
• Project Notebook; hard copy, printed, or digital.
• Form 1B
• Signed Assistance Disclosure Form
• Signed Ethics Statement
• Form 3 Risk Assessment Form (if your project requires it)
• Form 1C Regulated Research Institutional / Industrial Setting Form (if your project requires it)
• Form 7 Continuation Projects Form (if your project requires it)
• Form 4 Human Participants Form from your application (if your project requires it)
• Signed Human Informed Consent Forms (if your project requires them) (Fair Check-In Day ONLY) 
• Forms 6A and 6B from your application (if your project requires it)
• DO NOT BRING Forms 1, 1A, 2, 5A, 5B and Research Plan. They are NOT required at Check-In on March 9th.

Visit our Fair Check-In Day, Judging Day and Student Drop-Off and Parking Info pages for more details.

Please upload your project abstract to your Judging Folder by 8:00 PM Feb 27th. Do not wait until the last minute, as technical issues may arise before the deadline. Projects without an abstract will be withdrawn from the Championship.

If applicable, also upload Form 1C (for RRI projects) and Form 7 (for continuation projects). No other forms should be placed in the Judging Folder. ONLY upload a Form 7 if you and your SRC reviewer determined your project is a Continuation of previous work. 

You will have access to revise your abstract until 11:59 PM on March 3. Your Judging Folder should never be empty. If you need to make changes, upload the revised version at the same time you remove the old one. If a judge accesses your folder while it is empty, they may not return.

Please do not use subfolders or shortcuts. Upload PDF documents only and remove any duplicate files in other formats.

Upload your project abstract to your Judging Folder (not your Forms Folder) by 8:00 PM on February 27. Projects without an abstract will be withdrawn from the Championship.

If applicable, also upload Form 1C (for RRI projects) and Form 7 (for continuation projects). No other forms should be placed in the Judging Folder. ONLY upload a Form 7 if you and your SRC reviewer determined your project is a Continuation of previous work.

You will have access to revise your abstract until 11:59 PM on March 3. Your Judging Folder should never be empty. If you need to make changes, upload the revised version at the same time you remove the old one. If a judge accesses your folder while it is empty, they may not return.

Please do not use subfolders or shortcuts. Upload PDF documents only and remove any duplicate files in other formats.