March 6 at 11:59pm: Deadline for changes to Judging Folders

Students should do a final check of their Judging Folders before judges start to review them. (1) Don’t use subfolders, don’t use Shortcuts; (2) Use PDF documents and eliminate duplicates in other formats. (3) The Project Abstract should include your project code, title, name(s) and the link (those don’t count against the 250-word limit). (4) File names should include the project code. (5) Form 1C for RRI projects and Form 7 for Continuation projects should be included, but no other forms should be copied over from your Forms Folder.

The Assistance Disclosure Form must be signed and turned in on Fair Check-In Day, Wednesday, March 12th. Both the student and parent must review and sign. It is included in our Checklist of Printed Materials for Fair Check-In Day.

If the form is not signed by both the student and parent and turned in on Day 1 (March 12th) along with all the other required forms, the student badge, which is necessary for entry to the competition on March 13, will not be given to the student (or teacher).

This must be completed prior to check in (Group Check-In teachers are required to bring this completed form for each individual student). This form can be downloaded by clicking the link above or by visiting our website. 

Upload your project abstract to your Judging Folder, by 11:59pm tonight! Projects without an abstract will be withdrawn from the Championship. You must also upload Form 1C if you have an RRI project and Form 7 if you have a continuation project. No other forms belong in your Judging Folder. You will continue to have access to your Judging Folder to revise your abstract until March 6th, 11:59 PM.  Don’t use subfolders, don’t use Shortcuts. Use PDF documents only and eliminate duplicates in other formats.

Upload your project abstract to your Judging Folder (not your Forms Folder), by 11:59pm on March 3rd. Projects with no abstract will be withdrawn from the Championship. You must also upload Form 1C if you have an RRI project and Form 7 if you have a continuation project. No other forms belong in your Judging Folder. You will continue to have access to your Judging Folder to revise your abstract until March 6th, 11:59 PM.  Don’t use subfolders, don’t use Shortcuts. Use PDF documents only and eliminate duplicates in other formats.

Students now have access to their Judging Folders. Check your email! Contact the Fair Administrators to request access if you can not access the folder via your Project Page; please include your project code. You may use the link on your Project Page and follow the newly posted Step 7 through Step 10 for instructions.  Links were sent to the email address you used when you registered. Deadline to upload your Abstract is March 3 at 11:59pm. Projects without abstracts will be withdrawn. We highly encourage students to upload their Abstracts (interactive PDF here) sooner rather than later.

Individual Judging Folders will be made available – via everyone’s individual Project Page –around Feb 24th. Then you may use the links on your Project Page and follow the newly posted Step 7 through Step 10 for instructions. Links will be sent to the address you used when you registered. 

Students may need to request Editor access to their Judging Folders in order to upload new or revised project materials after March 6th. Contact the Fair Administrators to request access; please include your project code.  

Every Judging Folder needs at least the Project Abstract, some projects require additional forms: 

• Project abstract (interactive PDF or Word document). Download, complete and save as a PDF. 
• Form 1C: Regulated Research Institutional / Industrial Setting Form. High School students with a professional mentor (RRI projects) must upload Form 1C, which is completed after the research is done.
• Form 7: Continuation Projects Form.

Please request changes to your project title, field of study, etc. – or to withdraw from science fair – by midnight on Saturday, February 22. After that, the database will close, meta-information will be locked, and judging assignments will begin. 

• Check Project Status with the button on the home page. After February 22 any Incomplete project will become Not Qualified.
• Is the Field of Study accurate? and the category (RRI or non-RRI)? 
• Is the title correct, are student names spelled correctly, and is it listed by the correct teacher/sponsor name?
• If the project is Incomplete, upload whatever information has been requested to your Forms Folder. Inform the reviewer (or whoever made the request) by email with your project code in the subject line.
• If you need to withdraw or make changes, send email to Fair Manager, using the Fair Administration link on the SCVSEFA contact page.

Judges are still needed in all fields on Fair Day, March 13. Parents and others are encouraged to register as a Category Judge as soon as possible before the March 1^st deadline. Parents are not assigned to judge their children’s or their friend’s projects. Judges must be present from Noon to 6 PM on March 13 at South Hall, San Jose Convention Center. Both returning and new judges must register here. Category Judges should have at least a Bachelor’s degree in a technical field or in education (with a concentration in a technical field). See the Category Judging page for details.

We are looking for scientists, computer scientists, engineers and others who enjoy talking to enthusiastic young people about scientific inquiry and engineering challenges. Questions? Email judging@science-fair.org.

Regeneron Science Talent Search has announced the 2025 Regeneron STS Scholars, who are the Top 300 entrants in this prestigious pre-college competition. 55 students from California have been honored, including 16 students from Santa Clara County schools and 9 students who competed in the 2024 Synopsys Championship. Congratulations to them and especially to Yash Ranjith from Westmont High School and Minghao Zou from Valley Christian High School, who are two of the 40 Finalists invited to Washington, D.C., in March to participate in final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists and compete for awards.

We are thrilled to report that we received a large number of applications before the deadline! With that in mind, we kindly ask all students and teachers to allow the staff ample time to review the submissions. If your project page indicates “Project Status: Payment Submitted,” you can rest assured that your submission was made on time.

To help expedite the review process, please ensure your Forms Folder includes the following PDFs:

• Project Page
• Form 1, Form 1A, Form 1B
• Hold Harmless
• Media Release
• Ethics Statement
• Research Plan
  *Some projects may also require Form 3 and Form 1C.

Additionally, please double-check the following:

• All forms have the necessary signatures.
• The correct boxes are checked on the Adult Sponsor Form 1.
• The signature dates on Form 1, Form 1B, Permission/Hold Harmless, and Form 3 are dated prior to the start of your experimentation.

Thank you for your attention to these details, and we appreciate your patience as we process the applications!