Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF): 2025 IP Math & Physics Guide
Study guide/
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF): 2025 IP Math & Physics Guide
In one line
Regeneron ISEF is described by Regeneron as the world’s largest high school STEM competition, and Society for Science states finalists compete across 22 categories for nearly US\$9 million in awards, prizes, and scholarships.
Key points
You can’t register directly: competing starts at a Society-affiliated fair (in Singapore, SSEF is affiliated to ISEF and selected winners represent Singapore at ISEF).
This guide points you to the official rules, awards, and judging criteria so IP projects can scale towards ISEF standards.
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Read in layers
1 second
Read the summary above.
10 seconds
Scan the first few sections below.
100 seconds
Jump into the section that matches your decision.
Build Your Research Pipeline
1 What exactly is ISEF?
2 Who gets to compete?
3 Categories and awards (official links)
Q: What does Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF): 2025 IP Math & Physics Guide cover? A: What ISEF is, how finalists qualify via affiliated fairs (including Singapore’s SSEF), and where to find official rules, awards, and judging criteria.
TL;DR Regeneron ISEF is described by Regeneron as the world’s largest high school STEM competition, and Society for Science states finalists compete across 22 categories for nearly US$9 million in awards, prizes, and scholarships. You can’t register directly: competing starts at a Society-affiliated fair (in Singapore, SSEF is affiliated to ISEF and selected winners represent Singapore at ISEF). This guide points you to the official rules, awards, and judging criteria so IP projects can scale towards ISEF standards.
If you have...
Read this first
1 second
ISEF entry starts through an affiliated fair.
10 seconds
Check SSEF route, affiliated fair rules, project category, judging rubric, research log, ethics forms, presentation, and official awards page.
100 seconds
Singapore students should first build an SSEF-quality project, then use ISEF rules to raise the standard of research and presentation.
Concrete example
A physics project needs strong execution and interview clarity, not only an impressive poster.
Best next step
Read the latest SSEF current-run page and ISEF international rules before starting experiments.
Status: Key official pages checked 2026-01-26; re-check the SSEF “current run” link for the latest Singapore dates.
Registration quick answer (global): Competing at Regeneron ISEF starts at a Society-affiliated fair; students generally qualify through their affiliated fair instead of registering directly.
Build Your Research Pipeline
If you are pushing towards SSEF or ISEF, pair this guide with our NUS–MOE Science Research Programme playbook so lab logs, mentor outreach, and presentation artefacts scale directly into competition entries.
1 What exactly is ISEF?
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is a Society for Science programme sponsored by Regeneron. Regeneron describes it as the world’s largest high school STEM competition, while Society for Science publishes the official host-city details and international rules for each year (for example, Regeneron ISEF 2026 event week is listed as May 9–15, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona).
2 Who gets to compete?
Society for Science states that to compete at ISEF, a student must first win the honour through participation at a Society-affiliated fair, and each affiliated fair has a designated number of projects (individual or team) that it may support to come to ISEF.
For Singapore specifically, Science Centre Singapore states that the Singapore Science & Engineering Fair (SSEF) is affiliated to ISEF, and selected SSEF winners represent Singapore at ISEF. Use the SSEF page’s “current run” link for the latest participation details and timelines.
If you need the global eligibility and paperwork rules for the current cycle, use Society for Science’s International Rules and Guidelines page (updated yearly).
3 Categories and awards (official links)
Society for Science states Regeneron ISEF finalists compete across 22 scientific categories for nearly US$9 million in awards, prizes, and scholarships. If you want the full category list (including the Mathematics category), use the official “All Categories” page.
For prize structure, Society for Science publishes the official awards list (including category Grand Awards and Top Awards). As of the current awards page, category Grand Awards are listed as $6,000 (1st), $2,400 (2nd), $1,200 (3rd), and $600 (4th), and the Top Awards list includes (among others) the George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award ($100,000) and two Regeneron Young Scientist Awards ($75,000 each).
4 Judging rubric in one glance
Society for Science publishes suggested Grand Award judging criteria for both science projects and engineering projects. In the official criteria, both rubrics score the same five sections:
Research question / research problem (10 points)
Design and methodology (15 points)
Execution (20 points)
Creativity & potential impact (20 points)
Presentation (35 points; poster + interview)
If you’re mapping school skills to ISEF-style judging, the “Execution” and “Presentation (Interview)” sections are where strong data analysis, uncertainty thinking, and clear scientific communication show up most often.
5 Why IP Maths & Physics students should care
5.1 Skill overlap
Calculus & vectors - model derivations in Mechanics, Electromagnetism and Further Math map 1:1 onto trajectory-optimisation or materials-stress projects.
Spreadsheet proficiency - LINEST gradient±SE used in IP Physics Paper 4 appears in many ISEF posters.
Statistical hypothesis testing - a standard rubric item and a Term-3 IP Math topic.
5.2 Portfolio advantage
High-quality research artefacts (clear write-ups, credible data, transparent methods, and a well-defended poster) can strengthen school and scholarship applications - but each programme sets its own criteria, so avoid assuming any automatic advantage.
5.3 International networking
ISEF is a large community event, and Society for Science runs public and outreach activities around the fair week. Treat this as an opportunity to practise presenting your work and learning how other students structure research projects.
6 Singapore Science & Engineering Fair (SSEF) roadmap (how to read the official updates)
SSEF is Singapore’s ISEF-affiliated science fair. Use the SSEF page (and its “current run” link) as the single source of truth for the latest year’s participation steps and dates. A practical way to plan is to think in phases (regardless of exact calendar dates):
Call for entries - clarify your research question and feasibility, and line up a supervisor/mentor.
Write-up & evidence - keep lab notes/logs, and build clear figures/tables as you go.
Submission - follow the official submission requirements for reports, posters, forms, and declarations.
Mock judging - run timed Q&A drills and review recordings for clarity and gaps.
7 Tuition strategies that boost ISEF readiness
Math-Physics hybrid sessions - connect calculus (rate problems) directly to experimental data fitting.
Mini-peer review - tutor and classmates critique draft abstracts for clarity, a core judging metric.
Uncertainty boot camp - weekly spreadsheet labs: pendulum (T^2) vs (L), (I-V) resistor, log-log power laws.
Presentation dojo - rehearse 5-minute and 12-minute versions; record, annotate pauses and jargon slips.
8 Quick FAQ
Q: Does ISEF accept team projects? A: Society for Science’s judging criteria explicitly covers both team and individual projects. Always use the current International Rules and Guidelines for the latest team/eligibility rules.
Q: Are math-theory projects welcome? A: ISEF includes a Mathematics (MATH) category; use the official category list to see the scope and subcategories.
Q: How much does the trip cost? A: Funding and travel arrangements vary by year and by delegation. If you’re shortlisted through SSEF, follow organiser guidance for what is covered and what families may need to budget for.
Parents: Help your child map the official SSEF/ISEF dates into a calendar and protect lab time during school terms. Students: Pick one past ISEF abstract tonight, highlight its methodology verbs, and mirror the structure for your own draft - start the journey early.
