Regeneron Science Talent Search: Parent & Student Guide (IP-Friendly)

Q: What does Regeneron Science Talent Search: Parent & Student Guide (IP-Friendly) cover? A: What the “Junior Nobel” really is, how its 2 k-plus entrants are filtered down to 40 finalists, why alumni include Nobel and Fields Medal winners.

TL;DR
The Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) is the oldest ongoing U.S. science contest for high-school seniors (est. 1942). About 1800-2200 applicants a year - 2162 in 2024 - submit 20-page research papers; 300 Scholars each pocket $2 000 (their schools match that), and 40 finalists split $1.8 million, with the winner taking $250 000. Alumni have earned 13 Nobels and 2 Fields Medals, so the White House rightly calls it the “Super Bowl of science”.

Registration quick answer (eligibility): STS is limited to U.S. high school seniors who meet the official eligibility rules (citizenship/residency and schooling requirements). Students apply directly via Society for Science - confirm current rules and deadlines here: https://www.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts/

1 Why IP students (and parents) should care

• Sharpening WA craft. Writing an STS report forces you to practise uncertainty propagation, LINEST gradient ± SE, and graph ethics - exactly the skills SEAB rewards in Paper 4 practical.
• Portfolio power. Local DSA portfolios and Oxbridge personal statements alike love peer-reviewed science exposure.
• Scholar funds. $2 000 pays for four months of specialist IP tuition or a second-hand oscilloscope for H3 Physics tinkering.

2 Origins & naming timeline