Indiana Science Fairs: Your Path from Regional to ISEF

Competing in science fair in Indiana follows a clear, well-organized path, and understanding it early gives you a real advantage. Indiana's fairs run through the Science Education Foundation of Indiana (SEFI), which organizes eight regional Hoosier Science and Engineering Fairs across the state.

Win at your regional fair, and you advance to the state-level Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair (HSEF); place among the top there, and you can represent Indiana at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest pre-college science competition. This guide walks you through that journey, stage by stage.

Stage 1: Your Regional Hoosier Fair

Everything starts at your regional fair. Indiana is divided into eight regions, each running its own Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair, and which one you compete at depends on your county.

Fairs are organized into divisions, typically an Elementary division, a Junior division (grades 6–8), and a Senior division (grades 9–12), so you compete against students at your own level.

Find your region below. Dates are for the 2026 cycle, always confirm current details on the official SEFI website, as they shift annually and some county assignments change year to year.

Many Indiana students first compete at a school or district science fair, where top projects are selected to advance. From there, the official SEFI pathway begins at your regional Hoosier fair.

Registering Through SEFI

Indiana runs registration through the SEFI system, and students apply under a teacher or sponsoring adult rather than individually.

The process, in brief: your teacher registers at sefi.org and provides your login, then you complete your project details, including your abstract, research question, hypothesis, and experimental method, and upload any required forms.

One important note for Senior division students: if your project involves human subjects or vertebrate animals, you must complete Scientific Review Committee (SRC) pre-experimentation review before you begin your research, with the deadline typically in early February. Build that into your plan, so you don't start an experiment before you have approval, because that could disqualify it.

If you're unsure which forms you need, our guide to selecting an ISEF project category and step-by-step guide to qualifying for ISEF cover the requirements that apply as you advance.

Stage 2: The State Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair

Win at your regional fair, and you advance to the state-level Hoosier Science and Engineering Fair, held at IU Indianapolis (the 2026 state fair is on March 28).

This is where the best projects from all eight regions come together, and where the competition steps up. Judging here, as at the regionals, rewards depth across several areas: your problem statement, design and procedures, data and results, discussion and conclusions, and, most importantly, the student interview. Judges lean heavily on that conversation, so knowing your project inside and out is essential.

Because the state fair is where regional winners converge, the bar for standing out rises. Two things make the biggest difference: a genuinely original, well-researched project, and the ability to talk about it fluently. Our guide to the science fair Q&A with judges covers how to prepare for the interview that so often decides these results.

Stage 3: Advancing to ISEF (and the Path for Middle Schoolers)

The top Senior division projects at the state Hoosier fair earn the ultimate prize: the chance to represent Indiana at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). To be eligible for ISEF, you'll need to be in grades 9–12 and under age 20 by the competition. In 2026, Indiana's ISEF representatives head to Phoenix in May, following the same regional → state → international path this guide describes.

Middle schoolers have their own national stage. Indiana's fairs can nominate the top 10% of their 6th–8th grade participants to the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC), the premier national STEM competition for middle school students. So whichever division you're in, a strong project at your regional fair can carry you well beyond Indiana.

How to Build a Project That Advances

The Indiana system rewards the same things at every stage: originality, rigor, and clear communication. A few essentials, with deeper guides for each:

Start with a strong, original question, one that addresses a real problem and reflects genuine curiosity. This is the foundation everything else rests on, and our guide to crafting the perfect science fair question walks through how to find and sharpen yours. From there, ground your work in thorough research (a solid literature review, reputable sources, reliable data collection, and careful analysis) and follow the scientific method or engineering design process rigorously.

Finally, invest in your presentation: a clear display board and a well-rehearsed delivery. If you can, find a mentor who has done this before. Our guide on how to get advice from a science fair winner explains how.

Make Your Run at ISEF With Winners in Your Corner

Indiana's path from a regional Hoosier fair to the state finals to ISEF is a real, achievable journey, and having guidance from people who've walked it makes all the difference. Every coach on our team is a past science fair winner, and alongside our Ivy League research mentors, they'll help you refine your idea, strengthen your research, and prepare for the judges' Q&A at every stage.

Ready to start your run? Schedule a call with our academic advisor.