Competing at the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair (MSEF)

The Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair (MSEF) is an annual statewide competition inviting middle and high school students from across Massachusetts to present their research and engineering projects. 

It's dedicated to fostering curiosity and innovation in students, and it's a launching point toward national and international competition, including the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). This guide covers how the fair works, how to qualify, and how to build a project that stands out.

How MSEF Works

MSEF is the state-level fair, and students qualify through their school or local fair, with exceptional projects selected to advance to the state competition in Worcester. There, you present your research through a display board and an oral presentation (and in some cases an interactive demonstration) to judges who evaluate the quality of your research, its innovation, and how well you present it. 

The fair spans a wide range of categories across the life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, and social sciences, so nearly any scientific interest has a home. 

MSEF also offers the unique opportunity to interact with researchers from some of the best colleges in the world, like Harvard and MIT. Many of the judges that volunteer for Massachusetts regional fairs and for the state fair run their own labs or own their own biotech companies, as Massachusetts serves as an incredible research hub! By participating in MSEF events, students can put themselves in direct contact with career researchers that may help them secure internships and future research opportunities.

Building a Standout Project

A strong MSEF project pairs well-executed research with a compelling presentation. A few principles that make the difference: 

The strongest projects tend to share a few habits. The most important is starting early: giving yourself ample time for experimentation, data collection, analysis, and the refinement that turns a decent project into a polished one. Additionally, make sure to have a project with a strong translational impact! Because MSEF judges frequently work in high-impact fields, ensuring that your project is addressing a real problem in the world is a great way to make sure you stand out.

From there, choose the category that best fits your project's strengths (and check the current guidelines for any changes), and aim for genuine originality, a research question or approach that sets you apart from others in your category. 

The projects that resonate most are the ones grounded in real-world relevance and impact, so show how your work addresses a tangible problem. Just keep it feasible: a focused project done thoroughly will always serve you better than an overly ambitious one that ends up incomplete. 

Underpinning all of it is a methodical research process: identify a clear, testable research question, conduct a literature review to build your foundation, develop a hypothesis, run your experiments or collect your data, analyze your results with appropriate methods, and conclude by reflecting on what you found and where it could lead next.

Doing a Great Presentation

Your presentation is how you communicate everything you've done, so it's worth real preparation. Design a clear, organized, visually appealing poster board, with high-quality graphs, charts, and images to aid understanding, and rehearse your oral presentation until you can explain your work confidently and field the judges' questions with ease. 

Let your enthusiasm show; genuine passion for your topic is contagious and leaves a lasting impression.

Learning From Those Who've Done It

One of the best ways to understand what it takes is to learn from someone who's competed and won. 

ScienceFair coach Eli knows the Massachusetts fair circuit firsthand. She took First Place at the Western Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair, before going on to win in her category at ISEF. 

Her path, and the perseverance behind it, is worth reading: we tell her story of perseverance in full. It's a reminder that standout projects rarely come easy. They're built through setbacks, iteration, and persistence.

Beyond MSEF: Advancing to ISEF

Top projects at MSEF can advance to national and international competition, including the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest pre-college science competition.

Typically, there are two ways to advance: through the regional fair or the state fair. Only one or two of the top projects are selected at regionals and earn a direct ticket to ISEF, while those who didn’t qualify at regionals will get another chance at the state fair, where the top 9 or 10 projects secure their spot at ISEF.

To advance, you'll need to meet the eligibility criteria (grade level and project requirements), follow all competition rules and ethical and safety protocols, and refine your project based on feedback so it's ready for a higher level of competition. 

Beyond ISEF, MSEF offers numerous other outreach and STEM-related events that students can take advantage of throughout the year, like a Student Symposium where you can present your research to the public without the stress of judging taking place. Be sure to stay in the loop with MSEF communications to hear about these events, as well as scholarship and internship opportunities offered by the state.

Compete With Winners in Your Corner

Competing at MSEF and advancing to ISEF takes a strong, original project, rigorous research, and a confident presentation. That's exactly what ScienceFair helps you build. Every coach on our team, Eli included, 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.

Ready to make your run at MSEF? Schedule a call with our academic advisor.