How to Win the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair (LISEF)

If you're a student on Long Island with a passion for STEM, the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair (LISEF) is your chance to shine, a golden opportunity to showcase your research, meet like-minded peers, and advance toward bigger competitions like ISEF. Here's everything you need to know, from how the fair works to strategies for winning.

What Is LISEF?

LISEF is a premier regional competition for middle and high school students in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York, giving them a platform to present original STEM research to a panel of judges made up of local scientists, engineers, and educators. Beyond fostering scientific inquiry and innovation, it opens real doors: qualifiers from LISEF can advance to state, national, and even international competition, including the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

As a regional fair, LISEF is one of the entry points into New York's broader science fair pipeline. For the bigger picture of how New York's fairs connect and advance toward ISEF, see our guide to winning the New York science fair.

How LISEF Works

Qualifying

LISEF is open to students in Nassau and Suffolk Counties who have conducted their own original research. Entry is competitive: students typically qualify by winning top honors at their school's science fair or excelling at a LISEF-affiliated regional competition, then submit their research for approval.

Categories

LISEF spans a broad range of disciplines, from environmental science, engineering, biology, and chemistry to physics and computer science, so students can find a niche that matches their interests. Some of the most popular include biomedical engineering, behavioral and social sciences, health sciences, computational biology, and engineering mechanics.

Competition

Participants present their research through detailed display boards and oral presentations, and judges assess projects on originality, scientific thought and method, thoroughness, skill, and clarity, creating an environment that pushes students toward real academic excellence.

LISEF has been a launching pad for students who've gone on to national and international acclaim. Winners often qualify for ISEF, where they compete against some of the brightest young minds in the world.

The Path to Competing

Getting to LISEF follows a clear sequence:

First, you qualify through school selection or a LISEF-affiliated regional competition, where schools typically put forward their top projects based on LISEF-aligned criteria.

Next, you submit comprehensive project documentation, an abstract, research paper, and any required safety and ethical approval forms, to the LISEF portal. Your project then undergoes a rigorous review by the LISEF Scientific Review Committee (SRC) to ensure it meets all safety and ethical guidelines, so respond promptly to any feedback to secure approval.

Finally, once approved, you officially register through the online system and complete any remaining requirements.

How to Win

Winning at LISEF takes both exceptional research and effective presentation. Here's how to stand out.

Form a strong idea

Choose a topic that genuinely interests you and brings a fresh angle to your field, passion shows in your work and often leads to the innovative approaches that catch judges' attention.

Look for unsolved problems or areas with room for improvement. If you need help landing on one, our guide to crafting the perfect science fair question walks through how to find and sharpen a strong, original question.

Prepare early

Start planning and researching well ahead of the deadline. Extra time lets you understand your project inside and out, refine what isn't working, and polish everything, and it's far less stressful than a last-minute scramble.

Choose your category wisely

Carefully pick the LISEF category that best matches your project's scope and objectives, and check the current year's categories and criteria, since they can shift.

Getting this right matters, our guide to selecting an ISEF project category explains how the right choice puts your work in front of judges best equipped to evaluate it.

Know the rubric

udges want projects that are original, well-researched, follow the scientific method closely, and are presented clearly and engagingly, so build your project directly against those criteria.

Develop your presentation skills

The ability to articulate your findings clearly and engagingly is paramount. Rehearse your presentation multiple times before the fair to build confidence and refine your delivery, so you can convey your work's significance effectively.

Know your material

Knowing every part of your project, from the big ideas to the small details, lets you speak clearly and field the judges' questions with ease, which signals the effort you've put in.

Preparing for that exchange is its own skill, and our guide to the science fair Q&A with judges covers how to handle it like a top competitor.

Bring genuine enthusiasm

Real excitement about your work catches and holds a judge's attention, and makes your presentation more engaging. It shows you care, and that impression carries weight.

Equip Yourself to Win With ScienceFair

Winning at LISEF, and advancing toward 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 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 LISEF? Schedule a call with our academic advisor.