IJAS ISEF Contest
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair(ISEF)
ISEF 2026 - Phoenix, Arizona
Each year, the Illinois Junior Academy of Science selects nine outstanding high school researchers to represent the State of Illinois at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest pre-college STEM competition. These finalists are chosen through a multi-round virtual selection process involving students from IJAS regional fairs across the state.
Initial ISEF SRC Deadline: February 1, 2026 - 11:59 PM CST
IJAS Affiliated Fair - USIL50
IJAS Rules:
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Applicant must be enrolled in an Illinois school or Illinois based program (such as IMSA-RISE or Illinois STEM Society) or be a homeschooled Illinois resident.
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Applicant must be an individual IJAS member or a student or a student of an IJAS member school.
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Applicant must be a 9th-12th grade student.
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Applicant & Project must follow ALL IJAS Policy & Procedures and ALL ISEF Rules & Regulations.
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Applicant MUST compete in their IJAS Regional Poster Session.
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Submit $20 entry fee to IJAS for the IJAS ISEF USIL50 virtual fair.
Questions may be directed to info@ijas.org
IJAS ISEF - Schedule & Deadlines
SRC Approval Questions & Review of ISEF Safety Documents
August 1, 2025 - February 1, 2026
Submit ISEF USIL50 questions via email to ISEF@ijas.org
Round 1 - Entry Deadline
February 1, 2026 - 11:59 PM CST
Submit ISEF Abstract via email to ISEF@ijas.org and $20 entry fee via this link.
Confirmation emails will be sent as we process each abstract.
If you do not receive a confirmation email by February 3, 2026 - 11:59 PM CST, please contact ISEF@ijas.org on February 3, 2026.
Round 2 - SRC Final Approval - Safety Documents Deadline
February 10, 2026 - 11:59 PM CST
Submit ISEF Safety Documents via email to ISEF@ijas.org
ISEF Forms 1, 1A (including a complete Research Plan/Project Summary), 1B, 3, and as needed Form 1C, 2, 4, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7
All forms must be completed electronically and submitted in PDF format.
Semi-finalists Announced
February 15, 2026 - 11:59 PM CST
Facebook/Instagram - IJAS Website - Email
Round 3 - Semi-finalists All Document Deadline
February 28, 2026 - 11:59 PM CST
Submit the Final IJAS Competition Paper (pdf), Project Display - Poster (pdf), Quad Chart (pdf), and 2-Minute Project Video (link if needed due to size) via email to ISEF@ijas.org
Quad Chart, Video, and Display Resource
Project-Material-Guidelines.pdf
Round 4 - Semi-Finalist Interviews & Presentations
Zoom
March 1, 2026 - March 10, 2026
IJAS ISEF Projects Announced
Up to the Top 9 projects
March 15, 2026 - 11:59 PM CST
Facebook/Instagram - IJAS Website - Email
Awardees will receive an additional email with the next steps and additional deadlines for final submissions to ISEF.
IJAS ISEF USIL50 Projects Showcase
All Selected Finalists
April 24-25, 2026 - IJAS State Science Exposition - Southern Illinois University