24th Annual Kentucky Science & Engineering Fair  

2027 date of the 25th Annual Fair to be announced soon!  

The 24th Annual Fair was held Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28, 2026 at Eastern Kentucky University’s newly renovated Baptist Health Arena/Alumni Coliseum.   

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. 

2026 Awards 

Awards are currently being prepared and will be mailed to your school by the end of April. The 2026 Awards Ceremony was live streamed at 2:00p.m. Sunday, March 29 and can be viewed via EKU E-presence. You can also view the list of 2026 Award Winners.

NOTE:  The Science & Engineering Fair of Northern Kentucky (SEFNK) was discontinued in 2025. The Louisville, Central, and East regional fairs accepted student projects from the affected counties.   https://www.societyforscience.org/isef/affiliated-fair-network/

On March 28, 2026 the in-person fair was held at Eastern Kentucky University in the newly renovated Baptist Health Arena/Alumni Coliseum!  Nearly 300 participants competed in 22 STEM categories as well as for a variety of special awards.  Middle School students grades 6 – 8 were selected to compete in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge .  High School students grades 9 – 12 were selected to present at the 2026 Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair.

Check out the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair where Team Kentucky competed May 10-16, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio, where Kentucky students won 9 category awards and 7 special awards.  Regeneron ISEF 2026 will take place in Phoenix, Arizona from May 9-15, 2026.  Visit here for Regeneron ISEF 2026 information.

We are grateful to our partners at Kentucky-based STEM Wizard for working collaboratively with us to support the ambitions of our participants.

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Welcome video from Dr. David McFaddin, President, Eastern Kentucky University

Welcome video from Andy Beshear, Governor of Kentucky

See the photo gallery of 2019 KY-SEF

KY-SEF’s mission is to expand educational opportunities for all middle and high school students, and to enhance the visibility and importance of science and engineering in Kentucky by providing an annual statewide competition that supports, encourages, and recognizes student excellence in science and engineering research.

KY-SEF is affiliated with and its top winners attend the Regeneron® International Science and Engineering Fair® (Regeneron ISEF), the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, which annually provides a forum for more than 1,600 high school students from over 70 countries, regions, and territories to showcase their independent research and compete for more than $4 million in awards.