Registration Opens February 21!
Registration for the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair will open through zFairs on February 21 and close on March 21 at 11:59 PM.
Click here to register on zFairs for the Arkansas State Science & Engineering Fair.
Why Compete at the Arkansas State Science & Engineering Fair?
Science fair isn’t just a school project — it’s a launchpad. At the Arkansas State Science & Engineering Fair, student researchers have the opportunity to pursue questions they care about, designing and engineering solutions with the potential to make a real difference in the world around them.
Participants can earn awards, certificates, scholarships for tuition, and spots at prestigious summer camps — all while discovering a clear pathway to higher education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and beyond. Whether your future leads to college, business, or industry, the skills built through the science fair process travel with you: organizational thinking, time management, communication, problem solving, and the resilience and adaptability that define lifelong success.
At its core, science fair is about empowerment — giving students the freedom to ask big questions, the tools to find real answers, and the confidence to share their discoveries with the world.
Science Fair Resources
AR Core Facilities Exchange
Repository of scientific instruments and research services available at labs and universities across Arkansas.
AR Energy & Environment
Data on air, land, and water quality, energy consumption, and regulatory compliance.
General Rules
The Arkansas Science & Engineering Fair follows all International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) rules and uses the ISEF forms.
To be eligible to compete in the state fair, each student participant must meet each of these requirements:
- Each student participant must be registered (both for individual and team projects). All forms must be submitted by the deadline to ensure that there is sufficient time for them to be reviewed by the SRC.
- Students should arrive early, at least 45 minutes before the start of closed judging, to check in, pick up their exhibit space number and registration materials, set up their displays and be approved by the Display and Safety Committee. To make this process smother for everyone, especially those traveling several hours to Conway, some students may be invited to check in and set up their displays the evening before the fair.
- Projects must be reviewed for safety. After setting up your display, please remain with your project for final review to compete by the Display and Safety Committee. Students who leave their projects before they are approved for display will be disqualified. This is a busy time so a 15- to 20-minute wait might be necessary so please allow enough time in your schedule.
- A maximum of three students may work together as a team on any project. Individual and group projects will be judged together.
- Project display boards should provide sufficient detail to understand the project’s purpose, process and outcome
- Project displays must fit within ISEF limits.
- The best projects are clearly described in their display board and require no additional information to be understood by judges. Visual aids may be added to enhance the presentation but should not be required for the presentation to be understood. Note that this is less true in Technology and Engineering categories,
- All text should be legible and written in English (typed or clearly handwritten) unless the use of phrases in other languages was an integral part of the study.
- Display boards are judged for the quality and interpretability of the data; not aesthetic appearance. Going to great financial expense to generate the display is not necessary and will not increase your chances of placing in the competition.
- The ISEF Abstract form must be displayed with all projects
- An abstract a very brief explanation of what you did and what results you got, without a lot of details.
- The ISEF Abstract must be prominently displayed on the table or mounted on the board. Acrylic frames are permitted but unnecessary. Glass frames are prohibited.
- This is the only abstract allowed. This helps judges maximize their time talking with students about their research. Any use of the word “abstract” outside of this form will be covered by the SRC with tape/post-it/etc. which must remain in place the duration of judging but will not impact the project’s score. Consider using “summary” instead of “abstract” on your display board.
- Students are encouraged to display a research paper and any research journals or data notebooks with their project to provide more details for the judges.
- The decisions of the judges during competition are final.
All students are expected to behave respectfully and professionally with judges, fair personnel and volunteers, other students, and all visitors to their project displays during the fair. Fair personnel have the right to disqualify any competitors who behave inappropriately (including rudeness/disrespectfulness, use of foul/obscene language, continued loudness or unruliness after being asked to remain quiet, or any other disruptive, intimidating, or aggressive behavior), especially during the interview period
SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS…
Answer Questions about life. They allow us to Observe the world around us, Solve problems, Dream big, Test possible Solutions, and Communicate results in a manner that is authentic. Choose a project that you are passionate about, a topic that directly affects you or your daily life. Good questions are testable, measurable, and have substance.
You Belong HERE
22 CATEGORIES
01
Anim
Animal Science
This category includes all aspects of animals and animal life, animal life cycles, and animal interactions with one another or with their environment.
02
BEHA
Behavioral and Social Sciences
The study of cognitions (thought processes), emotions, behavior, and/or learning of humans and animals. BEHA may include the study of individuals, groups and/or cultures through observational and experimental methods
03
BCHM
Biochemistry
The study of the chemical basis of processes occurring in living organisms, including the processes by which these substances enter into, or are formed in, the organisms and react with each other and the environment.
04
BMED
Biomedical and Health Sciences
This category focuses on studies specifically designed to address issues of human health and disease. It includes studies on the diagnosis, treatment, prevention or epidemiology of disease and other damage to the human body or mental systems.
05
ENBM
Biomedical Engineering
Projects that aim to improve human health and longevity by translating novel discoveries in the biomedical sciences into effective activities and tools for clinical and public health use.
06
CELL
Cellular and Molecular Biology
This is an interdisciplinary field that studies the structure, function, intracellular pathways, and formation of cells. Studies involve understanding life and cellular processes specifically at the molecular level.
07
CHEM
Chemistry
Studies exploring the science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter not involving biochemical systems.
08
CBIO
Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Studies that primarily focus on the discipline and techniques of computer science and mathematics as they relate to biological systems.
09
EAEV
Earth & Environmental Sciences
Studies of the environment and its effect on organisms/systems, including investigations of biological processes such as growth and life span, as well as studies of Earth systems and their evolution.
10
EBED
Embedded Systems
Studies involving electrical systems in which information is conveyed via signals and waveforms for purposes of enhancing communications, control and/or sensing.
11
EGSD
Energy: Sustainable Materials & Design
Studies/processes involving the production and/or storage of energy.
12
ETSD
Engineering Technology: Statics and Dynamics
Studies that focus on the science and engineering that involve movement or structure. The movement will be a result of forces; the structure will be stable due to the equilibrium of forces.
13
ENEV
Environmental Engineering
Studies that engineer or develop processes and infrastructure to solve environmental problems in the supply of water, the disposal of waste, or the control of pollution.
14
MATS
Materials Science
The study of the integration of various materials forms in systems, devices, and components that rely on their unique and specific properties. It involves their synthesis and processing in the form of nanoparticles, nanofibers, and nanolayered structures, to coatings and laminates, to bulk monolithic, single-/poly-crystalline, glassy, soft/hard solid, composite, and cellular structures.
15
MATH
Mathematics
The study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols. The deductive study of numbers, geometry, and various abstract constructs, or structures.
16
MCRO
Microbiology
The study of micro-organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, prokaryotes, and simple eukaryotes as well as antimicrobial and antibiotic substances.
17
PHYS
Physics and Astronomy
Physics is the science of matter and energy and of interactions between the two. Astronomy is the study of anything in the universe beyond the Earth.
18
PLNT
Plant Sciences
Studies of plants and how they live, including structure, physiology, development, and classification. Includes plant cultivation, development, ecology, genetics and plant breeding, pathology, physiology, systematics and evolution.
19
ROBO
Robotics and Intelligent Machines
Studies in which the use of machine intelligence is paramount to reducing the reliance on human intervention. For studies designed for artistic purpose please consider Technology Enahances the Arts (TECA).
20
SOFT
Systems Software
The study or development of software, information processes or methodologies to demonstrate, analyze, or control a process/solution. For studies designed for artistic purpose please consider Technology Enhances the Arts (TECA).
21
TECA
Technology Enhances the Arts
The use of technology to ignite new concepts, visualization tools and/or media to enhance our enjoyment of the arts.
22
TMED
Translational Medical Science
Projects that aim to improve human health and longevity by translating novel discoveries in the biomedical sciences into effective activities and tools for clinical and public health use.