Skip to main content

10 Science Fairs and Competitions for Teen Innovators

By U.S. News & World Report

For high school students interested in science, engineering or research, national competitions can be excellent opportunities to gain valuable experience and recognition beyond the classroom.

Some programs emphasize independent research, while others focus on teamwork, problem-solving or creative application of scientific concepts.

Below are 10 notable science fairs and competitions for high school students looking to challenge themselves and showcase their work on a national — and even global — stage.

1. Regeneron Science Talent Search

The Regeneron Science Talent Search is a national research competition for high school seniors who have completed original, independent scientific research. Students submit a detailed research paper describing their project, methodology and findings.

This competition places a strong emphasis on research depth and originality, and is geared toward students who have dedicated significant time to developing a long-term project.

Best for: Seniors with independent research experience

Format: Individual research submission

[Discover The Differences Between AP and IB]

2. Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair

Regeneron ISEF invites high school students from around the world to present their original STEM research projects. Unlike Regeneron STS, students don’t apply directly. Instead, they qualify by earning top placements at affiliated regional or state science fairs.

Project submissions are evaluated through presentations and interviews with scientists and engineers, with a focus on experimental design, data analysis and communication.

Best for: Students with experimental or lab-based research projects

Format: Individual research projects (qualification required)

3. Davidson Fellows Scholarship

The Davidson Fellows Scholarship awards students 18 and under with outstanding completed projects. This program includes a variety of STEM categories such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine.

The scholarship evaluates the depth and originality, as well as the impact of the completed project. Three tiers of scholarships of up to $100,000 each year are awarded to qualifying participants.

Best for: Students with substantial, self-directed projects

Format: Individual or team submissions

4. Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium is a research competition that emphasizes scientific curiosity and formal presentation. Students submit original research papers and present their work at regional symposiums, with select participants advancing to a national event.

This program is particularly suitable for students interested in communicating or presenting their own scientific research in a professional setting.

Best for: Students interested in research and presentation

Format: Individual research presentations

5. National Science Bowl

The National Science Bowl is a team-based competition that tests students’ knowledge across biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, mathematics and energy. Teams compete in regional tournaments first, with winners advancing to the national finals.

Unlike research-based competitions, the Science Bowl is a fast-paced event that emphasizes teamwork and strategy.

Best for: Students who enjoy team competitions

Format: Teams of four students

[Early College Programs: What to Know]

6. The Conrad Challenge

The Conrad Challenge allows students to carry out projects that aim to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems across disciplines such as health, energy, aerospace and cybersecurity. This team-based competition combines scientific concepts with product design, helping turn ideas into real impact.

Compared to traditional experimental research competitions, these projects are evaluated on feasibility and potential impact.

Best for: Students interested in applied STEM and innovation

Format: Team-based competition

7. Odyssey of the Mind

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition that combines engineering and design. Teams are given a set of long-term problems to choose from — such as building an all-terrain vehicle or prepping for a fictional doomsday scenario — and develop an original solution.

This program is less research-focused, but instead emphasizes creativity and collaborative thinking.

Best for: Creative thinkers and collaborative teams

Format: Team-based problem-solving

8. American Regions Mathematics League

The American Regions Mathematics League is an invitational, team-based competition for advanced high school students. Students represent regions or states, and work together to solve math problems that require speed and reasoning.

Regional coordinators select students based on teacher recommendations or performance in math contests, such as AMC, AIME or state math leagues.

Best for: Advanced math students

Format: Invitational team competition

9. National STEM Festival

The National STEM Festival asks students to solve a set of problems focused on applied science, engineering and innovation. Specific themes and formats vary by year, often emphasizing creative problem-solving and real-world applications. Students submit projects through the National STEM Challenge, where top participants are selected as STEM Champions and invited to present their work at the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C.

Best for: Students interested in applied STEM challenges

Format: Individual or team competitions

[Read How to Earn College Credit Through Dual Enrollment.]

10. USA Computing Olympiad

The USA Computing Olympiad is a national programming competition that emphasizes algorithmic problem-solving and computer science fundamentals. USACO is open to any student who wishes to participate, unlike many invite-only competitions.

Students compete virtually by solving timed problems online, with topics spanning algorithms, recursion and optimization. The competition is structured as a series of increasingly challenging contests that progress throughout the year.

Best for: Students interested in algorithmic problem-solving

Format: Individual, online challenges with multiple divisions

Considering Competing?

Science competitions vary widely in structure, focus and time commitment. Some reward intensive research, while others prioritize teamwork or rapid problem-solving.

Rather than focusing on prestige alone, students may benefit most from choosing competitions that align with their interests, experience level and preferred working style.

See the complete rankings of the Best High Schools.

More from U.S. News

How to Find a High School Internship

Career and Technical Education Programs for High Schoolers

11 Apps to Help High Schoolers Organize Their College Search

10 Science Fairs and Competitions for Teen Innovators originally appeared on usnews.com

A young mother’s killing went unsolved for nearly 40 years. Then the phone rang

By CNN
(CNN) — Melissa “Missy” Taylor Ellison’s killing remained a mystery for decades after she was found dead in her bedroom and her 13-month-old daughter was left crying in the living room.For years, Casie Ellison said she felt like she had to shrink herself and bury her feelings about the death of her mother.About 25 years after her mother was killed, those emotions were brought out when Casie realized her own daughter was now the same age she was when her mother died.“It just took me understanding that this is a little Casie,” she said. “I was seeing myself.”On July 8, more than 38 years after her mother’s killing in Jacksonville, Florida, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a man wanting to come forward with information on a cold case.Gary Glowacz, a 70-year-old man from Middleburg, Florida, told a Clay County sergeant he wanted to “set things straight” on the death of 20-year-old Melissa Ellison, saying he had hit her with a log in search of money during a burglary, according to his arrest report.Glowacz told Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit detectives that in March he came across an article detailing Melissa Ellison’s case and realized he was responsible for her death, according to his arrest report.Glowacz was charged with second-degree murder and armed burglary with assault or battery, according to charging documents. His attorney and the district attorney declined to comment.He’s being held without bond in the Duval County Jail, and his next court appearance is set for Thursday.No arrests were made during the initial investigation in connection with Melissa Ellison’s killing, according to the arrest report.The night of her deathOn December 28, 1987, Melissa Ellison, who was known as Missy Taylor by her family and friends, was found dead in her bedroom by her two roommates, the arrest report says.The medical examiner’s office ruled the manner of death as a homicide and the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head at the time of the killing, according to the arrest report.Glowacz told detectives he was looking for money or items to sell to buy drugs, according to the arrest report detailing their interview with him. Glowacz lived only half a mile away from the home Melissa Ellison was living in, according to law enforcement databases. He was arrested on suspicion of a separate burglary the same day she was found dead, the arrest report says.Glowacz, who was 31 at the time, breached the home through a window and made his way into Melissa Ellison’s bedroom, where he found her lying on the bed with her daughter Casie, according to the arrest report. Using a log he found in the house, he struck her one time on the head by her neck, he told detectives. He then picked Casie up, placed her on the couch in the living room and went back into the bedroom to look for money under her mattress.In the arrest report, detectives noted Glowacz recounted details of the crime scene that were not released and were not included in the article he saw earlier this year.When asked why he was confessing to the killing decades later, he said that he was not aware the victim had died until he saw the article about the case.Casie Ellison said she was the first call detectives made that night after they arrested Glowacz.“It felt exactly how I was hoping that it would feel every time I imagined that it would be possible,” Casie Ellison said.Casie Ellison’s aunts Glenda Blandford and Sissy Bennett, who were 17 and 15 respectively at the time of their sister’s death, were the next two calls made.“I knew in my heart, I knew in the back of my mind that this is it. Something’s happened,” Bennett said of the moment she got the phone call.The case was unsolved for decadesBlandford and Bennett recount the heartache their family went through after their sister’s death. For years, their parents would chase any lead they could find, bringing it to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to investigate, but to no avail, they said.“I carried my mother so many times down to the sheriff’s office. I watched everything that she went through, and I had to be the stronger one because … I had to be there for her while my dad continued to work,” Blandford said. “And I watched every disappointment, I watched every ounce of hope.”In 2019, their mother, Catherine Taylor, died not knowing what happened the night her daughter Melissa was killed.A year earlier, a friend of Bennett’s submitted Melissa Ellison’s case to Project: Cold Case, a nonprofit that provides support to families of unsolved homicide victims. The organization created a site for her story with all the information the family had gathered over the years.In January 2026, six months before Glowacz confessed to the killing, Project: Cold Case and Ellison’s family were part of a news conference with First Coast Crime Stoppers.“Someone knows exactly what happened that night. Someone remembers a detail that has never been spoken,” Casie Ellison said at the January news conference. “Someone has lived with this knowledge for nearly four decades. And someone listening to this right now knows that this is about them.”The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office credited the January news conference for aiding in the investigation, adding that some information that came forward played a role in the recent arrest, it said in July.“While his arrest cannot fill the enormous void left in the hearts of Melissa Ellison’s loved ones, I hope that this arrest is another step in the healing process,” Sheriff T.K. Waters said in July.Remembering MissyAfter nearly 40 years of no answers, this arrest might seem like it would be a weight lifted off the family’s shoulders, but Blandford, Bennett and Casie Ellison say they don’t feel relief yet.Both Blandford and Bennett said there isn’t a day that goes by when they don’t think of their sister. When Blandford moved to the beach five years ago, she thought of Missy, who loved the beach. She’s memorialized in the purple “Reign” Jeep Wrangler Bennett purchased because of Missy’s favorite song, “Purple Rain” by Prince. She lives on through Casie Ellison, who has three children of her own now.The journey toward healing continues for the family, as they try to navigate the new feelings that come with the recent developments. For Casie Ellison, this case has been her whole life.“There was no ‘before the incident’ for me,” Casie Ellison said.For the family, the loss has extended beyond losing Missy. The family lost three other relatives after her death.“I don’t know if justice would ever be officially served,” Casie Ellison said. “There’s been so much loss just from the grief and the no answers of this being such a long process. I think maybe had it been sooner, especially when my grandma was alive, and she would have been able to see there be some type of wrap to this in her lifetime, it might be a different answer.”Before finding out about Glowacz’s arrest, the family was planning a remembrance party for Missy with all her loved ones. Blandford says the party is still planned, but with a renewed prayer.“We’re still praying for justice,” Blandford said. “(We) pray and beg that God sheds serious light on this case and gives guidance to the hands of all the detectives … and that this case gets its proper justice, because right now, we’re sitting on an arrest, not justice.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Latest News
Fact check: Trump makes numerous false and misleading claims about vaccines and autism
5 minutes ago

Fact check: Trump makes numerous false and misleading claims about vaccines and autism

Un cohete chino que transportaba un satélite explota segundos después de su lanzamiento

El todopoderoso Trump le dice a Estados Unidos: "Nada malo puede pasar"

Trump secretly switched to different plane in Turkey amid Iran threat

Chinese rocket carrying satellite explodes seconds after launch