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Science Scholarships and challenges

Regeneron Science Talent Search

The oldest and most prestigious science research competition for United States high school seniors.

Run by Society for Science

Official website Reviews and tips

Key facts

Eligible grades
Students enrolled in and attending 12th grade, their last year of secondary school, at public, private, parochial or home school. Only seniors may apply, but the research itself may have been conducted during ANY year of high school.
Judges recommend starting research early; some entrants begin in middle school. The research does not need to have been done in senior year.
Source, checked 2026-09-02
Eligible ages
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.
Society for Science sets eligibility by year of study, not age.
Individual or team
Individual
Where it runs
Online and in person · United States
Entry cost
Free to enterNo application fee is described on the pages checked.
Registration deadline
The 2027 application closes Thursday 5 NOVEMBER 2026 at 8:00 p.m. ET. ALL parts, including recommendations and transcripts, are due by then with no exceptions. A separate Customer Support Deadline falls one day earlier, 4 November 2026 at 8:00 p.m. ET, by which the Society guarantees to resolve any reported issues. 57 days leftSubmit by the customer support deadline, not the real one. It is your responsibility to chase your recommenders, and the automated request emails are often caught by spam or school filters, so warn them to look for a sender named 'Regeneron Science Talent Search'.
Competition dates
Applications open 1 June and close in early November. Scholars are announced in January and finalists attend in Washington, D.C. in March.
Difficulty
EliteSelection is measured in the top fraction of a percent nationally. Typically reached by qualifying through a lower round rather than entered directly.
Prizes
$3.1 million distributed annually, including a first place prize of $250,000. The 40 finalists shared more than $1.8 million at a recent event.Three hundred scholars receive awards, forty finalists receive larger awards, and the top ten finalists receive the largest prizes, historically up to $250,000 for first place. Confirm current amounts on the official site.

What Regeneron Science Talent Search is

The Science Talent Search is the United States' oldest pre-college science competition, running since 1942. It is open only to high school seniors, who submit an original research project along with essays, recommendations and test scores. Three hundred scholars are named, forty finalists travel to Washington for a week of judging, and the top awards are among the largest given to any high school student anywhere.

How the competition works

A holistic application: essay questions, questions about you and your project, a maximum 20-page original scientific paper, recommendations, transcripts and optional test scores. Applications are accepted only through the online system; no hard copies or emailed versions.

Eligibility notes

Open to United States high school seniors, including citizens studying abroad and students at schools in United States territories. Individual entry only; team projects are not eligible.

How to register

  1. Complete an original research project, normally begun in your junior year or earlier. Most successful applicants have worked on it for a year or more.
  2. Create an account on the Society for Science application portal when applications open in the summer.
  3. Prepare the research report, the general-audience project description, essays, transcript and recommendation letters.
  4. Submit before the November deadline. There are no extensions.
  5. If named a finalist, attend Finals Week in Washington in March.

Register on the official site

What skills you need

  • Original research
  • Scientific writing for two audiences
  • Statistics
  • Interviewing with expert judges
  • Explaining significance beyond your own field

Recommended resources

Past problems and materials

Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

Can juniors apply to the Science Talent Search?

No. It is open only to high school seniors. Juniors doing research should aim at ISEF or the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium and then apply to the Science Talent Search the following year with the same project developed further.

Can I submit a team project?

No. The Science Talent Search is individual only. Team research should be entered into ISEF instead, which has a team category.

Is the research all that is judged?

No, and this surprises many applicants. Judges assess scientific potential broadly, so the essays, the general-audience description and the interview all matter alongside the research report.

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