Eligibility

Who is eligible to participate?

Students attending public schools in grades 5-12 in the Salt Lake, Granite, Murray, Canyons, and Tooele school districts. Students in charter, private and schools from the Salt Lake Catholic Diocese are also welcome. If you attend a school outside of these districts, please see the Utah Regional Fair map to find the fair you should attend.

In order to be eligible to participate at USEF, you must have participated and won at your school / district fair & received an invitation to participate. Please refer to the eligibility 'roadmap' for details.

REGISTRATION

How do I register for the fair?

All students must register online with the user name and password obtained from their teacher or science fair representative. Senior division students must also pre-register for USEF before attending their district level fair.

What if I can't attend my district level fair?

In person participation is required at a district level fair to advance to USEF for all students. If you are a senior division student with an academic conflict for your district fair, please contact Jody for options.  If you are an elementary or junior division student in grades 5-8, you will need to attend your assigned district fair. 

What if I forget to register before the deadline?

The registration deadline for the 2025 USEF is Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at 11:59 pm.  Late registrations may be allowed in extreme circumstances and will be evaluated on a case-by-case.  If you missed the deadline, please email usef-appeals@utah.edu no later than Monday, February 17 at 11:59 pm.  Please note that if your appeal is granted, a late registration fee of $100.00 per student will be charged for students who miss the deadline. 

Late registrations after February 12 are not allowed under any circumstances.

What is the registration fee?

Please refer to the fee schedule on the next tab.

Registration Fees

USEF fee schedule is as follows:

Note: Registration will close at midnight MST on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Fees shown are PER STUDENT, not project. For example, an individual student project registering will be $30, a team of two registering in the same time frame will pay $60 and a team project of three students will pay $90. The team captain (the person who fills out the registration form) is responsible for paying the registration fee for the entire team (He or she can collect the registration fee(s) from the other team members later).

Fee waivers are available for students who cannot afford the registration fee. 

Students who miss the registration deadline AND are approved by the appeals committee to register late will pay a registration fee of $100 per student.

Please contact Jody Oostema at jody.oostema@utah.edu with any questions.

What division should I register in?

Your division is based on your school grade:

Elementary Division - Grades 5-6 
Junior Division - Grades 7-8 
Senior Division - Grades 9-12

Forms

Why do I have to register online?

All students must register online to compete at USEF. The Online registration allows you to be entered quickly into the USEF database. The USEF database is used to create judging cards, organize the winner lists, and create certificates and all other printed materials.

What forms do I need with my senior division project?

All senior division students are required to pre-register their project before attending a district qualifying fair.  This process allows USEF staff to review your project and let you know what forms will be required.  USEF fully supports and follows the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair rules found here.  We also require all senior division students to submit the specific ISEF forms required for their project. The downloaded forms can be found here.

Parent Help

Can parents help with a project?

One of the great things about a science fair is that there is room for parental involvement. By sharing science experiences parents demonstrate that learning is an important and enjoyable process. The key point is that parents not do too much. Parents can offer advice, help gather materials, assist in constructing the backboard, and proofread grammar. The research and overall project should generally reflect the student's efforts.

SRC/IRB

Does my project need to be reviewed by an SRC/IRB at my local school prior to experimentation?

It depends on your choice of project. Use the Intel Rules Wizard to see what forms need to be submitted. This should be done prior to the onset of any experimentation. If you have any questions about this requirement, please contact us.

Is it ok to get SRC/IRB approval after I have collected my data?

No. The whole purpose of SRC/IRB approval is to have the committee approve your project before you begin data collection. This will insure that ethical guidelines are met and followed.

Project Display

Can my parents or teacher set up my project for me at Crocker Science Center?

Yes. Just be certain that all materials you plan to display are present in order to be approved by a safety and display judge.

What can I include on my project board for the fair?

The Visual Display requirements are listed here as well as some additional tips and advice. Also, note that no photos of others are allowed, unless a signed release form has been submitted from the person in the photo.

How should my project be displayed on the project board?

Your display will be a visual aid that will briefly state all the important aspects of your project: problem, hypothesis, experiment description, results/analysis, conclusions and applications.

Event Information

When do I set up my project?

You will need to set up your project on different days depending on your division. Please refer to the fair schedule for details.

How early should I be at the fair?

Students should arrive 15 minutes prior to when judging begins for their division. Please refer to the schedule for when that is.

Will lunch be provided?

Lunches will be provided for senior division students and judges only. Elementary and junior division lunch will not be provided lunch due to the shorter judging schedule. 

Will parking be available?

Yes. Registered students and parents will received information about parking via email after registration closes.

What should I wear to the fair?

We recommend that you dress professionally but comfortably.

What should I bring to the fair?

The judging process is lengthy with a lot of "down" time. We recommend that you bring a book to read or homework to work on. Hand held games and/or iPods are allowed as long as they are put away during judging interviews. Be sure that whatever you bring is not a distraction to yourself or others.

Will my valuables be secure at the fair?

We recommend that if you need to bring a computer or other valuable items with you to display at the fair that you only have them out on display while you are with your project.

Is there a time for the public to view the projects?

The exhibits will be open to the public. Please refer to the fair schedule for details.

Judging

How are projects judged at USEF?

You can read about how we judge projects here.

Do I have to stay for the entire judging period?

Yes. During the judging time there are category judges and special award judges that are interviewing students. You need to give them an opportunity to talk to you.

What if I can't come to USEF during the judging time?

The judging interview is the most important component of the judging process. If you cannot come at all, we recommend that you do not set up your project.

What if I have a conflict and I have to leave the fair early or come late?

Please notify Jody Oostema of your circumstance so we can inform your judges. We cannot guarantee that you will be judged as many times as you need to be.

Do all members of my team have to come during judging?

Yes. It would otherwise be difficult for the judges to understand the contributions of each team member. Team projects without all members present could receive a team deduction on their final score.  However, if you are sick, your team members can explain the situation to the judges.

How long does the judging last and when can I leave?

The length of judging varies. It is important to stay with your project until a science fair representative notifies you that you're free to leave.