From Start To Science Fair

• Check out our video on GETTING STARTED
• Decide if you will be working by yourself or as a team of up to three and begin to identify your teachers, mentors, parents, and other adults that will be involved.
• Begin narrowing down your interests for a science fair project and start learning more about your topic and field of study.
  • There are resources on the STUDENTS page for selecting a topic.
  • Check out the 2025 DMRSEF SHOWCASE or the ISEF PROJECT DATABASE for inspiration.
• Familiarize yourself with the ISEF RULE BOOK before deciding on a project.
• Talk to subject matter experts. Reach out to the DMRSEF team if you need help locating an expert or mentor.

• Join our MONTHLY NEWSLETTER for updates from the team.
• Attend a DMRSEF Season Kickoff event
• Sign up to participate at the fair, you do not need a completed project to register!
• Check out our pre-season events for help along the way.

• When you register for the fair, you'll be prompted to create a MySciFair account
  • Everything from project creation to uploading forms are all on MySciFair
• If you need some assistence navigating MySciFair, check out our Registration Guide and the Project Creation Guide
• These steps are now completed through MySciFair:
  • Write your research plan
  • Start your paperwork (Some forms must be completed prior to the start of experimentation!)
    • All forms can be found on the FORMS AND RULES page
    • Complete the wizard on MySciFair and required forms will autopopulate on your dashboard
    • THIS PLAYLIST walks you through completing your paperwork in short videos.
• From there, you'll...
• Gather your materials.
• Conduct your experiment.
• Take good notes as you go, including pictures and videos of your experiment and procedures.
• Complete your experiment/design procedures.
  • Check out this video on DOING YOUR EXPERIMENT

• Analyze your findings.
  • Check out this video on drawing your CONCLUSION

• Be sure to complete and double-check your paperwork.
  • Keep an eye out for pre-season events designed to help with this process!
  • MySciFair will alert you if a form needs to be revisited
• Determine the proper category for your project.
  • Check out our COMPLETE CATEGORY GUIDE
  • Our regional SRC will verify this is the right selection when reviewing your project submission.
• Submit your project details and paperwork to MySciFair DMRSEF!

• Familiarize yourself with virtual and in-person display and safety regulations.
• Check out the 2026 STUDENT MATERIALS GUIDE for all guidelines regarding your virtual and physical materials.
• Begin creating virtual AND physical display materials.
  • Check out our video on PREPARING YOUR POSTER (virtual)
  • THIS PLAYLIST includes recordings of last year's virtual help sessions.
• Attend DMRSEF Competition Ready Series SciComm events and workshops to help prepare your materials.
• Practice presenting and answering questions, stay familiar with your project.
  • Check out our video on JUDGE INTERVIEWS
• Work with the SRC to correct any errors in your project/paperwork submission.
• Keep an eye on your inbox for Display and Safety approval or corrections needed on your virtual display materials.

DMRSEF: Friday, February 20, 2026
Awards: Sunday, February 22, 2026

Learn more about CSEF, ISEF, and other opportunities to take your research further on the BEYOND DMRSEF page