Key Deadlines 2025-2026
Key Deadlines 2025-2026
Embedded Files
Teachers - Please RSVP HERE if you have students interested in participating
Teacher RSVP dates:
High School - 9-12 ISEF Fair - by January 8, 2026, closed
5th grade Science Challenge by March 14, 2026
6-8th grade Middle School Science Fair by March 14, 2026
5th Grade Science Fair
5th Grade Science Fair
[virtual project submissions and in- person awards]
[virtual project submissions and in- person awards]
Refer to the 5th Grade Science Fair page for more information
Submissions due by April 30, 2026 Folders will be locked at 6 pm. [parent guardian permission form, student's 2-3 minute video, diagram or cartoon label showing simple machines used or the experiment set-up. Quad charts are optional]
Virtual Awards Ceremony, May 6, 2026 Winners are invited to display projects and receive awards in person May 14, 2025
Awards Ceremony: May 13, 2026, at 5:30 pm [ Category Winners will be invited with their families to the Middle School Fair at Heritage High School- Lynchburg, VA]
Middle School Science Fair [6th - 8th Grade]
Middle School Science Fair [6th - 8th Grade]
Refer to the Middle School Science Fair page for more information.
November 2025 - April 2026 Schools should hold their fairs and recommend their school's regional fair participants.
May 1, 2026 All project documents are uploaded to the teacher-assigned Google Drive Folders
[6-8th grade: project approval (2026) form, student's 2-3 minute video, project quad chart, google slide set or photo of student's project board.]
May 1, 2026 Project folders will be closed at 6:00 p.m. EST
May 8, 2026 Teachers are notified that 6-8th grade participants meet Sci Fair criteria for judging,
[Middle School 6-8th Parent Permission Form to attend May 13, 2026 will be emailed to semifinalists.]
May 13, 2026 6th-8th Grade qualifying participants accompanied by parent or guardian display their project boards for awards judging.
Location: Heritage High School
Time: 3:30 Project check-in and project set-up HHS Cafeteria
Judging & Tours of Central Virginia Governor's School Labs Plus First Robotics Vector Space Team Exhibition
Awards Ceremony - HHS auditorium (5:45 p.m.) Regional awards & Regional Fair Nominees announced for the National Junior Innovators Challenge
May 16 - 23 2026 Remaining awards will be distributed to the schools
High School Science Fair [9th - 12th Grade]
High School Science Fair [9th - 12th Grade]
Refer to the High School Science Fair page for more information
ISEF 9-12 Fair March 14, 2026 @ CVCC Merritt Hall ~ Awards Ceremony at 3:30 p.m. in person at CVCC
[refer to details below]
Interested students should contact their science teachers as soon as possible so they can notify CVRSF about your interest.
Teacher should send names of students who are planning to submit projects to Clindeman@cvgs.k12.va.us
October 1, 2025 - January 31, 2026 SRC Project Reviews: Projects reviewed by the Regional Fair Scientific Review Committee (SRC) and IRB approvals
[students check with your science teacher].
Use the current-year ISEF forms and rules as you work on your project by setting up through your Labrat account.
February 24, 2026 by 8:00 p.m. Student Labrat accounts will be locked and no future editing will be permitted.
February 3-18, 2026 Students register for the CVRSF Fair with their official project title and category, tshirt size. Teachers and students will receive registration link.
February 18, 2026 Teachers begin loading final CVRSF Project Files to assigned School Science Fair Drive Folders. Registered participants should contact their teacher/sponsor throughout this process.
1.Google Slide with the Project Title or PNG image file of the title [Name, HS, Project tilte, Image(s) Category]
Note: We use this file to build the Online Program.
2. QUAD chart [Visit ISEF Project Information for guidelines HERE]
3. PDF Project Board or Jpeg
March 2, 2026 8:00 p.m. EST CVRSF Project folders will be locked.
March 14, 2026 In-person fair will be hosted by Central Virginia Community College at Merritt Hall.
10:00 -10:30 a.m. Project set-up time
To minimize the number of participants and judges, the projects will be judged in biological and physical science categories.
Registered participants will be notified which group they will be in to be judged in advance.
Students will display their project posters following the ISEF poster and display guidelines.
Schedule: Two groups will be assigned first-round judging beginning at 10:45 a.m.
(We will have subgroups to ease the spaces between projects during judging. There will be an additional room for students to “wait” for judging)
Lunch will be provided and light snacks Second round of judging for all projects will be after lunch until 2: 30 p.m.
Awards Ceremony Tentative 3:30 p.m. at CVCC with space for participants and additional space for families. Amherst Builiding ~ Student Center.
CVRSF will nominate up to 12 projects for the VSSEF state competition (Piedmont Community College) and name two ISEF finalists along with category and special awards.
March 16-20, 2026. Additional awards and certificates will be distributed to teachers.
Note: Students nominated for VSSEF and/or ISEF competitions must submit additional documents to compete at the next levels.
April 10-11, 2026 Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair hosted by Piedmont Community College, Charlottesville, VA (12 project nominees from CVRSF)
May 9-15, 2026 Regeneron ISEF 2026 hosted by Phoenix, Arizona (2 CVRSF finalists and a teacher will be attending in person. Expenses are paid by the CVRSF)
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