The Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair is a 501(c)3 non-profit volunteer organization. The Fair is affiliated with the International Science and Engineering Fair. The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the world’s largest pre-college celebration of science. Established in 1950 by the Society for Science & The Public and held annually in May, the ISEF brings together over 1,400 students from more than 40 nations to compete for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prize: a $50,000 college scholarship.
The Fair organization is governed by a Board of Directors who plan and prepare for the Fair in the year prior to fair day.
Our Mission
Much more than a competition, the Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair is an educational and motivating experience for the students. Your involvement as a sponsor or volunteer is an opportunity to encourage young people who have already begun to show serious interest in science and engineering. China and India graduate 14 engineers for every one graduated in the USA. With your support the Fair can help inspire many of these students to pursue careers in science or engineering and keep our region and the USA competitive internationally.
Participants
About 300 students from Piedmont Virginia representing more than thirty different schools from over a dozen school divisions participate. For specific information about the current or most recent fair go to the Fair Program page.
Middle School students (Junior Division) and High School students (Senior Division) are judged separately in each of 17 science and engineering categories. Schools within Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Green, King George, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties, and the City of Charlottesville are in the Science Fair region. We welcome the participation of all public, private, and home school 6th through 12th grade students in our region.
Students compete in their school fairs (if available) where projects are selected to participate in our Regional Fair. At our fair they are interviewed by a panel of volunteer judges who are often from a scientific or engineering field themselves. The winners are announced the evening of the Fair.
Winners Advance
• Two Senior Division “Grand Award Winners” win expense-paid trips to the International Science & Engineering Fair where students compete for over $3 million in awards and scholarships.
• Each Senior Division 1st Place category award winner is invited to advance to the Virginia State Science & Engineering Fair.
• Each Junior Division 1st (and when there are spaces available 2nd) Place category award winner is invited to participate in the Broadcom MASTERS competition held each Fall in Washington, DC.
Awards
• First, second and third place is awarded in each category and division.
• More than 100 special awards are presented by more than 30 organizations.
Director’s Message:
We are certainly living in different times. Our world is experiencing a once in a lifetime (let’s hope) pandemic which has forced us to live much differently. The 2020 Fair happened on March 4, 2020. Just days before the U.S. went into a lock down period, workers began to experience working from home, businesses pivoted to new models, and most students began to experience what it’s like to learn virtually from the comfort and safety of their homes. This unfortunately has continued into 2021 and has required the VPRSF to also pivot from an in person fair to a virtually held fair.
Initially, due to an anticipated significant decrease in project entries, and an expectation that we would lose our ISEF affiliation status due to the inability to meet their senior division participation requirement, we were planning on cancelling the 2021 Fair and then plan for re-affiliation and another try in 2022. Because so many other fairs are experiencing this same issue, the ISEF has lowered the affiliation threshold which allows us to hold a much smaller virtual fair.
Being able to support, at the very least, our Senior Division students is incredibly fortunate. I realize that the science fair for many high school students starts in the fall, so projects are usually well underway when the VPRSF registration process begins. With the waiver received from ISEF I am very happy to be able to have these students compete, and more so, send the top two to the ISEF virtual fair and all honorable mentions to the VSSEF virtual fair.
The resiliency of our students is extraordinary. I thank them for their dedication to pushing through these difficult times and for finding the time to become better scientists. We’re going to need them as the continue through their education and into their careers.
My thanks to them, their parents, and their teachers!
Adrian Felts
VPRSF Director