Competition
Regeneron Science Talent Search
Society for Science
Recognition
$3.1 million in awards distributed annually, including a $250,000 first-place prize; 2026 finalists received more than $1.8 million.
Deadline
Nov 5, 2026
The nation's oldest and most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors, who submit original independent research plus a full application (essays, a max 20-page paper, recommendations, transcripts) for holistic review.
Eligibility
- Grade levels
- High school senior
- Citizenship
- Any
- Fields of study
- Science, Engineering, Technology, Mathematics, Computer science, Research
- Essay
- Required
Application requirements
- Confirm you are a graduating high school senior meeting STS eligibility
- Complete an original, independent research project: Research can be done at school, a research institution, in the field, or at home; often spans a year or more.
-
Prepare a research report (max 20 pages) plus required short essays and application sections: Sections include about you, your project, prior research projects, and your activities.
Essay prompts
- Your Potential as a Scientist, Mathematician or Engineer: Address through specific and concrete examples what characteristics you have that best demonstrate your affinity and aptitude for being a good scientist. What have you done that illustrates scientific aptitude, leadership, curiosity, inventiveness and/or initiative? What are your other STEM-related interests besides your project? What do you plan to study in post-secondary education and what occupation do you plan to pursue? What do you hope to be doing 10 years from now? Maximum 200 words
- Greatest Accomplishment or Challenge. Please answer ONE of the prompts below from the Common App; we prefer that you think beyond your research project in this essay. A. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. OR B. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? OR C. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. Maximum 200 words
- Obtain educator, project, and high school (transcript) recommendations
- Disclose all support received for the research project and application
- Submit the complete application online by the deadline: Application and all recommendations due November 5, 8PM ET, no exceptions. Test scores are optional.
Verified Jul 6, 2026 · View official source