High School Research Competitions Besides ISEF and Regeneron STS

By Dr. Harman Brah, MD · Judge, California Science & Engineering Fair

Six research competitions besides ISEF and Regeneron STS are worth knowing: the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, the AAN Neuroscience Research Prize, MIT THINK, The Earth Prize, ExploraVision and Genes in Space. Each rewards a different kind of work, so the right one depends on your child’s grade, their field, and whether they work alone or with a team.

Two of them judge finished research. Three judge a proposal for work not yet done, and one is closer to a pitch.

The six at a glance

• Stockholm Junior Water Prize: water research, grades 9 to 12, alone or with one partner, judged mostly on a written paper.
• AAN Neuroscience Research Prize: brain and nervous system research, grades 9 to 12, individual work only, built around a finished research report.
• MIT THINK: a STEM project proposal from a high school student, for an idea not yet carried out.
• The Earth Prize: a sustainability competition for ages 13 to 19, alone or in teams of up to five, ending in a video pitch.
• ExploraVision: a team write-up of a technology 10 or more years in the future, for kindergarten through grade 12, teams of 2 to 4.
• Genes in Space: a proposal for a biotechnology experiment, grades 7 to 12, alone or in pairs.

Stockholm Junior Water Prize

Who it fits. A high school student with a water project, or one who wants to start one. Entrants are in grades 9 to 12, will be at least 15 by August 1 of the competition year, and live in the 50 states, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico. One student can enter alone, or two can enter as a team.

Format. A research paper on improving water quality, water resources management, or water and wastewater treatment, using accepted research methods and statistical analysis. No science fair is required. Students nominate themselves for their state round by submitting the paper online.

The Water Environment Federation runs the U.S. competition and weighs the paper much more heavily than any poster. Each state picks one winner, state winners go on to nationals, and the U.S. winner competes in Stockholm.

Timing. In the 2026 cycle, state entries were due April 15, 2026. The 2027 dates were not posted as of late October 2026.

It is often missed because there is no fair or nomination step. A student who has already written a strong science fair paper or STS report on a water topic has most of an entry, and the national paper has the same 20-page cap as the STS report.

AAN Neuroscience Research Prize

Who it fits. A high school student researching the brain or nervous system. It is open to students in grades 9 to 12 in the United States, regardless of age, and only individual projects are eligible. The work does not have to happen in a formal lab.

Format. An application form, an abstract of no more than 300 words, a research report, a bibliography, and e-signatures from a parent or guardian, a teacher and a mentor. The American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society sponsor it.

Judges are physicians and scientists who do neuroscience research at U.S. academic institutions. In round one, every application is judged on the abstract alone. Only the top applications get a full review in round two, and four winners are chosen. The winners present posters at the 2027 national meetings of the two sponsoring groups, with travel included.

Timing. The 2026 cycle opened July 29, 2026 and closed October 20, 2026, with notifications by the end of January 2027. The next cycle has not been posted.

Because the abstract decides round one, it has to stand on its own. A strong neuroscience science fair paper can be entered, lab or no lab. Dr. Brah is a physician and can push on the clinical framing, but the student writes every word.

MIT THINK

Who it fits. A high school student with a clear STEM idea who has not built it yet. THINK rewards a plan, not a result, so a younger student with a sharp question can compete.

Format. MIT students run the program. Students submit a proposal for a project they could finish in one semester on a budget of up to $1,000, anything from green technology and practical devices to software. Judges look for an insightful idea, clear goals and a procedure that has been thought through.

Finalists get mentorship from MIT professors and researchers, check-ins with the THINK team, up to $1,000 in project funding, and, when possible, a paid trip to MIT. They finish the project by June and present their results.

Timing. In the last posted cycle, applications opened November 1, 2025 and were due January 1, 2026, with semifinalist interviews on January 30, 2026 and finalists named in February 2026. The 2026-27 dates were not posted as of October 31, 2026, so check the THINK site.

The procedure and the budget are where a mentor can help a student think the plan through. The student still writes the proposal.

The Earth Prize

Who it fits. A student aged 13 to 19 who cares about an environmental problem and wants to move from research to action. It is open worldwide to students in a school, homeschool or other education program, alone or in teams of up to five. Minors need a parent’s consent to take part.

Format. Teams complete the Earth Prize Blueprint, a set of seven building blocks that ends in a video pitch. Submissions are scored out of 25 points. Problem validation and proof of concept count most, at 5 points each. Solution quality, next steps and commitment, and feasibility and planning are worth 4 each, and communication and inspiration is worth 3.

Problem validation asks for evidence, including conversations with the people the problem affects. Free volunteer mentors are available on the organizer’s Discord.

Timing. Registration is open until January 10, 2027, and Blueprint submissions close January 31, 2027. Thirty-five teams are named Earth Prize Scholars on March 3, 2027. Seven Regional Winners are announced May 3 to 9, 2027, each with funding to carry out the project, then public voting runs May 10 to 23. The Global Winner is announced May 28, 2027.

This one reads more like a startup pitch than a research paper. It pairs well with research the student has already done: a water or runoff project, for example, can become the proof of concept.

ExploraVision

Who it fits. A team of friends or siblings, from kindergarten up. It is for full-time K-12 students in the U.S., Canada and U.S. territories, and some schools abroad also qualify. Teams have 2 to 4 students, a teacher or coach who is 21 or older (a parent can coach), and an optional mentor. Individual entries are not accepted.

Teams compete by the grade of their oldest member: K to 3, 4 to 6, 7 to 9, or 10 to 12. Each student can be on one project per year.

Format. Teams imagine a technology at least 10 years in the future and write it up as a research and development project. The entry has a title of up to 50 characters, an abstract of up to 150 words, a project description, a bibliography and a technology launch flyer.

No working prototype is needed. Regional winners build a non-working model. AI may be used to brainstorm and research, as long as it is cited in the bibliography and follows ExploraVision’s AI policy.

Timing. The coach submits by 8:00 PM ET on January 27, 2027. There are 24 regional winning teams, and 8 national finalist teams travel to Washington, DC in June.

Note one rule before reusing work: a project that already won a prize in another competition cannot be entered. And because the write-up is about future technology, the science behind today’s version has to be right.

Genes in Space

Who it fits. A student in grades 7 to 12 at a U.S. public, private or home school who is curious about biotechnology. Students enter alone or in pairs, and an adult sponsor is required.

Format. A proposal for a biotechnology experiment, judged on creative and scientific merit. Each student can submit one proposal per year. There are 25 awards per cycle, and the winning experiment is launched to the International Space Station.

Timing. The 2026 cycle opened January 5, 2026 and closed April 10, 2026. Information for 2027 comes out in January.

Like THINK, it is a written proposal judged on merit. Fall is the time to read the biology and draft the question, so the proposal is not written in a rush once the cycle opens.

How to choose

Start with what your child already has.

• A finished paper, written alone. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize if the topic is water, the AAN prize if it is neuroscience.
• An idea and no data yet. MIT THINK, Genes in Space or ExploraVision.
• A team. ExploraVision requires one, The Earth Prize allows up to five, and the water prize and Genes in Space allow pairs. Regeneron STS and the AAN prize accept only individual work.
• A middle schooler. Genes in Space starts at grade 7, The Earth Prize at age 13, and ExploraVision has categories from kindergarten.
• Research they want to turn into action. The Earth Prize.

Dr. Brah judges at the California Science & Engineering Fair. In his view, judges reward a student who can explain why each choice was made, not the most advanced technique. One clear question with real data beats an ambitious project with no result, and the same holds for a proposal: one clear question and a realistic procedure.

The student does the work

These competitions check for it. The AAN prize requires original research and the student’s own writing. Water prize judges ask what help came from parents, teachers and professionals, and whether the student took the measurements. ExploraVision requires any AI use to be cited.

A mentor can push on the question, the method and the statistics. The student owns the question, collects the data and writes every draft, and judges can tell when that is not the case.

Our mentors help students choose the right competition and plan the work, with the student doing the research and the writing: see our research mentorship, or read how to do high school research without a lab.

FAQ

Can my child enter the same project in more than one of these competitions?

Often, yes. A strong water paper from a science fair or STS can become most of a Stockholm Junior Water Prize entry, and a neuroscience fair paper can go to the AAN prize. The exception is ExploraVision, which does not accept a project that already won a prize elsewhere. Each competition has its own format, so plan to rewrite for each one.

Which of these are open to middle school students?

Genes in Space is open from grade 7, The Earth Prize from age 13, and ExploraVision from kindergarten, with separate categories by grade. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize and the AAN prize are for grades 9 to 12.

Can my child enter with a friend?

Yes, for four of them. ExploraVision requires a team of 2 to 4, The Earth Prize allows teams of up to five, and the water prize and Genes in Space accept pairs. The AAN prize, like Regeneron STS, accepts individual work only.

What deadlines are coming up this winter?

The Earth Prize closes registration January 10, 2027 and Blueprint submissions January 31, 2027. ExploraVision entries are due January 27, 2027 at 8:00 PM ET. Genes in Space shares its 2027 information in January. MIT THINK has not posted its 2026-27 dates, and the AAN prize closed its 2026 cycle on October 20, 2026.

Does my child need a university lab for these?

No. The AAN prize says projects do not need a formal lab setting, and the water prize asks for accepted research methods and statistics on real data. THINK, Genes in Space and ExploraVision are proposals, and ExploraVision does not need a working prototype.