Students & Parents
Review the information below to find out how to participate in the Sacramento Regional STEM Fair!
Schedule of Events
2026 Sacramento Regional STEM Fair
Saturday, March 21, 2026
KVIE Ose Community Room
2030 W. El Camino Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95833
Schedule of Events
Friday, March 20
- Set up from 4pm to 6:30pm
- Students can begin check-in and drop off of their displays on Friday.
Saturday, March 21
- Set-up for those unable to attend on Friday will be available from 8:30-9:00am
- COMPETITION & SHOWCASE 9:00am-4:00pm
- During interviews, all students in the Competition Division must be present and remain at their projects until dismissed.
- Project removal begins at 3pm and closes at 4pm.
- Projects left behind will not be saved!
- Awards Ceremony 6:30-7:30pm
- Parents, teachers, friends, and family are welcome to celebrate your hard work!
- Light refreshments will be provided
Display Info for Presentation, Video, & Quad Chart
Students will have three minutes to give judges a presentation on their project Presentations which can be made using a trifold board, a Quad Chart, or some other presentation that involves the student making a live presentation to the judges. The judges will have three minutes to ask questions of each student. Once their allotted time elapses, students will be stopped.
What to Bring
- Project display – if that means bringing a charter, carrying case, laptop, etc, be sure to bring it!
- Your game face – it’s show time!
- You will be provided with a name tag that you must wear all day.
- Recommended: water bottle, book while you wait for your turn with the judges!
What Not to Bring
- Inappropriate language or attire
- Recording devices
- Breakable/expensive items
- Noisemakers
- Toys, games, other distractions
Tips for Judging
- Be prepared! You should have your presentation memorized. You can have notes, but don’t read from them!
- Start your presentation with your BIG, GENERAL IDEA, or QUESTION that you began with.
- Connect the big question to your research topic.
- Provide a brief overview of highlights – like a movie trailer
- Place your project in context: how does it affect the real world?
- Wrap up and let your judges know that you would be happy to answer questions.
- Say thank you!
- Be mindful of your time. You have 3 minutes for your presentation then the judges have time to ask you questions about your project. Practice your presentation at home for family and friends WITH A TIMER! Leave time for questions.
- Be polite. Be mindful of the other judging and presentations taking place around you. This isn’t an appropriate time to socialize.
- Dress for success! Business attire is recommended. You may be posing for photos!
Step 01
Students will have three minutes to give judges a presentation on their project Presentations which can be made using a trifold board, a Quad Chart, or some other presentation that involves the student making a live presentation to the judges. The judges will have three minutes to ask questions of each student. Once their allotted time elapses, students will be stopped.
COMPETING DIVISION
Middle School
Grades 6-8
COMPETING DIVISION
High School
Grades 9-12
SHOWCASE DIVISION
Grades 5-11
Step 02
Make sure that you can enter the Fair and that your schedule is clear for the entire day of the Event!
Read the General Information and FAQ pages if you have some questions.
Step 03
Decide on your topic and develop your experiment or design.
DON’T START EXPERIMENTING YET!
Remember your registration needs to be completed PRIOR to your experimentation.
Step 04
Use the Student Checklist and Roadmap to Registration to help you prepare for registration.
Complete the necessary items in order to make registration easier.
Step 05
YOU’RE READY!
Begin registration using the buttons below.
Your Regional STEM Fair ID Number will be used to identify your project and MUST be on the back of your Display Board.
COMPETING DIVISION
Grades 6-8
COMPETING DIVISION
Grades 9-12
SHOWCASE DIVISION
Grades 5-11
Step 06
Check your email for a confirmation that your registration was received and to get your Regional STEM Fair ID Number.
If you didn’t catch your Regional STEM Fair ID Number during registration, you will receive a notification email with it listed.
BE SURE TO WRITE YOUR REGIONAL STEM FAIR ID NUMBER (or numbers if you’re on a team) ON THE BACK OF YOUR PROJECT BOARD.
Be sure to check your SPAM folders for our emails as we will let you know if your registration is missing anything up until the event!
Step 07
Submit Additional Pieces of your Project!
Submit the optional Project PDF and Quad Chart using the buttons below.
Submit Project PDF
Submit Quad Chart
Project PDF
maximum 12 pages
Presentations will be reduced to a single PDF document (12 page limit). This will replace the traditional trifold board you would normally produce for a STEM Fair. All text should be easily readable when viewing the entire page at once. The smallest allowable font size of body text is 14-pt., and an 18-pt. font is recommended. Exception: You may use a smaller font size, down to 10 pt., for figure captions or photo credits. More instructions here.
The Sacramento Regional STEM Fair recommends students complete this requirement prior to the Fair, but this document is not a requirement of the Sacramento Regional STEM Fair.
Quad Chart
1 page
A “quad chart” is a single page divided into four quadrants providing a high-level summary of the project. It is intended to be more visual than detailed to quickly introduce your judges to what is important about your project. The chart is broken up into four important sections: Research Question/ Engineering Objectives, Methodology/Project Design, Data Analysis & Results, Interpretation & Conclusions. Learn more here.
The Sacramento Regional STEM Fair recommends students complete this requirement prior to the Fair, but this document is not a requirement of the Sacramento Regional STEM Fair.
Scientific Process Categories
Behavioral & Social Sciences
The science or study of the thought processes and behavior of humans and other animals and their interactions with the environment studied through observational and experimental methods.
Chemistry
(Includes Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Energy, and Pharmacology)
Studies that explore the identification of the substances of which matter is composed; the investigation of their properties, and the ways in which they interact, combine, and change, and the use of these processes to form new substances.
Biology & Health Sciences
(Includes Animal, Cellular, and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Plant Sciences, Health Sciences, and Transitional Medical Sciences)
Focuses on human or animal body systems or overall health.
Physical Sciences & Math
(Includes Earth & Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics, and Astronomy)
Focuses on the science of matter, energy, mathematical functions, and applied mathematics.
Engineering Design Process Categories
Friends of the Folsom Powerhouse Applied Engineering
(Includes Engineering mechanics, Materials Science, Robotics and Intelligent Machines)
Studies that focus on engineering that involves movement or structure. The movement can be by the apparatus or the movement can affect the apparatus.
Sustainable Technology
(Includes Biomedical Engineering, Physical Energy, Environmental Engineering, and Green Chemistry):
Focuses on sustainable or green materials or products
Computer Software & Technology
(Includes Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Embedded Systems and Systems Software):
The practical approach to computation and its applications.
Timeline of Events!
Project Registration Opens
June
Project registration is open. Sign up online and begin brainstorming.
Identify your topic & research it.
August-September
Think of a topic that interests you or that is relevant to you and develop a question or a solution to a problem Remember: STEM is in everything! For example, if you love art, you could research how the chemicals in paint react or how they make the artificial colors.
Begin researching your topic. Be sure to record and cite your sources
Keep a notebook to record notes throughout your project, including references for your bibliography, observations, measurements, sketches and diagrams. Narrow down your topic to one that you can experiement with.
By late September, you should have completed your initial research, identify your topic and conduct specific research on your topic.
Plan & prepare for your experiment
October-November
Plan for your experiment! Draft out what steps you will take in your experimentation and make a list of what materials you will need.
Purchase the materials for your experiment – make sure to have enough for a few trials! Be sure to list out your safety procedures as well because you will need it for your STEM Fair registration. Make a hypothesis and record it!
After you’ve come this far, go online and fill out your Project Registration. Be sure to keep an eye out on your email – this is how we will contact you if we have any questions to inform you if we are missing anything.
*BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION*
Project Registration
Complete your Project Registration online or submit a paper copy. You MUST submit your paperwork PRIOR to experimentation. If you do not have the paperwork in before you begin your experiment, you may be disqualified from winning awards and prizes. We suggest submitting your paperwork in NOVEMBER so that you can get it out of the way and off your plate.
Experiment
December-January
Perform the procedures you developed in October and November. Record all observations and data in detail in your notebook. When you are experimenting be sure to collect both quantitative (numbers and measurements) and qualitative data (descriptive observations).
We suggest you videotape and photograph your experimentation. This way if you have materials that are not alloqed at your project display during the Fair, you are still able to showcase the work you performed.
Analyze your data and draw conclusions. This is where you reflect on what happened during experimentation – what did you observe? What does it mean in the real world? Would this work affect other areas of the world?
Create your project board & display
January-February
Before you begin and display world, make sure to review the Items Not Allowed at Your Display list and the display guidelines. Make sure that your display board fits in the dimensions provided because you will be limited to those guidelines.
Prepare your 2-3 minute presentation. Take a look at our “Project Tips/Interview” section on the Student & Parents page. Remember: your judges will be scientists and engineers; you do not have to explain every tiny detail to them.
Deadline for Project Registration
February
This is the FINAL DEADLINE for Project Registration. There will be NO extensions. If you submit your project registration after this date, you will not be eligible to compete.
Finalize Project! It's Fair Time!
March
Make sure to review the online information packets that are posted close to the date of the Fair. These contain information pertaining to timing, parking, student check-in, activities for the day and more!
Finalize Project Drop-Off!
March/April
Student Project Check-in and Drop-off will be held on site from 5pm-8pm. Stop by tonight to make your event day SUPER easy!
Helpful Websites for you and your classroom!
1
Sparticl – A new web and mobile service for teens that collects the best Internet resources in STEM.
2
The National Science Digital Library – An on-line library for those interested in education and research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
3
eGFI – Tools to boost your students’ math and science skills, enliven the classroom with engineering projects, lesson plans and activities and demonstrations.
4
Find your Path Through NGSS – Choose different STEM topics and cross cutting areas to see different activities and lesson plans!
5
6
Science News for Students! Pretty self-explanatory, but this news site can help you see what real world problem professional scientists and engineers are tackling – maybe you have a better solution?