Welcome!

The Santa Barbara County Science & Engineering Fair is open to all students in 6th through 12th grade residing in Santa Barbara County or attending any public or private school in Santa Barbara County. Because San Luis Obispo County will not have a Fair this year, students in SLO County are also welcome to participate in our Santa Barbara Fair, and would be eligible for all prizes and advanced competitions. Home-schooled students between the ages of 11 and 18 are also welcome to participate.

Students compete for cash prizes and may qualify to advance to the California Science and Engineering Fair or the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge.

Please note - the only pathway to the California State Science & Engineering Fair for students from Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, Cambria, through Paso Robles is via this County Fair.

2026 Fair Information

The 2026 Santa Barbara County Science and Engineering Fair will be held Friday, March 13, 2026 at Corwin Pavillion, UCSB. Students preparing a project should refer to our Student Handbook for detailed descriptions of the contest rules and expectations.

START EARLY - MEET DEADLINES.

Are you considering research on people or vertebrate animals?
Then BEFORE YOU START you must have your plan reviewed by a Science Review Committee - if your school site does not provide this then contact us two weeks before you plan to start your experiment so we may review your plans and provide feedback. This means emailing the president@sbsciencefair.org in November/December, not in February.

For more information, please contact the SB Fair President.

Human Subjects Approval

Any project relying on human subjects must comply with several requirements prior to the beginning of the experiment.

The experiment must be approved by the Science Review Committee. You can download the request form here.
The project must provide a Letter of Information to the subjects and their parents (if the subjects are minors). A sample Letter of Information is available for download.
The project must retain copies of Informed Consent Forms signed by the subjects and their parents (if the subjects are minors). A sample Informed Consent Form is available for download.

Vertebrate Animal Approval

Any project relying on vertebrate animal subjects (fish, mammals, birds, reptiles, etc.) must receive prior approval from the Science Review Committee. The form, including instructions, is available for download.

CLICK HERE FOR 2025 FAIR RESULTS

2023 Fair Results (2024 Fair was cancelled)

The list of 2023 divisional and special award winners is available online.

Our 2023 California Science & Engineering Fair Winners

Congratulations to Santa Barbara County's entrants in the California Science and Engineering Fair. Two of our students placed at the CSEF in their divisions:

Elizabeth Olivera (Homeschooled) - 1st Place in Materials Science
Amelie Grant (Dunn School) - Honorable Mention in Earth & Environment (Air/Water)

2023 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge

Congratulations to Elizabeth Olivera was a finalist in this national competition. In the fall of 2023, she will be going to Washington D.C. to participate in that event.

What Is a Science Fair

A few years ago, the Santa Barbara County Education Office produced a video describing the different ways to participate in the Fair. If you are considering competing or volunteering, this video may help answer your initial questions.