GARSEF Junior/Senior Overview
Junior Division: 6th - 8th Grade (Middle School)
Senior Division: 9th - 12th Grade (High School)
The Junior Division of the Greater Austin Regional Science and Engineering Fair (GARSEF) is a competitive event for 6th-8th graders. The Senior Division is a competitive event for 9th-12th graders. All participating students are required to register their projects through the STEM Wizard registration system and follow all the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Rules: while high schoolers (Senior Division) will complete the necessary ISEF forms, middle schoolers (Junior Division) will submit theTexas MS Safety and Consent Form.
Awards are given for 1st - 5th place winners in each category for each division as well as special awards. 1st - 2nd place winners advance to the Texas Science and Engineering Fair. The top Junior Division projects in each category are nominated for the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. Six projects in the Senior Division are selected as Best of Fair winners and advance to the Regeneron ISEF competition.
Home Schools and Independent Projects
Home schools and students attending non-participating schools are allowed to participate. Please email JRSR Staff for more details.
Junior/Senior Division Schedule
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Before Fair Sep 2, 2026 5:00 - 6:30 pm |
Teacher: Jr/Sr Returning Teacher Orientation on-line (participated > 3 years) |
| Sep 3, 2026 5:00 - 6:30 pm |
Teacher: Jr/Sr New Teacher Orientation on-line (participated < 3 years) |
| Oct 14, 2026 5:00 pm |
Student: STEM Wizard Account Creation deadline Milestones 1 & 2 (Project + Student Information) |
| Nov 18, 2026 5:00 pm |
Student: Files and Forms Recommended Submission, including pre-approval signatures |
| Jan 4, 2027 5:00 pm |
Student: Abstract in “Files and Forms” and Additional Information milestone added in STEM Wizard. |
| Jan 8, 2027 5:00 pm |
Teacher: Junior/Senior School Pre-Registration Form Submission |
| Jan 15, 2027 5:00 pm |
Student: Abstract and Additional Information Milestone Recommended Submission in STEM Wizard. |
| Jan 21, 2027 5:00 pm |
Teacher: Project Registration Submission Deadline: deactivate students who are not advancing to GARSEF in STEM Wizard, and submit Senior Division plagiarism reports. All milestones for advancing students must be complete. |
| Feb 5, 2027 5:00 pm |
Student: Submissions for Judges Review milestone deadline. |
| Before Fair Feb 17, 2027 2:30 - 7:00 pm |
Student, Parent, or Teacher: Check-in and set-up of projects at Palmer Event Center. |
| Before Fair Feb 18, 2027 9:00 - 12:00 pm |
Student: Senior Division judging |
| Feb 18, 2027 1:00 - 3:45 pm |
Student: Senior Division top-tier judging (Students will be notified during morning judging if they advance) |
| Feb 18, 2027 1:30 - 4:30 pm |
Student: Junior Division judging |
| Feb 18, 2027 7:00 - 9:00 pm |
Everyone: Junior and Senior Division Award Ceremony |
| Feb 18, 2027 9:00 - 9:30 pm |
Student: Dismantle projects |
Junior/Senior Major Changes This Year
JS Handbook: Reminders and What’s New Section
ISEF Rules and Guidelines
NEW for GARSEF 2027
- New Dates: STEM Wizard Registration (Oct 14, 2026), Files and Forms (Nov 18, 2026)
- School Pre‑Registration Form required for all schools to confirm estimated project counts and paperwork completion.
- New Categories: Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CBIO) and Biomedical Engineering (ENBM) added to both Junior and Senior Divisions.
- Participation Agreement: (Senior Division) now completed in STEM Wizard.
- GARSEF Website: Reorganized; new Parent Information page added.
- GARSEF Merchandise will be available for pre-order purchase at the end of January.
NEW ISEF Changes and Clarifications for 2027
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be used as a resource but must be cited and given proper acknowledgment. A student is expected to do independent work and all materials presented must be in the researcher’s own words. A student may not use generative AI to write the research plan, abstract, poster or to create citations (it is known to hallucinate and falsify references).
- Mentorship disclosure: All students are required to disclose whether they received paid or unpaid mentorship.
- Junior Division (new for 2027), complete and sign copy of Form 2C JR: Middle School Mentor and Research Location Form
- Senior Division students required to complete the ISEF Student Support Disclosure Form 2A (new for 2027). Form 2C may also be required for some projects.
Human Participant Rules → See full changes here.
- Students are prohibited from disclosing research data from their study and/or from providing advice, diagnostic or medical information to participants.
- Clarification on studies with minors involving a survey both written and online.
Vertebrate Animal Rules → See full changes here.
- Clarification for agricultural/aquacultural projects.
PotentiallyHazardous Biological Agents → See full changes here.
- Clarification on prohibited studies involving the use of prions, commercially available purified prion-like proteins, and plasmids that contain genes encoding prion-like proteins.
- Clarifications on studies pertaining to water sampling during a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)
- Clarification on studies involving animal models that have been bred to express prion-like proteins
- Update on exempt studies involving various bacteria.
Hazardous Chemicals, Activities, or DevicesRules → See full changes here.
- New restrictions on projects involving chemicals that are listed as carcinogenic, teratogenic, or reproductive system damage on the SDS.
- Update on studies using DEA Scheduled substances.
- Student Support Disclosure Form (2A) - NEW, required
- Qualified Scientist Form (2B) - Formerly Form 2
- Regulated Research Institutional/Industrial Setting Form (2C) - Formerly Form 1C
