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Online SASEF Registration

Registration for SASEF 2025 is open!

Below you will find a detailed description of each phase of registration. It is recommended that you read the entire registration procedure to avoid any errors in the registration process. All registration steps must be completed by the posted deadlines. For additional help with registering, use this Step-by-Step Guide with screenshots.

Teachers register online first. Note: if your school/teacher is not participating, you can still register as a home-school project. Use your last name as a “school name”, and the student’s parent/guardian as a “teacher”.

Click on “How to Register & Participate” at the top of the home screen, then on the “Create Project Account” button. Each participating project must create an account. Once you have created your project account, if it is a team project, you can add additional students to the project account by clicking the green “add another student to this project” button.
The ISEF Rules Wizard should be completed on all projects during the planning stages and definitely prior to any experimentation.

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In general, if your project includes one of the following you must file for pre-approval prior to beginning your project:
  • Human subjects- including conducting surveys
  • Vertebrate animals
  • Microorganisms- including growing bacteria from household items
  • Reagents
  • Any item, material, or substance that can maim, kill, or shock
If you are unsure, please complete the ISEF Rules Wizard. The Rules Wizard will require all participants to complete these three forms: Forms 1, 1A with a research plan, and 1B.  All Forms can be found here. An abstract is required for all projects. Answer the following questions in order:
a. Did the ISEF Rules Wizard require you to complete any additional forms (such as 1C, 2, 3, 4, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7, etc.)?
  • If yes – your project requires pre-approval. Proceed to b below.
  • If no – your project may not require pre-approval. Proceed to b below.
b. Did your school or local/district fair conduct a Scientific Review Committee (SRC) review of your project?
  • If no – your project requires pre-approval. Proceed to c below.
  • If yes – your project does not require pre-approval. Do not complete C. below.
c. You must now fill out all forms the ISEF Rules Wizard indicated you needed to complete. Submit Forms 1, 1A with a research plan, and 1B and any additional forms (such as 1C, 2, 3, 4, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7, etc.) at this time. To submit these forms:
  1. Login to your project account and click on “Pre Approval Paperwork” at the top of the page.
  2. Follow all steps to submit pre-approval forms.
  3. SASEF will review your submission and notify you of your status.

Project registration – Log in to your project account here. Register your project by clicking “Project Registration” in the middle of the top portion of the page. Select the options that apply to your project then click submit. Note: When creating the poster board to display at the fair, make sure you do not include your last name, your school’s name, or pictures of a person’s face other than your own. More information can be found on the Display Guidelines here.
Required Forms
All participants must complete these three forms: Forms 1, 1A with a research plan, and 1B. They can be found on the ISEF website here.
Abstracts
An abstract is required for all projects. There is a 250-word limit for abstracts. To upload your abstract, log in to your project account here. Find the abstract section and click “edit”. Type – or copy and paste – your abstract into the box and click “submit”.

Every Student (not every project) participating in SASEF must mail a nonrefundable registration fee in the form of a check. In the memo line please be sure to print the student’s name.
Poster Fee Structure
If they wish, students can opt-in to have the university print their research poster and pick it up on the day of the event. If a student chooses to opt-in for this service, please indicate that choice in your project account at “Poster Type”.  There will be an additional fee of $10 added to their registration fee amount (see fee structure below). Note: all research posters printed by the university will need to be formatted as 24 in height x 36 in width. They will be printed on plain paper type and will be printed in color. If you wish for the university to print your research poster, the digital version of your poster must be submitted via online registration no later than February 27, 2025 (see step #7 for more details). There will be tri-fold boards and clips at SASEF for you to clip your poster to. Here is a poster template to get you started.
Regular Fee Structure
Students are not required to have the university print their posters. They can have their posters printed on their own, or students are more than welcome to construct a traditional tri-fold board poster if they wish. If a student plans to construct a traditional tri-fold board poster or print their own poster, then they would simply pay the regular fee structure.

Mail a check made out to “SASEF” to:

SASEF
PO Box 33022
Knoxville, TN 37930

2025 Fees
If paid: Regular Fee Structure (print or build poster on your own) Poster Fee Structure (opt-in to have the university print poster for you)
Before Feb. 1 $10 $20
From Feb. 1-15 $25 $35
From Feb. 16-27 $35 $45

After you have completed step 4, upload a complete set of ISEF forms as
determined by completing the ISEF Rules Wizard. All projects will be required to
submit ISEF Forms 1, 1A with a research plan, and 1B regardless of whether they needed pre-approval. An abstract is required for all projects.
(step 3). For your reference, here is a link to all the blank ISEF forms. To complete step 6, log in to your project account here and click on “Final ISEF Forms” at the top of the page.

The SASEF fair requires all students to submit their posters digitally in advance of the fair. This is to assist in the judging process so that judges can access student posters after students have left the judging floor. Students will still bring a physical copy of their poster to the fair.

Note: When creating the poster board to display at the fair, make sure you do not include your last name, your school’s name, or pictures of a person’s face other than your own.

In the SASEF Online Registration System, students will be asked to submit a:

Project Poster (required) – All students must submit a digital version (PDF file). When creating your poster please note that SASEF has display guidelines as well as the rules set out by the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair Guidelines.  Login to your project account here to submit your digital poster by the deadline.

General notes on the project poster requirements:

  • Here is a poster template to help you get started. You are not required to use this template, and you are welcome to make design changes to the template as you wish
  • You are welcome to submit a traditional project poster board (e.g. tri-fold board) if you wish, but you must make sure all parts of the PDF that you submit digitally are visible and legible
  • For a small fee, students can opt-in to have the university print their research poster and pick it up on the day of the event (see step #5 above for further details on this option)
  • Maximum size of Project Display, not project poster:
    • Depth (front to back): 30 in
    • Width (side to side): 48 in
    • Height (floor to top): 108 in
  • SASEF provided tables will be no higher than 36 in
  • Project Posters should be no larger than 24 inches high by 36 inches wide.

Quad Chart (not required) – NEW! Quad Chart is only required from projects selected for the ISEF competition.

Project Video (optional) – a 2-minute presentation is optional for each project. Judges are not required to review the video. The final video must be submitted as a YouTube link.

Additional Supporting Documents (optional) – you may also submit any additional supporting documents if you wish. Supporting documents may include photos, charts, surveys, project reports/summaries, etc.

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