March 31 - April 4, 2027
Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair
75th Annual
Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Science & Engineering Fair and congratulations to all of the award winners.
2026 GKCSEF Photos by HilaryFullerImages
Thank you to our sponsors!
Grand Award Sponsors: Black & Veatch, BlueScope, Broadcom Foundation, Catalent, DeBruce Foundation, NSCKC managed by Honeywell, Kiewit.
Awards Ceremony Sponsors – Bayer, Ford Motor Company, Panasonic Energy.
You can view the 75th GKCSEF Program Book here
Congratulations to our Grand Award Winners:
Winner: Gopikaashri Chidambaranathan
School: Washburn Rural High School; Topeka, KS
Project Title: In Silico Modeling of Bispecific Dual-Affinity Re-Targeting (DART) Molecules Targeting PD-1 and LAG-3 for Solid Tumor and Hematologic Cancers Immunotherapy
Winner: Emma Rogers
School: Basehor-Linwood High School; Basehor, KS
Project Title: Analyzing the Effects of Sublethal Glyphosate as a Potential Stressor on Two Crayfish Species
Winner: Stavan Majumdar
School: Blue Valley Northwest; Overland Park, KS
Project Title: Convergence of Phenotypic and Neurological Subtype Classification of ASD
Winner: Sumayya Mohamed
School: Islamic School of Greater Kansas City; Kansas City, MO
Project Title: SpectroAge: A Novel Attention-Based Neural Network for High-Precision Stellar Age Prediction Using Asteroseismic Spectra
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2027 Schedule
Friday, February 19th, 2027 |
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No Later than 5:00 pm |
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PRIOR APPROVAL FORMS DUE If your project requires PRIOR APPROVAL, please submit forms BEFORE your RESEARCH START DATE! |
Friday, February 26th, 2027 |
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No Later than 5:00 pm |
ALL FORMS AND REGISTRATION DUE | |
Wednesday, March 31st, 2027 |
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| 8:00 am – 3:00 pm | PROJECT SET UP Students may set up exhibits at Union Station in Grand Hall and Grand Plaza. All projects must be set up by 3:00 pm. |
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| 10:00 am – 3:00 pm | FUN ZONE OPEN | |
| 4:00 – 10:00 pm | ACADEMIC JUDGING The Fair is closed to the public. |
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| 7:00 – 8:00 pm | STUDENT INTERVIEWS Students should be at their projects to interview with academic judges.JUNIOR LEVEL INTERVIEWS (optional) SENIOR LEVEL INTERVIEWS (required) |
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Thursday, April 1st, 2027 |
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| 7:00 am –12:00 pm | SPECIAL AWARD JUDGING The Fair is closed to the public. |
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| 7:00 am – 11:00 pm* | Fair closed to school groups and the public for judging, award finalization, and sponsor event. | |
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Friday, April 2nd, 2027 |
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| 9:00 am – 5:00 pm | PUBLIC VIEWING and SCHOOL FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCES The Fair is free and open to the public. |
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| 10:00 am – 4:00 pm | FUN ZONE OPEN | |
Saturday, April 3rd, 2027 |
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| 10:00 am – 5:00 pm* | PUBLIC VIEWING and SCHOOL FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCES The Fair is free and open to the public. |
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| 10:00 am – 4:00 pm | FUN ZONE OPEN | |
| 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm | PROJECT PICK UP PROJECTS CAN NOT BE PICKED UP PRIOR TO 4 PM |
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Sunday, April 4th, 2027 |
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| THE CHARLES N. KIMBALL AWARDS CEREMONY Grand Plaza
Awards valued at $20,000+ Students receiving top academic or special awards: Blue Rosettes and White Ribbons, are invited to attend. Parents, teachers, relatives and friends are invited to attend as well. |
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Special thanks to these supporters
For more information on Fair Sponsorship please email Director of Development, Lynette Darby at [email protected]
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| Bionexus KC | Campbell Family Foundation | Evergy | Kansas City University | Terracon | Greater Kansas City Council, Navy League of the US |
Eurofins Viracor |
| Labconco | HNTB | Regnier Family Foundation | Shook, Hardy & Bacon | Marie Miller Family | Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers | |
About | Schedule | Forms & Registration | T-Shirt Design Contest |Educator Support | Charles N. Kimball Awards Ceremony | Awards | Sponsors | History of the Fair
Union Station Kansas City is dedicated to science education, a celebration of community and preservation of history. We are proud to host the 76th Greater KC Science & Engineering Fair and want to thank all the students, teachers, parents, mentors and volunteers who help make it a success!
Students in grades 3-12 from public, private, parochial, charter and home schools in 15 counties in and around the KC metro area are eligible to participate in the GKCSEF. The Fair is filled with exemplary projects developed by talented students, some of whom win a piece of the nearly $20,000 in awards and honors.
| Kansas | Missouri |
| Johnson, Wyandotte, Leavenworth, Douglas, Franklin | Jackson, Bates, Cass, Clay, Platte, Henry, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Benton |
Annually, top senior-level projects that meet the stringent requirements for entering the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) win the prestigious GRAND AWARD. This year, Grand Award winners and their teachers receive an all-expense-paid trip to the 2026 Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona from May 10 – 15, 2026. Every year, tens of millions of students participate in science fairs around the globe but only about 1,800 of them earn the right to compete for nearly $8 million awards and honors bestowed each May at ISEF. Some of our very own science fair participants have gone on to win amazing awards at ISEF and you can, too!
For More Information About ISEF
Contact Emily Meyer for Sponsorship or Special Award information at [email protected]
2026 GKCSEF T-shirt Design Contest!
Show off your creativity!
The T-Shirt Design Contest is open from October 1st , 2026 through January 22, 2027. Submit your original design before the January 15 deadline for a chance to have your artwork featured on the official Science & Engineering Fair T-shirt!
Students of all ages are invited to participate in the GKCSEF T-Shirt Design Contest, even if you are not participating in the Science Fair! First place winning design will be featured on all Fair t-shirts as well as the front page of the Fair Program Book. First place winner and their teacher will both receive an Amazon gift card! The 2nd place winning student also receives a gift card, and their design is featured on the inner cover of the Program Book and on the Fair Scavenger Hunt! Please click below for contest rules, examples of past winners, and submit when you are ready!
Volunteer at the Fair!
Be a Judge!
The 76th Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair, to be held in-person at historic Union Station from Wednesday, March 31st – Sunday, April 4th, 2027. The commitment for judging at the GKCSEF is approximately 4 hours on the evening of Wednesday, March 31st from about 5-9pm.
That evening we will host our Judges Meeting and Dinner from 5-6pm, dinner provided, with judging and student interviews happening that night. More details will go out as we get closer to the Fair!
If you have any questions about the Fair or about judging, please email Emily Meyer, Fair Director at [email protected]
General Fair Volunteer
General Volunteers will help at the Fair booth throughout the week of the Fair. Volunteers may sing up for one or more time slots, and each shift will be 3 hours.
Be a Mentor!
Become a mentor today! Mentors can range in commitment from a simple phone call to full blown experimental help. Signing up does not automatically assign you to a student, but adds you to our ever-growing mentor list.
FORMS & REGISTRATION
Submit forms for prior approval to [email protected] by Friday, February 19th, 2027.
Fair categories subs and descriptions 2026
FORMS- GRADES 3-8
Rules Summary for Junior Division (grades 3-8)
- Form 1 – Human Tissue
- Form 2 – Human Participants
- Form 3 – Hazardous Materials
- Form 4 – Bacteria and Mold
- Form 5 – Vertebrate Animal
ISEF FORMS – GRADES 9-12
Rules Summary for Senior Division (Grades 9-12)
- Form 1 – Checklist for Adult Sponsor
- Form 1A – Student Checklist Research Plan Instructions
- Form 1B – Approval Form
- Form 1C – Regulated Research Institution
- Form 2 – Qualified Scientist
- Form 3 – RiskAssessment
- Form 4 – Human Participants
- Form 5A – Vertebrate Animal
- Form 5B – Vertebrate Animal
- Form 6A – Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents
- Form 6B – Human Vertebrate Animal Tissue
- Form 7 – Continuation
Register Here
Registration now takes place on MySciFair. Please click here to register!
SCORING GUIDES
These scoring guides are used by our distinguished judges to score projects. We follow a mastery level scoring, rather than a numbered system.
Educator Support
Campbell Family Educator Grant – For more information click here
AshGrove New Fair Teacher Grant – For more information contact Emily Meyer at [email protected]
Marie Miller Educator Award – For more information click here
GKCSEF Charles N. Kimball Awards Ceremony
Special Awards
Both national and local STEM organizations with a devoted interest in science education provide special awards for projects entered into the Fair. Each organization selects its own award criteria and provides judges to select the winning projects.
We would like to thank all of these organizations for their support and participation in the Fair.
Academic Awards
Every project in the Fair earns either a gold, silver, or bronze ribbon. The most outstanding projects in each division and category receive a blue rosette ribbon and will receive an Academic Award crystal award at the Awards Ceremony
Pioneers in Science
The Pioneers in Science Awards are given to the top 6 Senior Division projects across all categories. Winners will receive a plaque as their award.
Grand Awards
Grand Awards are presented to the top 4 Senior Division projects that meet the stringent requirements for entering the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. Grand Award winners and their sponsoring teacher will receive an all-expense paid trip to compete at the 2026 Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, May 10 – 15
Coming to the Awards Ceremony? Please refer to the following map for parking information!
Past Fair Seasons
Photo Gallery
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GKCSEF Awards Ceremony 2025
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GKCSEF Awards Ceremony 2024
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GKCSEF Awards Ceremony 2019
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GKCSEF Awards Ceremony 2018
AWARDS
Academic Awards: Each year over 250 scientists, engineers, physicians, educators, and other Kansas City professionals volunteer their time and expertise to judge the science projects at the fair. Every project earns a gold, silver or bronze ribbon. The most outstanding projects in each division and category receive a blue rosette ribbon and will receive an Academic Award crystal award at the awards ceremony.
Special Awards: Both national and local STEM organizations with a devoted interest in science education provide special awards for projects entered into the Fair. Each organization selects its own award criteria, and provides judges to select the winning projects.
Pioneers in Science The Pioneers in Science Awards are given to the top 7 Senior Division projects across all categories. Winners will receive a plaque as their award.
Grand Awards: GRAND AWARDS are presented to the top 4 Senior Division projects that meet the stringent requirements for entering the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. Grand Award winners and their sponsoring teacher will receive an all- expense paid trip to compete at the 2026 Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair held in Phoenix, Arizona, May 10 – 15, 2026