How to Win ISEF: 2025 Guide

Every year, over 1,800 of the brightest students from 80+ countries gather at the Regeneron ISEF, the world’s most prestigious science fair — and only a few walk away as winners.

If you’ve ever wondered how students win ISEF, here’s the truth: It’s not just about a cool idea. It’s about crafting a publishable research paper, a clear innovation story, and showing world-class execution — with the right mentors by your side.

This guide breaks down exactly how to win ISEF in 2025, based on what we've learned helping students publish in top journals and reach the ISEF international stage through YRI.

Step 1 — Build a Compelling Story

The single biggest factor judges care about? Your narrative.

Winning ISEF projects tell a story — they don’t just show results.

What makes a winning story

• A problem that matters — climate change, cancer diagnostics, clean energy, AI ethics, food security
• A creative solution — an algorithm, material, or technique no one’s tried in that way
• A clear real-world impact — how it could change lives if scaled

Brainstorming tips

• Browse past finalists and winners: ISEF Project Database
• Review winning projects from Regeneron ISEF
• Explore research from Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
• Start from a pain point you’ve seen in your community
• Combine two fields (AI + medicine, biotech + climate)

YRI Fellows have done projects like predicting heart failure with deep learning, designing carbon-capturing materials, and building low-cost genetic diagnostics. YRI helps students design competition-winning projects.

Step 2 — Find the Right Mentor

Almost every top ISEF project has PhD-level mentorship behind it. Judges can instantly tell when a project is backed by advanced expertise.

What a mentor does

• Guides your research design and methods
• Gives access to lab resources or datasets
• Reviews your paper and poster
• Helps you aim for publication in peer-reviewed journals

How to get a mentor

• Email professors at local universities (department pages list research areas)
• Connect on LinkedIn (here's Ishan's profile)
• Apply to YRI — matched 1:1 with top-tier PhD mentors. YRI provides expert mentorship for ISEF preparation.

Step 3 — Execute Like a Scientist

ISEF judges are scientists. Treat your work like real science.

What judges look for

• Original idea and innovation
• Rigor in data collection and analysis
• Reproducibility and clear methodology
• Ethical conduct
• Visual clarity in your poster

Deliverables you must have

• A full research paper (5,000–10,000 words)
• A clean poster presentation
• A logbook and dataset documenting your process

YRI students spend ~10 weeks building publication-ready papers while documenting every step — making their ISEF applications bulletproof.

Step 4 — Master the Presentation

Even brilliant projects lose if you can’t explain them clearly.

How to stand out to judges

• Practice a tight 2-minute pitch
• Prepare answers to technical questions
• Show confidence, passion, and ownership
• Use precise language without heavy jargon

Pro tip: Record yourself and critique clarity, pacing, and posture. YRI Fellows do mock judging rounds before competition week.

Step 5 — Build Early Credibility with Publications

Publishing your research before ISEF gives you massive credibility.

• Judges see it as proof your work passed expert review
• It makes your project stand out from 1,800+ competitors
• It helps with college admissions and scholarships

YRI guides students to journals and conferences appropriate for high-school research and helps with submission formatting and revisions. YRI provides comprehensive publication support.

Step 6 — Plan Your Timeline (Backwards)

Here’s a practical ISEF prep timeline:

Most YRI Fellows start 6–12 months before ISEF and many place as semifinalists or finalists in their first attempt.

YRI Student Success: Mubashir Suhail — ISEF 2026 Finalist

Mubashir Suhail joined the YRI Fellowship with zero research experience and a passion for astrophysics. Working with his PhD mentor, he developed a low-resource convolutional neural network pipeline for gravitational-wave signal classification — research that democratizes access to cutting-edge physics for students without expensive GPU clusters.

His innovative P2P Distributed Training Framework enables 100 standard laptops to match the performance of a single NVIDIA V100 GPU, transforming computational inequality from an insurmountable barrier into a solvable engineering problem.

The result? Mubashir became an ISEF 2026 Finalist — competing among 1,800+ finalists from 80+ countries at the world's largest pre-college science competition.

"When I joined YRI, I had passion but no direction. My mentor helped me transform a vague interest in astrophysics into a concrete research project. The structured approach gave me skills I'll use for the rest of my career." — Mubashir Suhail, ISEF 2026 Finalist

Read Mubashir's full case study →

Step 7 — Build a Personal Brand Around Your Project

ISEF winners often get media coverage.

• Post updates on LinkedIn
• Create a simple portfolio site with your paper and press
• Get featured by your school newsletter or local media

This boosts credibility for college apps, scholarships, and internships.

The ISEF Success Formula (Recap)

1. Compelling problem & narrative
2. PhD-level mentorship
3. Rigorous execution & documentation
4. Polished presentation
5. Publication + early credibility

Apply to the YRI Fellowship

If your dream is to win Regeneron ISEF, the clearest path is to work with people who’ve already done it.

At YRI you'll:

• Get matched 1:1 with PhD mentors
• Design and execute a competition-ready project
• Write a publication-grade paper
• Prepare for judging with mock rounds and poster coaching

YRI has helped students reach ISEF and win awards. Learn more about YRI's ISEF preparation program and start your journey to the ISEF stage. For more science fair strategies, see how to win science fairs and how to publish research papers. Also check out how to win JSHS and how to do research in high school.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does ISEF preparation take?
Typically 6–12 months, depending on project complexity. Most successful students start planning 8-12 months before the competition. This allows time for research, experimentation, publication, and regional fair qualification.

Can I do ISEF without school lab access?
Yes — you can use public datasets, cloud compute, or community labs. Many winning ISEF projects use computational methods, public health data, or simulations that don't require physical lab equipment. YRI helps students design projects that work with available resources.

Do I need prior research experience to win ISEF?
No — YRI specializes in taking students from zero to published and competition-ready. Many ISEF finalists start with no research experience but achieve success through structured mentorship and guidance.

Will winning ISEF help with college admissions?
Absolutely — ISEF medals and publications are among the strongest academic credentials for selective colleges. ISEF recognition demonstrates originality, intellectual maturity, and the ability to contribute to knowledge—qualities top universities value highly.

What makes an ISEF-winning project?
Winning projects solve real problems, use rigorous methodology, tell a compelling story, and often achieve publication. They demonstrate clear innovation and real-world impact. Most winners have PhD-level mentorship guiding their research design and execution.

How do I qualify for ISEF?
You must first win at a regional or state science fair that's an ISEF-affiliated fair. Each region has different qualification requirements. YRI helps students prepare for both regional fairs and the ISEF international competition.

Written by Ishan Jain, Founder of the YRI Fellowship