Complete Guide to 2026 ISEF Forms
Updated: 16th October, 2026
TL;DR
Every ISEF project needs four core forms: Form 1, Form 1A with a research plan, Form 1B, and Form 2A. Work with people, vertebrate animals, hazardous materials, or biological agents adds more forms, and most of it needs approval before you start. File the core set first, then add what your project triggers. The Society for Science's 2027 Rules and Guidelines cover the 2026 to 2027 season. If you want help scoping a project that clears review, look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you 1:1 with a researcher from a top university for a 12-week independent project.
Which ISEF forms does your project type need?
Use this table to find your project type and the forms it triggers. Every project starts with the four baseline forms, then adds what its risk level requires. Each form name comes from the official ISEF forms page (as of October 2026).
Project type | ISEF forms you need | Approval before you start |
Every project (baseline) | Form 1, Form 1A plus Research Plan, Form 1B, Form 2A | Adult sponsor review |
Human participants (includes surveys) | Add Form 4. Add Form 2B or Form 3 if your IRB requires them | Full IRB approval |
Vertebrate animals (school, home, field) | Add Form 5A | SRC approval |
Vertebrate animals (regulated research institution) | Add Form 5B and Form 2C | Institution's IACUC approval |
Potentially hazardous biological agents | Add Form 6A | SRC, IBC, or IACUC approval |
Human or animal tissue, blood, body fluids | Add Form 6B, plus Form 6A for fresh or frozen tissue | Qualified scientist or SRC sign-off |
Hazardous chemicals, activities, or devices | Add Form 3 | Designated supervisor or qualified scientist sign-off |
Work at a regulated research institution | Add Form 2C | The institution's committee |
Continuation project | Add Form 7 | SRC review |
What are ISEF forms, and why do they matter?
ISEF forms are the official documents that show your project follows the International Science and Engineering Fair rules. They prove your work is safe and that you did it yourself. Your fair's review committee checks these forms before your project can compete, so missing or late paperwork can stop a strong project cold.
The Society for Science labels the current set the 2027 Rules and Guidelines. It covers projects for the 2026 to 2027 school year. That is the version to download now.
The rules sort projects by risk. A survey of classmates and a project with live bacteria do not need the same forms. For the fair itself, our guide on how to win Regeneron ISEF covers judging and categories.
Which forms does every project need?
Four forms apply to every project, whatever the topic. You fill them out and sign them before you start.
Form 1, Checklist for Adult Sponsor/Safety Assessment Form: your sponsor reviews the project and flags any risks.
Form 1A, Student Checklist/Research Plan: your checklist plus the required research plan or project addendum.
Form 1B, Approval Form: you and a parent or guardian sign before you start, and the fair's SRC signs after.
Form 2A, Student Support Disclosure Form: you list outside help, including any use of generative AI.
File these four before you touch an experiment, because signature dates have to show that approval came first. All four appear on the official ISEF forms page (as of October 2026).
Which extra forms do you need for human subjects, vertebrate animals, hazardous materials or biological agents?
Your project type decides what you add on top of the four core forms. The table near the top maps each type to its forms. Here is what triggers each one.
People in your study, including surveys: add Form 4.
Live animals with backbones: add Form 5A for work at school, home, or a field site. The same work at a regulated research institution uses Form 5B instead.
Microorganisms, recombinant DNA, and similar agents: add Form 6A.
Tissue, blood, or body fluids: add Form 6B.
Hazardous chemicals, activities, or devices: add Form 3.
Culturing microorganisms at home is not allowed, so a bacteria project has to be planned around a proper lab from the start. The ISEF Rules Wizard builds your exact list once you pick your categories (as of October 2026).
What are SRC and IRB approvals, and when do you need them before you start?
SRC stands for Scientific Review Committee. IRB stands for Institutional Review Board. These groups review higher-risk projects. They must approve the work before you collect any data.
Human studies need full IRB approval first, which means before you survey, test, or collect anything from people. The SRC reviews vertebrate animal projects and biological-agent projects before experimentation. Some work at a regulated research institution uses that place's own animal or biosafety committee.
The official list of reasons projects fail to qualify starts with missing preapproval for human, animal, and biological-agent studies (as of October 2026).
What's the timeline for getting forms signed?
Most forms are signed before any research takes place. Only a few are finished after, so plan your paperwork weeks ahead of your first experiment. The official ISEF forms page says forms should be filled out and signed before research begins, with Forms 2C, 5B, and 7 and the abstract done after (as of October 2026).
Before you start: pick your question, meet your sponsor, complete Forms 1, 1A, 1B, and 2A, and get SRC or IRB approval if your project needs it.
During research: keep your signed forms and log your work.
After research: finish Form 2C, 5B, or 7 if they apply, then write your abstract.
Approval can take weeks, so start the forms before you think you need to. If you are still choosing a contest, compare deadlines across science research competitions for high school students.
What paperwork mistakes get projects disqualified?
The most common way to lose is starting before you had approval. ISEF's own rules list several approval failures that make a project ineligible.
No IRB preapproval: you ran a human study or survey without it.
No SRC preapproval: you did vertebrate animal or biological-agent work without it.
Home culturing: you grew microorganisms at home.
Bad paperwork dates: signatures are missing, or dates show approval came after the work.
If your project needed preapproval and you skipped it, the work usually cannot be used, and you may have to redo it. The same care pays off at bigger contests like the Regeneron Science Talent Search, where clean documentation matters.
How do you plan an ISEF-ready project from the start?
Pick a question that fits the rules before you design the study, not after. That one choice decides which forms you file. It also decides whether you need approval first.
Start by running the Rules Wizard with your draft idea. If it points to people, animals, or biological agents, ask whether a safer version of the question answers the same thing. A survey of your own school, for example, still needs IRB review, but a project using public data may not.
Then find your adult sponsor early. Someone who has run this process can help you scope a project that is interesting and still clears review. Write your research plan before you collect anything, and date every signature.
Frequently asked questions: ISEF forms
Do you need ISEF forms for a local science fair?
It depends on the fair. Fairs affiliated with the Society for Science use ISEF rules and forms, and you need them to advance toward ISEF. A small local fair that is not affiliated may use its own paperwork. Ask your fair coordinator which rules apply.
Who signs the forms?
Different forms need different signatures. You sign as the student, and a parent or guardian signs Form 1B before you start. Your adult sponsor signs Form 1, and a qualified scientist signs when one is required. The review committee signs off after its review.
What happens if you started before getting approval?
Your project can be ruled ineligible. ISEF lists missing preapproval for human, animal, and biological-agent studies among the reasons projects fail to qualify. If you skipped a required approval, you usually cannot use that work and may need to start over with approval in hand.
Where do you download the forms?
Get them from the official ISEF forms page at the Society for Science. Run the ISEF Rules Wizard first to see which forms your project needs, then download that set. Avoid copies on random sites, since they may be out of date.
Can you use AI tools on an ISEF project?
You can, but you have to disclose it. Form 2A, the Student Support Disclosure Form, asks you to list outside help, including any use of generative AI. The Society for Science also publishes an AI use table that shows when generative AI is acceptable and how to cite it. Check it before you start.
Worried that forms and approvals will slow your research down, or not sure how to scope a project that clears review? Look at the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. It pairs you 1:1 with a researcher from a top university for a 12-week independent research project. Apply here.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.