Field
STEM
Publishing for the IRIS National Fair is an excellent opportunity for school students in India to showcase original STEM research and innovation on a national platform.
As IRIS emphasises creativity, scientific rigour, and data-driven methodology, and because top winners represent India at Regeneron ISEF in the USA, understanding their expectations is essential. This guide breaks the process down simply to help you prepare a competitive and compliant submission.
What Kind of Work Can You Submit?
The IRIS National Fair accepts original STEM research and engineering design projects created by students in Classes 5–12. Projects must demonstrate originality, clear scientific or engineering rationale, and measurable results. Submissions must fit into one of IRIS’s 21 categories, including Behavioural & Social Sciences, Biochemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Environmental Engineering, Robotics, Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, and more. Across all categories, IRIS prioritizes innovation, testable research questions, systematic methodology, and data-backed conclusions rather than standard textbook experiments or model reproductions.
Eligibility
Students of Indian origin studying in India in Classes 5–12 are eligible to participate. Projects may be done individually or in teams of two, and all work must be original, authentic, and created primarily by the student(s). Submissions must follow IRIS safety, ethics, and documentation rules, and projects must align accurately with one of the listed STEM categories.
Prizes
National winners receive recognition as Grand Award winners, and the highest-ranking projects are selected to represent Team India at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the USA — the world’s largest and most prestigious pre-college STEM competition. This selection is considered one of the most significant academic achievements available to school students in India.
Publication Fee
There is no fee to submit or participate in the IRIS National Fair.
Submission Process
Students must register and submit their project online through the official IRIS portal. Submissions must include a research-based or engineering-design project with a clear question, method, data, and conclusion. Projects must not disclose the student’s school name, city, or state in the report, abstract, or video presentation. IRIS strongly discourages purely demonstrative models or standard experiments; the project must show originality, data collection, analysis, and measurable outcomes.
Review Timeline
The submission deadline for the 2025 edition was November 15th.
Projects undergo multiple levels of review, including screening by the Scientific Review Committee, domain-expert evaluation, and final judging. Review length varies, but only projects that meet ethical, safety, formatting, and scientific standards move forward. Selected finalists showcase their work at the national exhibition, and top scorers are considered for Team India at ISEF.
RISE Tips for Getting Accepted
Based on award-winning IRIS submissions reviewed by RISE, competitive projects typically:
Focus on an original, innovation-oriented problem with real-world relevance
Present a clear research question or design objective that can be tested or measured
Apply the scientific method rigorously through hypothesis, experimentation, and analysis
Support all claims with data — even small datasets are persuasive if well-documented
Show strong understanding of underlying scientific or engineering principles
Communicate clearly with concise writing, labelled visuals, and logical structure
Demonstrate iteration or design improvement over time
Acknowledge limitations honestly and propose realistic next steps
Select the correct category carefully to maximize alignment and impact
Follow IRIS’s formatting, safety, and ethical rules strictly — violations risk immediate disqualification
Past Winners
Past winning projects, category descriptions, and full guidelines can be found on the IRIS National Fair website. You can find the details of Team India's projects in ISEF 2025 here. Reviewing these can help students understand expected presentation quality, data depth, and innovation standards.
RISE Research Program
If you’re a high school student aiming for competitive fairs and journals, RISE Research offers one-on-one mentorship with scholars from top global universities. With individualized guidance on research design, data analysis, and scientific writing, students regularly produce strong, competition-ready projects while building a standout academic profile. The program is flexible, globally accessible, and open year-round. To explore eligibility, pricing, and how to begin, visit the RISE Research website and take the next step in your academic journey!
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