Louisville Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Help us continue six decades of encouraging Kentucky students in STEAM research.

LRSEF 2027 will be held on March 6 at the University of Louisville.  View 2026 award winners here.

       

What does your gift mean to Kentucky middle & high school students? 

LRSEF supports student creativity & real-world problem solving at our annual fair & in our outreach efforts. 

The mission of LRSEF is to engage, encourage, & empower the students in our region by providing them with opportunities to showcase their STEM research, compete for awards, & form meaningful connections with mentors and peers. 

 The vision of LRSEF is to attract, support and inspire diverse & talented students; to foster a culture of scientific inquiry & excellence in our region; & to expand the STEM engagement of our community comprising students, teachers. parents, judges, community members & sponsors.

Your donation will be used to encourage and reward: 

• Over 350 students from 36+ schools for conducting unique STEAM projects. 
• Independent research by students displayed in 22 diverse categories.
• Each participant at this all-day event featuring engaging dialogue with professional judges.
• Everyone with a backpack, lanyard, T-shirt, breakfast, lunch & a celebratory Awards Ceremony.  
• The funding of cash prizes & ribbons at 1st, 2nd, 3rd place in all 22 topic areas, plus 4th place ribbons.
• LRSEF gives teacher supply grants & fee waivers to students from underrepresented minorities and/or those who qualify for free/reduced lunch.

 

Demonstrated impact. 

We appreciate your gift. 

A gift of $25 rewards Kentucky student achievement in the STEAM fields. Donors of $500 or more are recognized in all LRSEF media & our printed program with your organization logo. 

Fund prizes in a specific Junior Category ($150) or Senior Category ($200).  Check out last year’s Category Donors, choose a category to fund.

LRSEF also invites companies & organizations to donate Special Awards of $25 or more. Prizes can be for research in a certain topic area, such as plant or animal science, environmental projects, or proposing best solutions to an engineering problem. See our Special Awards for ideas, then create an award of your own design.

LRSEF connects to a global network of science & engineering fairs.

A gift of any amount helps local students present their ideas at higher levels, share ideas with their peers & receive international recognition. LRSEF nominates over 90 winners for the Kentucky State Science & Engineering Fair held each year at Eastern Kentucky State University.   

Top middle schoolers are nominated to submit projects to the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge with a chance to win to trip to Washington, DC. 

LRSEF is affiliated with the Society for Science and sends the Best of Fair high school students to the weeklong Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) each year. Three LRSEF students attending the 2026 ISEF competition took home awards ranging from $500 - $10,000. In 2027 ISEF will be held in Los Angeles.  Your donation supports travel grants to this prestigious annual event, which hosts almost 2,000 students from around the world.

LRSEF is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with a long history. 

We will host our 63rd science & engineering fair on Saturday, March 6, 2027.  Students from 59 KY counties are invited to register through their school fairs, or directly with LRSEF by mid-February. Over $18,000 in awards, trophies, & prizes are awarded for student creativity on that day. 

LRSEF is a proud partner of the Asia Impact affinity group at GE Appliances & of the Science Policy Outreach Group at the University of Louisville. The JB Speed Engineering School at the University of Louisville is our co-sponsor on March 6. 

Since our first fair supported by Kiwanis in 1964, many volunteer hours have been donated by STEAM judges, community leaders, teachers, & parents in support of student efforts.  

View our Sponsors here.