Welcome to the Orange County Science and Engineering Fair!


All applications to the Orange County Science & Engineering Fair must be done using this online system. For more information, please visit our website (OCSEF Registration).


71st Annual Orange County Science & Engineering Fair

2026 Application COMING SOON!


Click on the OCSEF 2026 Program to start your application and register your project.


Important Reminders:

  1. Pre-Approval is required BEFORE EXPERIMENTATION for projects that include the following. Students are encouraged to complete their project registration as soon as possible. Our Scientific Review Committee (SRC) will then review the project to determine if the project is approved.

    • Vertebrate animals

    • Human subjects

    • Hazards (chemicals, organisms, tissues, equipment, tools, devices and dangerous materials)

  2. OCSEF has multiple stages

    • Step 1 Project Registration

      • Pre-Approval Projects -- Monday, November 3, 2025 (11:59pm)

      • General Projects -- Monday, February 2, 2026 (11:59pm)

    • Step 2 Scientific Review Committee (SRC reviews and approves projects)

    • Step 3 Project Submission -- closes Monday, February 23, 2026 (11:59pm) Only allowed for students who complete Project Registration on or before that deadline.

    • Step 4 Project Review (OCSEF reviews projects for final approval)

    • Step 5 Judging (students present project to judges during virtual interviews)

  3. Visit the OCSEF website to review:

    • OCSEF Registration details

    • OCSEF Rules for complete guidelines and details regarding Certification Forms for the use of vertebrate animals, human subjects, and/or hazards (chemicals, organisms, tissues, equipment, tools, devices and dangerous materials).

Programs