Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) is the most prestigious science competition for high school students in the country.
On January 7, 2026, Regeneron announced the names and summaries of its 2026 Science Talent Search (STS) Scholars. Each scholar receives a $2000 prize along with a $2000 donation to their school and has a chance to go onto the finalist round of 40 and win $40,000 along with a trip to Washington DC to attend their annual awards conference. Finalists are announced on January 21, 2026. At the conference, the top 10 award winners will be selected and receive prices ranging from $40,000 all the way to $250,000 for the first-place finisher. If you are in the graduating class of 2027, are interested in science, and are willing to put in the extraordinary amount of work needed to create a project that is worthy of consideration by this prestigious organization, we encourage you to apply. Keep in mind that the research itself can be conducted any time while you are in high school, but you can only apply for the contest in your senior year. The 2027 application will open on June 1, 2026 and close on or around November 6, 2026. The application itself is rather challenging, so we encourage you to start early and ask for help if you need it. In the meantime, we encourage you to read about the recent Regeneron STS Scholars and their projects on the Regeneron STS website (link below). Interestingly, 76 Scholars are from New York, 56 Scholars are from California, and 18 scholars are from Massachusetts and another 18 are from New Jersey. If you are so inclined, you can dig deeper to learn about the finalists and their projects from the previous year. If you love science, you'll find this fascinating! Even if you decide not to enter this contest, you may get some great ideas for the type and scope of research you might want to conduct.