GKCSEF Awards Ceremony 2019
About | Schedule | Student & Registration | T-Shirt Design Contest |Campbell Family Educator Grant | Charles N. Kimball Awards Ceremony
Union Station Kansas City is dedicated to science education, a celebration of community and preservation of history. We are proud to host the 72nd Greater KC Science & Engineering Fair back IN PERSON and want to thank all the students, teachers, parents, mentors and volunteers who help make it a success!
Students in grades 4-12 from public, private, parochial, charter and home schools in 15 counties in and around the KC metro area are eligible to participate in the GKCSEF. The Fair is filled with exemplary projects developed by talented students, some of whom win a piece of the nearly $7,000 in awards and honors.
Kansas | Missouri |
Johnson, Wyandotte, Leavenworth, Douglas, Franklin | Jackson, Bates, Cass, Clay, Platte, Henry, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Benton |
Annually the very best senior-level projects that meet the stringent requirements for entering the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) win the prestigious GRAND AWARD. Grand Award winners and their teachers would normally receive an all-expense-paid trip to the 2023 Regeneron International Science & Engineering in Dallas, TX. Regeneron ISEF: The Next Generation of STEM Leaders: Every year, tens of millions of students participate in science fairs around the globe but only about 1,800 earn the right to compete for nearly $5 million awards bestowed each May at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
For More Information About ISEF
A message to students: Thank you all for another inspiring Science & Engineering Fair! We know how much time it takes to plan, execute, and present a project for the Fair, and we applaud your dedication to contributing to the success of the 72nd Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair. The Fair has showcased thousands of student projects over the past 70 years, and many of those students have continued their studies and gone on to pursue a career in a STEM field.
A message to parents, teachers and mentors: Thank you for motivating your students, for guiding their curiosities, and for promoting critical thinking. Thank you for encouraging your children to ask questions, to push themselves, and to not give up in the face of failure-or an unexpected result…after all, that is part of the beauty of doing science. Your guidance and support is an integral part of the accomplishments of their projects, the success of this Fair, and most importantly the shaping of who the students will become.
Contact Emily Meyer for Sponsorship or Special Award information at [email protected]
Science Fair Kick-Off
Want to do a Science & Engineering Fair project but don’t know where to start? Come and learn all about the Greater KC Science & Engineering Fair and get prepared to help you child or student enter a project into the 2023 Fair. Explore ways to help them choose a topic of interest, identify a question to investigate, create a research plan and get connected with STEM professionals in our community! We will cover the registration process and how to fill out forms to enter the 2023 Science & Engineering Fair! Students leave with a Project Board.
2023 Schedule
Friday, February 17th, 2023 |
||
NO LATER THAN 5:00 pm |
PRIOR APPROVAL FORMS DUE If your project requires PRIOR APPROVAL, please submit forms BEFORE your RESEARCH START DATE! Unsure about prior approvals needed? Email the GKCSEF Scientific Review Committee at [email protected]
|
|
|
||
Friday, February 24th, 2023 |
||
NO LATER THAN 5:00 pm | ALL FORMS AND REGISTRATION DUE
Any application received after February 18th, 2023 will not be accepted. The $7.00 entry fee must accompany registration for the application to be complete. |
|
|
||
Wednesday, March 29th, 2023 |
||
8:00 am – 3:00 pm | PROJECT SET UP Students may set up exhibits at Union Station in Grand Hall and Grand Plaza. All projects must be set up by 3:00 pm. |
|
4:00 – 10:00 pm | ACADEMIC JUDGING The Fair is closed to the public. |
|
7:00 – 8:30 pm | STUDENT INTERVIEWSStudents should be at their projects to interview with academic judges.JUNIOR LEVEL INTERVIEWS (optional)SENIOR LEVEL INTERVIEWS (required) | |
|
||
Thursday, March 30th, 2023 |
||
7:00am –12:00pm | SPECIAL AWARD JUDGINGThe Fair is closed to the public. | |
12:00 – 5:00pm* | PUBLIC VIEWING and SCHOOL FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCESThe Fair is free and open to the public. Science Fair booth closes at 5 pm, Fair is still open for public viewing!*Subject to change | |
|
||
Friday, March 31st, 2023 |
||
9:00 am – 4:00 pm | PUBLIC VIEWING and SCHOOL FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCES The Fair is free and open to the public. |
|
4:00 – 7:00 pm | REMOVAL OF PROJECTS All projects must be removed by 7:00 pm. Projects not picked up will be discarded! |
|
|
||
Saturday, April 1st, 2023 |
||
10:00 am – 12:00 pm | THE CHARLES N. KIMBALL AWARDS CEREMONYGrand Plaza – Live on Union Station’s Facebook Page.
Awards valued at $7,000+ Students receiving top academic or special awards will be invited to attend. Parents, teachers, relatives and friends are invited to attend as well. |
|
Volunteer at the Fair!
Be a Judge!
The 72nd Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair, to be held in-person at historic Union Station from Wednesday, March 29th – Saturday, April 1, 2023. The commitment for judging at the GKCSEF is approximately 4 hours on the evening of Wednesday, March 29th from about 5-9pm.
That evening we will host our Judges Meeting and Dinner from 5-6pm, dinner provided, with judging and student interviews happening that night. More details will go out as we get closer to the Fair!
If you have any questions about the Fair or about judging, please email Emily Meyer, Fair Director at [email protected]
General Fair Volunteer
General Volunteers will help at the Fair booth throughout the week of the Fair. Volunteers may sing up for one or more time slots, and each shift will be 3 hours.
Be a Mentor!
Become a mentor today! Mentors can range in commitment from a simple phone call to full blown experimental help. Signing up does not automatically assign you to a student, but adds you to our ever-growing mentor list.

STUDENTS & REGISTRATION
Submit forms for prior approval to [email protected] by February 17, 2023.
FORMS- GRADES 4-8
Rules Summary – Intermediate & Junior Divisions (grades 4-8)
- Form 1 – Human Tissue
- Form 2 – Human Participants
- Form 3 – Hazardous Materials
- Form 4 – Bacteria and Mold
- Form 5 – Vertebrate Animal
ISEF FORMS – GRADES 9-12
Rules Summary – Senior Division (grades 9-12)
- 1 – Checklist for Adult Sponsor
- 1A – Student Checklist
- 1B – Approval Form
- 1C – Regulated Research Institution
- 2 – Qualified Scientist
- 3 – Risk Assessment
- 4 – Human Participants
- 4 – Sample Informed Consent
- 5A – Vertebrate Animal
- 5B – Vertebrate Animal
- 6A – Potentially Hazardous Biological Agents
- 6B – Human Vertebrate Animal Tissue
- 7 – Continuation
SCIENCE FAIR HANDBOOKS
- Intermediate/Junior Handbook
- Senior Handbook
- Inventors Handbook
- Computer Science Handbook
- Teacher/ Parent Handbook
- Organizing a Fair Handbook
- SF Paper grades 4-6 handbook (Template for SF Paper)
- SF Paper Grades 7-12 handbook
- Experimental Design vs. Scientific Method
- Student Research Handbook
SCORING GUIDES
- Intermediate Experimental Scoring Guide
- Intermediate Engineering Scoring Guide
- Junior Experimental Scoring Guide
- Senior Experimental Scoring Guide
- Junior Senior Engineering Scoring Guide
- Invention Scoring Guide
- Computer Science Scoring Guide
- Mathematics Scoring Guide
Register Here
2022 Science & Engineering Fair Theme: “The Future is Bright!”
Entry Deadline: Friday, January 27th, 2023 by 5:00pm
Winner will be notified by February 10th 2023
Winner and Runner up receive an Amazon gift card!
- Winning design on Fair t-shirt and Program book
- Runner-up: Design on Fair Scavenger Hunt


Campbell Family Educator Grant
AVAILABLE for Educators in 4-8th grades (Intermediate and Junior Divisions)
In recognition of your service to the STEM development of students and teachers, the Campbell Family is pleased to announce the Mabel & Newton Campbell Educator Grant Endowment, which will provide grants of $1,000 to help educators provide resources to their students developing projects to be presented at the Greater Kansas City Science & Engineering Fair in hopes that this can provide a lasting legacy for the Campbell Family’s long-time dedication to science education in Kansas City.