Yuma County Science Expo
Important Expo Dates:
- December 9, 2026: Online submission window opens
- January 14, 2027: Online submission window closes
- January 18–22, 2027: Online judging
- January 27, 2027: Round 1 winners announced
- January 29, 2027: Top four entries in each category will advance to in-person interviews hosted at Arizona Western College
The 2026 Yuma County Science and Engineering Expo had 311 individual/partner projects and 25 large group projects representing more than 450 students and 19 schools in Yuma County.
The winners are:
Best of Elementary School - Donivan Shue from Dorothy Hall Elementary
Best of Middle School - Jay Chandra from Gowan Science Academy
Best of High School - Daisy Boelts from Gila Ridge High School
Best Overall - Jorge Covarrubias from Harvest Preparatory Academy
Support & Resources:
- Start here: Step-by-step guide for teachers and parents created by teachers.
- Science Fair Roadmap & Resources for 26-27
- Student-facing slideshow to guide students through each step of creating their project.
- Science Fair Training Presentations from Sept 12, 2026: resources.
- Paul Andersen's Mini-Lessons provide clear and structured instruction on how science is done through its practices and how scientific thinking is organized through its concepts.
Project Registration & Details
- Student Registration: Teachers can register science fair projects on the Google Form starting December 9 & ends January 14
- Each school may submit up to 3 projects per division across any of the 8 Categories: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xC1WaFzhzePCwEYknvl6FuxnpKyqXwCe/view?usp=sharing
- Category Descriptions
- Rubric: Science
- Rubric: Engineering
- Resources to Get Started
- Scientific Practices
- Compliance: All participants must follow International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) standards. While compliance paperwork is not required to be uploaded for Round 1, all required forms must be kept on file locally and made available upon request. These documents need to be submitted if students advance to regional, state, or international competitions. RulesWizard
- Updates and more info can be found on the Yuma County Superintendent’s Office website.
Overview & timeline of the process:
- Aug–Dec: Teacher/parent conducts science fair projects with students
- Dec 9–Jan 14: Register science fair projects online
- Jan 15–17: Submissions categorized and judges assigned by Littlewood
- Jan 18–22 (Virtual): Round 1 judging (online)
- Jan 29 (In-Person): Round 2 interviews for top 4 finalists at Arizona Western College
Virtual & In person judges interest form
- If you are interested in being a judge, please fill out the form. Serving as an official judge provides young scientists and engineers with vital feedback on months of hard work. Because each judge is paired directly with specific student projects, we rely heavily on your confirmed attendance. A no-show leaves student presenters without an evaluator for their session.
If you are interested in volunteering, attending our YCSEE monthly virtual meetings, or have any questions, feel free to email Stefanie Littlewood-Moody at ycseexpo@gmail.com