More of North Alabama’s young scientists and engineers will soon have a chance to showcase their work: registration for the 72nd annual North Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair (NARSEF) opens this month. The competition, hosted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s College of Engineering, is scheduled for March 6, 2026, on the UAH campus.

NARSEF gives area students the opportunity to have their independent or team research and design projects evaluated by local experts in the fields of life science, physical science, environmental studies, psychology and engineering. Students can qualify by winning a school or district fair or by being a member of a science club or class at school. In both cases, their teachers are also required to register for NARSEF.

A new registration option for 2026 aims to ensure that every student in North Alabama has access to participate in STEM research, regardless of school support. NARSEF Direct lets students register without a teacher if their school does not host a fair and does not offer a club or class for science and engineering fair participation.

The fair is open to students in 13 North Alabama counties — Colbert, Cullman, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall and Morgan. Competitors are divided into junior (grades 6–8) and senior (grades 9–12) divisions, with up to three students permitted to collaborate on a single project.

Teachers can register starting Monday, Sept. 15, with registration closing on Feb. 6, 2026. Student registration begins Monday, Sept. 29, and ends on Feb. 13, 2026. The registration fee of $30 is due by Feb. 20, 2026. Late registration fee is $60.

Students registering through NARSEF Direct must contact Amy Beth Ford at narsef@uah.edu for approval. While no teacher is required for registration, students are strongly encouraged to work with a trusted adult to review their forms and help them prepare.

NARSEF 2025 featured 96 projects, including two group projects, from 98 students representing 19 schools across North Alabama. Student participation increased 20% from 2024 to 2025 while the number of judges rose by 37.3%.

Projects focused on a wide range of topics:

Chemistry, 15.5%
Biomedical engineering and biomedical and health sciences, 12.4%
Physics, astronomy and mathematics, 12.4%
Animal and plant sciences, 11.3%
Behavioral and social sciences, 9.3%
Energy, 8.2%
Engineering, 7.2%
Robotic systems and communication technology, 7.2%
Cell, molecular, microbiology and biochemistry, 7.2%
Earth and environmental science and environmental engineering, 5.2%
Computational and bioinformatics sciences, 4.1%

Fifty-four sponsored awards were presented in 2025.

NARSEF participant Urvi Mysore, a 2025 graduate of James Clemons High School, earned a spot at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio, where she won a first-place special award of $3,000 from YM American Academy, a leading education consulting organization.

For 2026, the top 10% of junior division projects receive a ThermoFisher Junior Innovators Challenge nomination. The top two senior division projects receive a fully paid trip to the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona.

Top-scoring projects in each category earn a bid to the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF) held in Auburn. NARSEF participants who competed at ASEF in 2025 won more than 20 special awards totaling over $2,500 and had two first-place, four second-place and five third-place finishes.