The Calgary Youth Science Fair Society (CYSFS) has been in place since 1962 and is a 100% volunteer run charitable society whose purpose is to organize and host the Calgary Youth Science Fair each year in early to mid April. The event is normally held in the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary attracting around 700 projects and almost 1,000 students in grades 5-12 from over 100 schools each year. In 2026, we will once again be hosting an in-person fair at the Oval.
The fair will be held from April 9th to 11th at the Olympic Oval. All projects must be registered, with ethics approval, by February 6th, and the online portion completed by March 4th. See the more detailed timeline below and follow the links on the menu above for more information.
To see the complete list of over 100 sponsors and award winners from the 2025 fair, click here!
To browse through the projects from the 2025 fair, and see how they did, click here
Fraser Head’s dedication to science fairs has inspired generations of young scientists for over 50 years. As a leader in the Calgary Youth Science Fair Society (CYSFS) and a key figure with Youth Science Canada, Fraser has shaped science education locally and nationally. His mentorship, volunteer leadership, and advocacy have nurtured curiosity and exploration among thousands of students. Fraser’s legacy lives on through his Honourary Life Memberships and the major CYSFS award named in his honour.
To learn more about Fraser’s contributions click here, and to support future young scientists in his name, click here to donate.
Important message about Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
Plagiarism is a growing, serious problem in the academic world. The Calgary Youth Science Fair Society is reminding students and coordinators of the importance of acknowledging everyone who contributed to individual projects. This includes not only ensuring the completeness of the project’s literature references but also giving credit to the people whose ideas and assistance were used in the project’s design and execution. A failure to adequately credit external sources will negatively impact judging scores, and in extreme cases, could result in project disqualification. We encourage you to read the CYSF POLICY 8: Academic Integrity.
Our Supporters
We thank all of our financial supporters and volunteers. We could not do it without you.
2026 Timeline
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| Oct 1 | School Registration Opens |
| Oct 1 | Project Registration Opens |
| Dec 5 | School Registration Closes |
| Dec 12 | Independent Registration Opens |
| Jan 13 | Judging Registration Opens |
| Feb 6 | Independent Entry and Project Registration Closes |
| Mar 4 | Project must be completed online |
| Apr 9 | Project Setup at the Olympic Oval |
| Apr 10 | Medal Round and Award Round Judging |
| Apr 11 | Public Viewing from 9am to 11:30am (free admission) followed by Awards Ceremony |
| Apr 30 | Deadline for students selected to participate in the Canada Wide Science Fair to submit their project and information |
| May 23 - May 30 | Canada Wide Science Fair in Edmonton, Alberta |
