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Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC): The Complete Guide
How middle schoolers qualify, key 2026 dates, prizes, and past winners
Shanay Desai
Science Fair Coach
Summary
The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) is the premier national STEM research competition for US students in grades 6-8. Students qualify by placing in the top 10% at a local affiliated science fair, around 2,000 are nominated nationally, 300 are named Innovators, and 30 finalists compete in Washington, D.C. for prizes topped by the $25,000 ASCEND Award.
What is the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge?
The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge is a premier STEM research competition for students in grades 6-8 in the United States.
The Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) begins with science fairs across the country. The Top 300 Innovators are chosen from the top 10% of fair competitors, a nominee pool of around 2,000 students nationally. From that group, 30 finalists are chosen and go to Washington, D.C., to compete during finals week.
It's an incredible opportunity for younger students who are interested in science and want to go further than they can in a classroom setting.
Who should consider the Thermo Fisher JIC?
If you're a student interested in STEM and want the opportunity to do a research project outside of class, the Junior Innovators Challenge is a wonderful chance to develop new skills, push yourself, and see if you want to pursue research.
Because it's the only large nationwide science fair competition for grades 6-8, you do not need to have any experience. All you need is a topic that interests you. You can participate on your own or in teams of up to three students.
To participate in the JIC, talk to your science teacher first. They can help you enter your local affiliated fair.
Key dates and timeline
Students first need to participate in their local affiliated fairs. If your project is in the top 10% of your grade level at the fair, the judges nominate you for the national challenge. Nominated students then submit an online application by June 10.
Nomination alone isn't enough
Nominated students must complete the online application by the June deadline to be considered for the Top 300. If you don't fill it in, you cannot move forward, no matter how well you placed at your fair.
The next stage happens on September 2, when the judges announce the Top 300 Innovators. On September 16, they name the Top 30 Finalists, who go to Finals Week from October 23-28, with winners announced during the final ceremony.
All Top 300 students win $125 courtesy of DoD STEM, an award ribbon, a one-year subscription to Science News Explores magazine, and a subscription to Wolfram|Alpha Notebook Edition. Their teachers win a tote bag and a one-year subscription to Science News Explores magazine.
The finalists all win $500 and a trip to Washington, D.C. for them and a parent or guardian. There, finalists compete for the following awards:
Finalist award | Amount |
Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND Award (Aspiring Scientists Cultivating Exciting New Discoveries) | $25,000 |
Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award | $10,000 |
Citadel | Citadel Securities Innovation Award | $10,000 |
DoD STEM Talent Award | $10,000 |
The Lemelson Foundation Award for Invention | $10,000 |
1st place STEM Awards (one each in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) | $3,500 |
2nd place STEM Awards (one each in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) | $2,500 |
Team Award | Awarded during Finals Week |
Date | Milestone |
November 1, 2025 to June 1, 2026 | Thermo Fisher JIC-affiliated science fairs take place |
February 1, 2026 | Application opens |
June 10, 2026, 8 pm ET | Application closes |
September 2, 2026, 12 pm ET | Top 300 Junior Innovators announced |
September 16, 2026, 12 pm ET | Finalists announced |
October 23-28, 2026 | Finals Week in Washington, D.C. |
Eligibility requirements
All students who participate in the Junior Innovators Challenge have to have participated in an affiliated fair in the US or a US territory. You can enter as an individual or a team of up to three if you're in grades 6-8. Importantly, every team member must complete the application form to compete.
Projects for the Thermo Fisher JIC can't span more than 12 months of research, and they must be:
• Original research done by the student or students
• In compliance with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations
• Approved, when necessary, by the Scientific Review Committee (SRC), the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and/or the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
• Respectful of patents, copyrights, and other forms of intellectual property
• Protective of the environment, with no negative effects on the local environment
• Designed to recognize hazards, assess risks, minimize risks, and prepare for emergencies
• Careful and respectful of any human or animal participants
How the application process works
Your first step is to identify your local fair. Check your regional or state fair's website to see their rules and deadlines to make sure you don't miss anything.
Once your project is accepted, you need to prepare for judging, because only the top 10% go through to the next stage. The next step is to fill in a mandatory form to be in the pool for the Top 300. If you don't fill it in, you cannot move forward.
The top 30 finalists are chosen by a nationwide panel of judges who evaluate the students' scientific research, communication, creativity, and collaborative abilities. They then all go to Washington, D.C., to compete in a final showcase where judges decide who gets the top awards.
How competitive and prestigious is the JIC?
The Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge is an important gateway competition for students who want to do scientific research and get to ISEF.
The JIC mirrors ISEF's format, with qualifying regional science fairs and travel to a final competition. The difference is that the Junior Innovators Challenge is more similar to the Science Talent Search, as it's national and has a smaller number of total finalists.
Winning gives students a lot of prize money to use for educational purposes, and the confidence to continue doing research and stand out at later science fairs, ISEF, and college applications.
What do winning projects typically look like?
In 2025, Miles Wu won the top prize at the Junior Innovators Challenge. His project examined the Miura fold, an origami fold that packs a flat sheet into a much smaller area with a tessellating series of parallelograms, and tested how much weight the folded designs could hold. The results could be applied to deployable shelters after natural disasters.
The year before, Tina Jin won the Thermo Fisher JIC for her project on using animal bones to filter water, which third-party testing showed met drinking-water standards.
Both projects provide a potential solution to a serious world problem.
Winning JIC projects share one trait: they offer a potential solution to a serious world problem, tested and proven.
Admissions impact: how colleges view the Thermo Fisher JIC
If you do the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge and end your research journey there, it won't impress colleges, as students who participate are so young.
However, if you continue to do research and go on to take part in ISEF or the Science Talent Search, then it becomes part of your academic narrative. You show US universities in particular that you're a dedicated and passionate scientist who has used their free time to do advanced research.
It's a useful stepping stone to more advanced and prestigious programs and competitions that universities value.
Pros and limitations of competing in the JIC
The main benefits of participating in JIC are:
• Developing strong research and problem-solving skills
• Discovering what interests you in science
• Improving your communication skills under pressure
Things to bear in mind when considering the JIC are that it's a big time investment. It's also not an easy extracurricular activity to start, so you need to be genuinely interested in science and research.
How the JIC compares to similar competitions
The most similar competition for this age group is the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. They both have similar aims: to get younger students actively involved in scientific research and innovation.
| 3M Young Scientist Challenge | Thermo Fisher JIC |
Application process | Record and send a video | Win at a local science fair, then submit a form |
Semi-finalists | Up to 51 state merit winners | Top 300 students |
Finalists | 10 finalists join a 3M summer mentorship program | 30 finalists go to Finals Week in Washington, D.C. |
Prizes | $25,000 grand prize and the title of "America's Top Young Scientist" | $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND Award |
Focus | An invention that solves an everyday problem | Scientific research that solves a world problem |
Should you choose the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge?
You should choose the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge if you're a student in grades 6-8 and want to be involved in scientific research, become a scientist, attend prestigious scientific summer programs, or study at an Ivy League school.
You don't need any experience to take part, but you do need to be passionate about what you're doing, as it does take up a lot of time.
How Crimson helps students succeed in research competitions
Crimson partners with ScienceFair to help students stand out in STEM research competitions, such as the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge.
ScienceFair was founded by Rishab Jain, 2018 America's Top Young Scientist and 2x ISEF Grand Award winner, and provides STEM mentoring for middle and high school students. Their mentors are past Davidson Fellows Laureates, STS finalists, ISEF award winners, and alumni of the MIT Research Science Institute.
ScienceFair provides full guidance and support before, during, and after your research, helping you with ideation, walking you through challenges in the research process, and coaching you as you apply to middle and high school STEM competitions worldwide.
