Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair
ACSEF 2026 Fair Timeline
Fair Setup
February 21 - March 7, 2026 *Deadline: 11:59 PM
Self-nominate for Special (Sponsored) Awards provided & judged by ACSEF international, national, and local sponsors and supporters. NOTE: Sponsored award scores & awards are entirely independent from the Category award scores and awards.
​
February 21 - March 7 *Deadline: 11:59 PM
Upload display items to the project dashboard for judges to virtually preview before in-person interviews (except the In-Person Display Board and optional display items).
​
March 7, *11:59 PM
Zfairs Information Freeze (No further uploads or changes can be made to your project dashboard).
​
March 13, 2026, Friday
ACSEF Check-in/badging, and project display items set up at the fair site 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Check in/pick up ID badge: Building 100
Project set up: Project Buildings include: Main & Small, Cafeteria, and Dance Room at, Chabot College, Hayward.
​​
In-Person Fair
March 14, 2026 Saturday
NOTE: ACSEF HAS CHANGED THE JUDGING PROTOCOL
ACSEF project category and sponsored award judging at the fair site - 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
*ACSEF will no longer hold two rounds of judging. *There is no longer a special round two for selected projects.
Judging of ALL projects starts in the morning and continues after lunch with continued scoring. Plan to be present from 8 am until 4 pm.
All projects should take a picture of the participant in front of the project for our records.
*All individual and team members must be present to be considered for advancement to the next level fairs (CSEF, ISEF, and Thermofisher JIC)..
Project Rooms include: Main Gym, Small Gym, Dance Studio, and Cafeteria.
​
March 15, 2026
ACSEF will post WINNING PROJECT ID’S on the home page of acsef.org Make plans to attend the award ceremony - Missing the Award Ceremony - Read (this link will be updated later with more details; students missing the ceremony can have proxy (parent or teacher) pick up awards at the end of the ceremony on March 21, 2026. The proxy will have to sign up on a Google Form (which will be posted here in late February 2026). If no proxy is cleared to pick up awards, students will forfeit all physical awards (such as monetary awards, certificates, ribbons, medals, and other materials). Students will maintain the status; including advancement to the next level fairs.
After The Fair
March 21, 2026, Saturday, one week later
ACSEF Award Ceremony at the fair site, Performing Arts Center, Chabot College, Hayward. 2:00 pm - 5:30 pm.
​
March 22, 2026, 3:30 pm - May 31, 2026
zFairs Virtual Project Showcase Open to the Public.
March 22, 2026 - MANDATORY
California Science and Engineering Fair nominated students and parents - virtual meeting with SRC/IRB Chairman and Fair Director -Time to be determined
March 23, 2026 - MANDATORY
ISEF Finalists and parents - virtual meeting with SRC/IRB Chairman and Fair Director -Time to be determined
​
March 24, 2026 - MANDATORY
Thermo Fisher Scientific JIC nominated students and parents - virtual meeting with SRC/IRB Chairman and Fair Director -Time to be determined