Science fairs

Canada's largest regional science fair. Schools register October 1 to December 4 and independent entrants from December 10; every project must be registered with its ethics forms by February 4. Winning here is the route to the Canada-Wide Science Fair for Calgary students.

CWSF 2027 runs May 29 – June 5 in Hamilton. There is no direct application: Alberta students qualify by winning at their regional science fair, then present original research against roughly 400 finalists from across Canada.

The world's largest pre-college science competition. No direct application: you qualify through an affiliated regional fair. Travel funded if selected.

Heritage Fairs and Young Citizens are no longer listed by Historica Canada. They appear on neither the current nor the past programs page, and /heritagefairs returns a 404. Historica now runs the Citizenship Challenge, Heritage Minutes and The Memory Project.

Registration opens in the fall, with regional fairs held between February and April. Winning at this regional fair is the only route to the Canada-Wide Science Fair for students in southeastern Alberta.

The qualifying fair for Edmonton students heading to the Canada-Wide Science Fair. The 2026 edition ran March 14 to 15 with registration open January 9 to February 28; the council had not posted 2027 dates when this was checked, so expect the same late-winter shape.

One fair day at Red Deer Polytechnic on March 20, 2027, with setup the evening before. A $10 entry fee applies per project, payable on or after the fair, and up to six of the top senior projects advance to the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Registration had not reopened when this was checked.

Two events in one weekend: the Lethbridge Regional Science Fair and the Science Olympics, a same-day design and build competition. Top projects in grades 7 to 12 are invited to the Canada-Wide Science Fair. The 2026 edition ran April 10 to 11; SATC had not posted 2027 dates when this was checked.

Fort McMurray's qualifying fair, judged on a Friday with public viewing and awards the Saturday after. Sponsors cover the cost so entry is free to students, and finalists from the junior, intermediate and senior pools advance to the Canada-Wide Science Fair. The 2026 judging ran March 27.

The qualifying fair for northwest Alberta, and the route to the Canada-Wide Science Fair for students around Peace River, Slave Lake and Valleyview. The 42nd fair ran March 25, 2026 with registration closing March 10, and five finalists went on to nationals in Edmonton. Organisers have said they expect a 2027 fair but had not posted its dates when this was checked.

Youth Science Canada's online regional fair for students with no regional fair near them, which covers much of rural Alberta outside the seven regional fairs. Present a science or engineering project virtually, the same way regional fairs lead toward the Canada-Wide Science Fair.