Emirates Young Scientist Competition 2026

Updated October 8, 2026: the Emirates Young Scientist Competition (EYSC) 2026 is the flagship student science competition of the UAE National Science, Technology and Innovation Festival (NSTI), organised by the UAE Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC).

EYSC is designed for UAE school students in Grades 5–12 who want to investigate real-world problems, apply scientific methodology and present original research or engineering projects. The competition is not simply a quiz or written Olympiad: students develop a project, document evidence, explain findings and defend their work to evaluators.

EYSC 2026 Current Status — What Students Need to Know Now

Stage	2026 status
Application & proposal submission	Closed — ran from May 21 to September 20, 2026
Progress Submission	Open for qualified teams — September 21 to October 20, 2026, 23:59 UAE time
Finalist notification	Teams proceeding to the NSTI Festival are scheduled to be notified by October 23, 2026
On-site display & judging	November 2026; exact festival dates and venue are to be confirmed by organisers

If your team has already qualified: this is currently the most important stage. Qualified projects must submit evidence of actual project development, including progress documentation, a project poster and a short video by the official October 20 deadline.

If you did not register by September 20: the 2026 application phase is over. Use the official EYSC platform for future-cycle announcements rather than relying on older dates from previous editions.

How EYSC 2026 Registration Works

EYSC 2026 uses a supervisor-led registration model. Students do not register projects independently. A supervising teacher or approved project supervisor manages the team, project details and submissions through the official competition platform.

Confirm that all students meet the Grade 5–12 eligibility rules.
Form a team of 2–3 students from the same school or approved science/youth club.
Ensure the team includes at least one UAE national/local student.
Select the correct competition tier and one of the four scientific categories.
Develop an original research question or engineering goal using scientific methodology.
The supervisor submits the proposal and manages the project through the official EYSC platform.

Official EYSC 2026 platform: Emirates Young Scientist Competition 2026 on ChallengeON.

For historical inspiration, students may review earlier finalist projects, but a new EYSC entry must be original work from the current academic year. Previous projects can only return with clearly documented improvements, updates or advances.

EYSC 2026 Scientific Categories

Category	Typical project areas
Technology	Robotics, computing, communications, electronic systems, automation, control systems, biotechnology and technology applications.
Biological & Ecological Sciences	Agriculture, anatomy, biochemistry, ecology, environmental science, genetics, microbiology, physiology, plant science and veterinary science.
Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Sciences	Chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, materials science, geology, meteorology, astronomy and related applied sciences.
Behavioral & Social Sciences	Psychology, sociology, geography, human behaviour, nutrition, demographics, consumer studies, learning, social impact and political science using scientific methods.

If a project overlaps multiple categories, the supervisor should choose the category that best matches the primary research question and methodology. The EYSC technical committee may reclassify a project where needed.

Modern tools—including data analysis, digital methods and AI-enabled approaches—may be relevant to projects, but the work must remain the students’ own original research and students must be able to explain and defend their methodology and findings.

EYSC 2026 Eligibility and Team Rules

Requirement	Current 2026 rule
Student level	Grades 5–12 at a UAE school or accepted educational centre
Nationality	Both UAE national and non-UAE national students may participate
Team size	2–3 students per project
Local-student requirement	Each team must include at least one UAE national/local student
Team affiliation	Team members must be from the same school or approved science/youth club and the same competition tier
Projects per student	One project per student in the same EYSC edition
Supervisor	Every project requires a designated teacher or project supervisor

Competition tiers: Intermediate covers Grades 5–8; Senior covers Grades 9–12.

Projects must be original, use scientific methodology and belong to one of the four official categories. Plagiarism, fabricated results, misleading claims, incomplete submissions or an eligibility mismatch can lead to disqualification.

EYSC 2026 Timeline — Application to NSTI Final

Stage	Date	What happens
Application Phase	May 21–September 20, 2026	Schools submit team/project proposals. Up to 500 projects can progress.
Progress Submission	September 21–October 20, 2026	Qualified teams submit progress evidence, a written report, project poster and short video.
Finalist notification	By October 23, 2026	Top 100 projects are selected for the NSTI Festival; up to 20 backup projects may also be retained.
On-site display & judging	November 2026	Finalists display and defend projects before professional judges at the NSTI Festival.

What Qualified Teams Must Submit by October 20

Progress documentation showing real project development.
Evidence of experimentation, implementation or data collection.
Analysis of findings rather than only a project idea.
A written progress report.
A project poster.
A short project video.

The official 2026 rules state that incomplete progress submissions, missing poster/video/report elements, fabricated results, insufficient project development or failure to respond to required clarifications can prevent a project from reaching the final stage.

How EYSC 2026 Projects Are Judged

Evaluation area	Indicative weight	What students should demonstrate
Scientific Methodology	35%	A clear question/engineering goal, method, evidence, analysis and conclusion.
Originality, Creativity & Relevance	30%	Original thinking and relevance to meaningful national/scientific challenges.
Feasibility & Practical Applicability	25%	A project students can realistically execute with practical or research value.
Documentation & Presentation	10%	Clear, organised evidence and confident scientific communication.

Preparation implication: a visually impressive model is not enough. Scientific methodology alone carries the largest indicative weight, so students should prioritize evidence, reproducibility, analysis and a defensible conclusion.

EYSC 2026 Awards, Recognition and International Exposure

The current EYSC 2026 platform confirms that winners receive official recognition at the NSTI Festival through awards, certificates, trophies and public acknowledgement. Senior-level finalists in Grades 9–12 may also be considered for selected international science-competition pathways.

Important prize-note: older Ministry of Education EYSC pages publish monetary-award amounts from earlier competition structures. Because the current 2026 ChallengeON rules do not publish the same detailed prize-value table, students should verify any cash-prize amount on the current official platform rather than relying on archived figures.

Finalist Safety and Ethics Checklist

Research involving human participants requires appropriate documented consent.
Animal-related work must comply with applicable UAE requirements and avoid unnecessary harm.
Biological materials, chemicals or hazardous materials must be declared where required.
Do not fabricate data, alter findings or present another person’s work as your own.
Hazardous display materials, live flames, pressurised vessels, chemicals or biological specimens require advance approval.
Students should be prepared to explain and defend every major part of their project during judging.

For students already in the Progress Submission stage, safety and ethics should be checked before the poster and video are finalised—not after reaching the festival.

Historical category-award information is intentionally not repeated below as current 2026 fact.

How to Strengthen an EYSC Project Before Finalist Selection

Make the research question measurable. Judges need to see what is being tested, compared or engineered.
Show real evidence. Include observations, measurements, prototypes, trials or data—not only claims about what the project could do.
Explain the method clearly. Another reader should be able to understand how the result was produced.
Analyse failures as well as successes. Unexpected results can demonstrate stronger scientific thinking when explained honestly.
Connect the project to a meaningful problem. Relevance to national or scientific priorities is part of the indicative judging framework.
Prepare for questioning. Every team member should understand the problem, method, results, limitations and next step.

Official EYSC 2026 Resources

EYSC 2026 official competition page — current brief and status.
Official EYSC 2026 timeline — application, progress submission and NSTI final stages.
Official EYSC 2026 rules — eligibility, teams, judging, ethics and safety.

EYSC 2026 FAQs

Is EYSC 2026 registration still open?

No. The initial application phase closed on September 20, 2026. Qualified teams are currently in the Progress Submission stage through October 20, 2026.

Who can participate in EYSC?

Students in Grades 5–12 enrolled in a UAE school or accepted educational centre may participate, subject to the current team and supervisor rules.

Can non-UAE nationals participate?

Yes. Both UAE nationals and non-UAE nationals can participate, but each team of 2–3 students must include at least one UAE national/local student under the 2026 rules.

How many teams reach the NSTI Festival?

Up to 500 projects can progress from the initial application stage to Progress Submission. The top 100 projects are then selected as finalists for the NSTI Festival, with a reserve list of up to 20 backup projects.

What is the most important judging factor?

Scientific Methodology has the largest indicative weight at 35%, followed by Originality/Creativity and relevance at 30%, Feasibility at 25%, and Documentation/Presentation at 10%.

When and where is the EYSC final?

The current official timeline places on-site display and judging in November 2026. The exact festival dates and venue are still subject to final organiser confirmation.

Related UAE Science and Olympiad Guides

EYSC and School Connect Olympiad are different opportunities. EYSC is a UAE project-based national science competition connected to the NSTI Festival. School Connect Olympiad offers separate subject-based international Olympiad participation. Students can use both for different learning goals without confusing the two pathways.