Many of our special awards are donated by local sponsors who want to help the sciences in our public schools. Sponsoring the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) Expo is not only welcomed by the fair staff, but very appreciated by the students, teachers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to make these projects happen!
If you own a business, or you just want to help, you can provide an award for students, teachers or schools. There is also the opportunity to sponsor a particular category (i.e. Junior Chemistry), or to become a sponsor of the overall fair. donating funds to help pay for operational costs.
Students who win first and second place at the regional level in their category move on to the New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, New Mexico. The top qualifier from the senior division will move on to the International Science and Engineering Fair. This high honor includes a one-week, all-expense paid trip to ISEF (held in a different city in the U.S. each year), where the student will compete with projects from over 30 different countries for over $5 million in total awards!
The nature of the award is left entirely up to you, although an award that can readily be used in the classroom to enhance instruction or inspire interest in the sciences would be the most beneficial. The benefits of donating to the fair are numerous! The educational facilitators and students gain enhanced teaching facilities, you or your company gain exposure for your product or service, and the science fair gains more participants with higher quality projects!
If you decide to sponsor an award, please include any specific criteria you would like the judges to consider when choosing the award winner. You may choose to send a company representative to act as a judge and perhaps presenter of the award – which usually is a very rewarding experience for both the judge and the student.