With the pressure of judging now behind them, finalists enjoyed a day focused on connection, collaboration, and community engagement through the Category Networking sessions and Education Outreach Day.
Students from across Arizona, along with members of the public, attended the exhibition hall to experience what world-class science, technology, and engineering looks like in action. Many younger students were excited to meet our Australian finalists, proudly sharing what they already knew about Australia and enthusiastically learning more about the students’ projects. The koalas our team brought along once again proved to be extremely popular with visiting students.
Throughout the day, finalists also participated in Category Networking sessions, where they connected with peers from their respective disciplines over breakfast or lunch alongside members of the Regeneron community. These sessions provided valuable opportunities for students to discuss their research journeys, future aspirations, and shared scientific interests with fellow finalists from around the world.
This evening was the Special Awards Ceremony. Professional organisations representing a broad range of scientific disciplines across government, industry, and education partner with Regeneron ISEF as Special Award Organisations. While many awards are often presented to students connected to the countries or regions those organisations represent, international students who meet specific criteria are also recognised. Australia does not frequently receive awards at this ceremony, making tonight’s result particularly significant. We are incredibly proud to share that Michael received a First Prize Special Award from the Society for Science Alumni group. His judging interview yesterday clearly made a strong impression, and this achievement marks a significant milestone as the first student from Victoria, Australia, to receive an award at ISEF. The entire Australian delegation was absolutely delighted to celebrate this outstanding accomplishment together.
Tomorrow is the Grand Awards Ceremony. Regardless of the results, we are already immensely proud of the professionalism, resilience, and enthusiasm shown by every member of the Australian team throughout this remarkable experience. We now look forward with excitement and optimism to tomorrow’s announcements. The Grand Awards are being live streamed and you can share in our excitement by sharing the Grand Awards livestream link which is due to start at 2am tonight AEST.