The 2026 Canada-Wide Science Fair (Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF)/Expo-sciences pancanadienne (ESPC)) has come and gone (May 23 – 30, 2026) and I expect planning for 2027 will begin soon. First, congratulations to all of the students who participated at the national event and all of the smaller regional and local events leading up to it!
To get a sense of the scope for science fairs in Canada, here’s more from the About the Canada-Wide Science Fair webpage,
Canada’s Largest Youth STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] Event
For over 60 years, the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) has brought together the brightest young minds from across the country to showcase their research and innovations, compete for awards, and connect with peers who share their passion for discovery and innovation. Hosted annually by Youth Science Canada, the CWSF is Canada’s largest annual youth science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) event.
Each year, nearly 400 finalists in grades 7-12/Cégep are selected through a national network of over 100 regional STEM fairs spanning every province and territory. These exceptional students earn the opportunity to represent their region at the CWSF, where they compete for nearly $2 million in prizes, scholarships, and exclusive opportunities.
Our Purpose
The CWSF is more than just a competition; it’s a celebration of curiosity, creativity, and the pursuit of knowledge. The fair provides a platform for young scientists to:
- Present original research and innovations to experts, peers, and the public
- Receive recognition for their achievements in STEM
- Connect with like-minded peers from across Canada
- Gain exposure to career opportunities in STEM fields
- Develop communication and presentation skills
- Compete for medals, awards, scholarships, and international opportunities (learn more)
The CWSF Experience
The week-long event includes:
- Project presentations and judging
- Interactive STEM activities and workshops
- Educational tours and social events
- Public exhibition days where thousands of visitors explore student projects
- A prestigious awards ceremony
Participants consistently describe the CWSF as a life-changing experience that fosters lifelong friendships, builds confidence, and opens doors to future opportunities. Beyond the awards and recognition, the CWSF creates a community where young people can embrace their passion for STEM and connect with others who share their enthusiasm for discovery and innovation.
“Even without the awards, it is an experience of a lifetime…not exaggerating…IT IS THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME. You meet so many people from across Canada…meet every single person you can, leave any shyness behind you, and I promise you will have friends you will keep in touch with forever.” — CWSF Alum
Global Reach
Top projects from the CWSF may be selected to represent Canada at prestigious international competitions, including the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), and other global STEM events.
About Youth Science Canada
Youth Science Canada (YSC) is a national charitable organisation dedicated to fuelling the curiosity of Canadian youth through STEM projects. Since 1966, we have been at the forefront of nurturing and showcasing the innovative talents of Canada’s young minds.
Our Vision
We envision a future society rooted in the power of curiosity, community, and STEM skills.
Our Mission
Empowering all Canadian youth to engage their curiosity in discovering and innovating through STEM projects.
Our Impact
- 500,000+ K-12 students in Canada create a STEM project annually
- 20,000+ students showcase a project at regional fairs
- 400 student projects are selected for the Canada-Wide Science Fair
- 100+ regional STEM fairs supported across Canada
- Millions in scholarships and prizes awarded to young scientists
Our Programs
Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) – Our flagship programme brings together the country’s top young scientists for a week of competition, celebration, and connection. The CWSF is Canada’s largest youth STEM event and showcases the incredible talent and innovation of students in grades 7-12/Cégep.
mySTEMspace – An online platform that supports youth in developing and documenting their STEM projects. mySTEMspace provides resources, tools, and guidance for students at every stage of their STEM project journey.
National STEM Fair Network – We coordinate and support a network of over 100 regional STEM fairs across Canada, ensuring that students nationwide have opportunities to showcase their work and potentially advance to the CWSF.
Team Canada – We select and support Canadian students representing our country at international STEM competitions and events, such as the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) and other global forums.
STEM Expo – Held in conjunction with the CWSF, STEM Expo features interactive exhibits and activities from educational institutions, companies, and organisations, inspiring thousands of visitors annually.
Smarter Science – A framework and resources that help teachers introduce and integrate inquiry-based STEM learning in their classrooms, fostering critical thinking and scientific skills from an early age.
purpleSTEMwave – A national movement that celebrates and unites young Canadians who transform their curiosity into action through STEM projects.
…
A May 30, 2026 news item on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) news online website highlights one particular project,
A Kitchener, Ont., teen has won the best project award for innovation at the Canada-Wide Science Fair.
Eigenpulse: Eliminating Demographic Bias in Pulse Oximetry and Remote PPG from First Principles was the name of the project by Gurnoor Kaur, a Grade 11 student at Cameron Height Collegiate Institute in Kitchener.
The judges at the Edmonton competition say the 17-year-old’s work fixes a 35-year-old problem in blood oxygen sensors, which has led to higher mortality in Black patients [emphasis mine].
Kaur spoke to CBC K-W’s The Morning Edition before going to Edmonton for the science fair about another device she created to detect hospital-induced delirium, which can affect the cognitive state of patients [emphasis mine].
She noted nurses are often busy with other work and so many cases of delirium go undetected.
“It can detect emotions and micro expressions to understand patients’ emotional state and it also can detect heart rate and respiratory rate through non-contact, camera-based monitoring, eliminating the need for bulky sensors in hospitals as well,” she said.
“I’ve integrated a chatbot to be able to continuously converse with patients and run reorientation techniques, which have been shown to decrease risk by up to 50 per cent.”
…
The CBC’s May 30, 2026 news item includes a video and an interview featuring a discussion with Gurnoor Kaur about her work.
It is jaw-dropping to see the kinds of projects that the students embark on, these are the CWSF 2026 Results from the Awards webpage,
Liam Desre
Best Project – Discovery ΛCDM+S – Thermodynamic Cosmology: Simulating The Universe’s Expansion Without Dark Energy
For nearly 30 years, cosmologists have attributed the universe’s accelerating expansion to dark energy, a force that has never been directly detected and whose physical nature remains unknown. Desre proposed that the same thermodynamic laws governing black holes also apply to the universe’s outer boundary, and that the natural accumulation of entropy at this boundary drives cosmic expansion. His project, ΛCDM+S – Thermodynamic Cosmology: Simulating the Universe’s Expansion Without Dark Energy, reproduced standard cosmological predictions with 93.4 percent accuracy while also offering potential explanations for two long-standing measurement discrepancies that have challenged the field for years.
Gurnoor Kaur
Best Project – Innovation Eigenpulse: Eliminating Demographic Bias in Pulse Oximetry and Remote PPG from First Principles
The small clip-on sensors hospitals use to check blood oxygen levels work by shining light through the skin. Kaur identified the source of a persistent reading error as a second pulsing signal, synchronized with blood flow but originating from a different part of the vascular system, that affects oxygen calculations differently in darker skin. Her project, Eigenpulse: Eliminating Demographic Bias in Pulse Oximetry and Remote PPG from First Principles, isolates and removes this signal from the measurement process, reducing demographic bias from 2.3 percent to less than 0.15 percent.
Siddharth Patel
Platinum Awards – Discovery – Junior Automating Asteroid Detection Criteria to Strengthen Citizen Science for Planetary Defense
Patel, who has personally discovered two asteroids through the International Astronomical Search Collaboration, developed an automated system that helps volunteer astronomers determine whether faint moving objects in telescope images are genuine asteroids, improving the accuracy and reliability of citizen science efforts in planetary defence.
Audrey Cowen
Platinum Awards – Discovery – Senior Harnessing Inhibition of Efflux to Reverse Antifungal Resistance
Cowen identified compounds that block the molecular pumps used by a common drug-resistant fungus to expel antifungal medication, restoring the drug’s effectiveness in killing the infection while confirming minimal toxicity to healthy human cells.
Willem Vuurmans
Platinum Awards – Innovation – Junior EXODEC: A Rational Design Framework for BBB Ligand Evaluation and De Novo Peptide Engineering
Vuurmans built a computational tool to evaluate potential treatments for brain diseases across five stages of crossing the blood-brain barrier, the biological filter that prevents most drugs from reaching the brain.
Siddharth Rajesh
Platinum Awards – Innovation – Intermediate APTAi: De Novo Aptamer Design for Proteomic Biomarker Detection Using a Physics-Informed AI Model
Rajesh developed an AI-powered platform to design aptamers, short DNA sequences used to detect disease-related proteins, providing a rapid alternative to the expensive, months-long laboratory process currently required to develop diagnostics for conditions such as sepsis.
Exiting,, yes?