Beyond the fair
STEM opportunities & events.
Hackathons, festivals, competitions and free tools for students and teachers, shared by the NMSEF office.
Coming up
Events
Nov 14–15, 2026 · Albuquerque
NASA Space Apps Challenge
A free, family-friendly hackathon at the Taylor Ranch Library (5700 Bogart St NW), sponsored by Verus Research. It starts at 1:30 pm on Saturday, November 14. All ages and professions are welcome, and no coding experience is required.
Pick a beginner, intermediate or advanced challenge and solve real problems on Earth and in space. Cash prizes of $300, $200 and $100, plus a nomination to compete for Global Winner.
Fri, Nov 20, 2026 · Albuquerque
Discovery Festival
Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Mexico's STEAM+H event offers students hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, the arts, math and health. 9 am to 2 pm at Expo NM.
Programs & tools
Opportunities
- K–12Invention
Invention Convention Worldwide
Independent Inventor Program
A K–12 invention education program from The Henry Ford that teaches problem-identification, problem-solving, creativity and entrepreneurship. The Independent Inventor Program is for students and educators without a local affiliate, outside its grade range, or homeschooled.
- Free introductory webinars for educators
- Access to inHub lessons in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Arabic
- Students may join only one Invention Convention pathway
- FreeGrades 6–12
Scienium
A free tool for students starting a project
A free browser game where your team runs a research lab and works through the real stages of a science fair project: choosing a topic, reviewing the literature, refining a research plan and analyzing data. Built by Rig Saini, a California student who placed 2nd in biomedical engineering at ISEF. Teachers can set up a class in about ten minutes.
- Ages 10–19June 2027
International Greenwich Olympiad 2027
June 20–26, 2027 · University of Greenwich, London
A global, project-based competition built around the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with categories from AI, engineering and environmental science to short film, public speaking and a sumo robot challenge. Supervisors register teams; projects submitted before January 1 get early-bird discounts.
