Two Fayette County Public Schools students — one from Winburn Middle School and one from Dunbar Middle School — have been named to the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge Top 300, the nation's premier STEM competition for middle schoolers, according to Society for Science.
The announcement came September 2, 2026. The two students were chosen from a pool of 1,997 applicants spanning 47 states and five U.S. territories — meaning they finished in roughly the top 15 percent of the entire national field.
Getting this far required clearing two hurdles: first, placing in the top 10 percent of a Society-affiliated local science fair to earn a nomination, then submitting an application strong enough to stand out nationally. The Thermo Fisher JIC reaches 60,000 students annually through that affiliated fair network, according to Society for Science.
The next cut is steep. On September 16, Society for Science will announce the Top 30 finalists — selected from the 300 by a nationwide panel of scientists, engineers, and educators. That group will compete for awards including a $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND Award and several $10,000 prizes. Each of the Top 300, including the two FCPS students, has already earned a $125 DoW STEM award and a prize package from competition partners.
I am incredibly proud of this year's Top 300 Junior Innovators. Their curiosity, creativity and determination to tackle some of our most pressing challenges — from clean water to chronic disease — show what's possible when young people are empowered to pursue their ideas.— Maya Ajmera, President and CEO, Society for Science
This year's Top 300 nationally are working on projects that include designing a solar-powered air purifier, using machine learning to predict asthma risk, and applying artificial intelligence to improve aviation safety, according to Society for Science.
FCPS has not released the names of the two students or details about their specific projects. The district noted both students hope to advance to the final round.
The September 16 finalist announcement will determine whether either FCPS student moves on to compete for the top prizes. If they do, they would join a short list of finalists drawn from a field that started with nearly 2,000 middle schoolers across the country.
Why it matters — Two local middle schoolers are now one cut away from competing for up to $25,000 in a national STEM competition — and the next announcement comes September 16.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- The names of the two FCPS students and the subjects of their projects have not been publicly released
Reported by fcps.net, societyforscience.org
Where this comes from
Written by Papalocal's AI from these outlets' reporting. It can miss or misread things; the outlets are the record.