The State Science & Engineering Fair is an annual event that showcases Minnesota's best and brightest students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math. It is the culmination of Regional MN Fairs occurring throughout the state. Participants in the State Science & Engineering Fair are in Junior or Senior High. Senior High Students participate in the Project Competition, Junior High Students may participate with a project, a research paper or both. Senior High Students wishing to participate in a research paper competition participate in the Junior Science & Humanities Symposium.

From approximately 2,500 regional participants, about 350 are selected to present at the State Science & Engineering Fair. At the fair, over 75 organizations and businesses present over 300 awards to students with outstanding projects.

More than a competition, the State Science & Engineering Fair champions young scientists' work throughout the year with teacher and mentor support and the opportunity to present and dialogue about their work. Students conduct their own original research and present it before a number of judges. They learn individually and from others by discussing the nature of the scientific inquiry, defending their reasoning, and articulating their specific findings orally and graphically with a display board. Students are evaluated on four criteria: the process of science; effectiveness of communication; context of the project and their scope of understanding.