The iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) Competition is the world's largest synthetic biology competition, organized annually by the iGEM Foundation. Founded at MIT in 2003, iGEM brings together interdisciplinary student teams from around the globe to design and build biological systems using standard, interchangeable parts (BioBricks). Teams receive a kit of biological parts from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts and spend several months engineering organisms with novel capabilities to address real-world problems in areas such as health, energy, the environment, and food security. Projects culminate in a comprehensive wiki documenting the team's work, a presentation video, and a judging session. In-person teams showcase their projects at booths and deliver live stage talks at the annual Grand Jamboree in Paris, the world's largest gathering of the synthetic biology community. Teams are evaluated for bronze, silver, and gold medals, with special prizes awarded in categories such as Best Hardware, Best Software Tool, Best Model, and Grand Prize. With over 80,000 alumni from 65+ countries, iGEM has become a cornerstone of synthetic biology education and innovation worldwide.
Cycle verification — November 4, 2026: the official registration overview, fees table, and team roster rules identify the 2026 season. The fee table's date widgets change with the viewer's timezone: the listed deadlines above are their UTC rendering, with payment due at 15:00 UTC. No exact January 1 opening or season start was verified. The 2027 application schedule and fees remain unknown.
The 2026 deliverables page, viewed in UTC, lists October 21 for the wiki, judging form, attributions, registry contributions and software, and October 28 for the presentation video. Judging sessions and live team presentations are November 13–15. The Jamboree logistics page independently confirms the Paris event's local calendar dates of November 13–16, 2026; the full multi-month competition is not a four-day program.