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.
iGEM
iGEM Competition
About the Program
Eligibility
Teams must be affiliated with an academic institution, community lab, or recognized organization. Each team requires a Primary PI (Principal Investigator) who is a faculty member or equivalent, plus at least one Instructor/Advisor. Teams consist of student members working on a synthetic biology project over several months, culminating in a wiki, presentation video, and judging session. Teams must complete safety forms, a judging form, and project attributions. All participants must submit a Participant Consent Form; participants under 18 require parent/guardian signatures. High School division: secondary school students. Collegiate division: Undergraduate teams consist of students aged 23 or younger; Overgraduate teams include members older than 23. There is no strict minimum age, but participants under 18 need parental consent. High School division for secondary school students; Collegiate division for undergraduate and graduate/postgraduate students. Community labs and entrepreneurial teams may also participate.
Eligible Countries
other residency: Worldwide🌎 Open to teams worldwide. Teams must be affiliated with an academic institution, community lab, or recognized organization.
How to Apply
Teams register through the iGEM Competition platform at competition.igem.org. The Primary PI creates the team and manages registration. Stage I (Program Fee) must be paid to officially enter the competition. Teams then work on their synthetic biology projects, build a wiki, submit deliverables, and complete Stage II (Finalization) to be eligible for judging. In-person teams purchase individual Jamboree tickets (Stage III) to attend the Grand Jamboree in Paris where they present their work to judges and the global community.