Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is a research-based science competition in the United States primarily for high school students. It has been referred to "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" ^[1] science competition, and the Westinghouse/Intel awards have been referred to as the "Baby Nobels."^[2] In his speech at the dinner honoring the 1991 Winners, President George H. W. Bush called the competition the "Super Bowl of science."^[3]

The Intel STS is administered by the Society for Science & the Public, which began the competition in 1942 with Westinghouse; for many years, the competition was known as the "Westinghouse Science Talent Search." In 1998, Intel became the sponsor after it outbid Siermens, which had acquired Westinghouse's power generation unit . (Siemens subsequently sponsored its own competition.) Over the years, over $3.8 million in scholarships have been awarded through the program.

Nearly all of the entrants work with mentors, as high school students typically do not have the capabilities of doing research projects entirely on their own. The mentors are usually professional researchers,^{[4][citation needed]} and the entrants' work is ordinarily performed over two years in those laboratories.^{[citation needed]} However, the research papers must be all in the entrants' own writing, and the teenage Finalists' papers are regarded to be "college-level, professional quality."^{[5][citation needed]} The selection process is highly competitive, and besides the research paper, letters of recommendation, essays, test scores, extracurricular activities, and high school transcripts may be factored in the selection of finalists and winners.

Each year, approximately 1,600 papers are submitted. The top 300 applicants are announced in mid-January with each semifinalist and their school receiving $1,000. In late January, the 40 finalists (the scholarship winners) are informed. In March, the finalists are flown to Washington, D.C. where they are interviewed for the top ten spots, which have scholarships ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 for the first prize winner. By tradition, at least one of the interviewers is a Nobel Laureate, and the interviewers have included Glenn T. Seaborg (Nobel Laureate with Edwin M. McMillan in Chemistry, 1951) and Joseph Taylor (Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1993).^{[citation needed]} In addition, all finalists receive $5,000 scholarships and an Intel-based computer.