School Maker Faire

School Maker Faires are collaborative, innovative, generative, and fun. These in-school events celebrate invention, creativity, and resourcefulness. Students can show what they’ve made and share what they’ve learned with others—a great match for any educational community.  In short, making develops thinkers and doers with the skills to excel in and innovate the future.

Why Host a School Maker Faire?

School Maker Faire organizers can be teachers, parents, administrators, and even students. Makers are primarily students—individuals, clubs, classes, or groups. The result of a School Maker Faire? A student body bursting with creative invention and excited to get more into making and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math).

Showcase the making already taking place on campus.
Replace a more limited science fair model.
Connect with larger creativity, innovation, STEM, or art initiatives.
Cultivate awareness of the global Maker movement.
Develop and integrate the school community in new ways. 

Program Criteria

The School Maker Faire program is intended for K-12 (or international equivalent) schools of any type (public, private, or charter) and is produced by and for that school community.

  • School Maker Faire organizers can be students, teachers, administrators, parents, or community organizations or any combination thereof.
  • The focus of School Maker Faire is to showcase individual or group student projects. Projects can be from any discipline (science, art, math, sports, etc.) or interdisciplinary.
  • School Maker Faires are not promoted beyond the immediate school community, except by personal invitation.
  • Online visibility of a School Maker Faire is limited to current school websites or existing social media feeds. Standalone online and social media presence with “Maker Faire” in the name is not allowed.
  • Registration for a single School Maker Faire license is $99.99, annually. You will need to re-register your event each year you produce it.
  • Upon completing registration, you receive access to resources in our School Maker Faire hub.

If you are hoping to develop a multi-school, city-wide, or regional event, or are a university or other post-secondary institution, please fill out our Maker Faire Interest Form. More information about our Community Maker Faire Program can be found HERE.

School Maker Faire Membership Provides

Registered School Maker Faires are part of a diverse international community of educators and students committed to developing maker education and broadening its impact. Since 2015, the School Maker Faire program has been helping schools of all shapes and sizes showcase the work of their students and inspiring educators and community leaders to expand opportunities for maker education and innovate hands-on and learning-by-doing curricula and programs. With an annual membership you receive:

  • Membership to Make: Community, including permission to use the Maker Faire name in the title of your event.
  • A customizable School Maker Faire logo to represent your event.
  • Representation on the Maker Faire map.
  • The School Maker Faire Playbook—a how-to guide to help you develop your faire.
  • Access to online content, including project curriculum and video library, throughout the year.
  • Opportunities for field trips with awesome makers from across the globe!
  • Access to the School Maker Faire Organizer Network with direct chat and communication functions.
  • Subscription to Make: magazine, print (US only) and full digital archive.
  • Access to educator events, classes, kits, Make: magazine, and Make: books.
  • A monthly Maker Education newsletter.

If you have further questions about the School Maker Faire Program please reach out to makerfaire@make.co.

“We ran our first School Maker Faire and it was a hit! Student-focused, hands-on noisy, messy—just what we were hoping for! Thank you for sharing all of your organizational strategies. Our second annual School Maker Faire will be even better!”
NIS AMERICAN SCHOOL OF DUBAI