Freezes are hard due dates that will not be extended, no exceptions! Please make sure you review the dates below with your teammates and mark your calendars for the big deadlines, especially the Freezes!
Take extra care to note the times of the deadlines! Most due dates and freezes are at 23:59 EDT (midnight). The two video deadlines will be at 11:59AM EDT (midday).
Times are stated in EDT (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC -04), or EST (Eastern Standard Time, UTC -05) after November 7.
Deadlines are displayed in many places on iGEM websites. If there are discrepancies between 2021.igem.org/Calendar (this page) and any other location, please refer to the dates on 2021.igem.org/Calendar (this page), and contact us at hq [AT] igem [DOT] org to report the discrepancy.

Competition Calendar Updated

The iGEM 2021 Calendar was updated on July 29, 2021, to reflect new deadlines and freeze dates for the 2021 Competition. Please check the calendar below for these important updates! You can find the full list of updates here

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact iGEM HQ by emailing us at hq [AT] igem [DOT] org.

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

1

Late Team Registration Opens

Late team registration for the 2021 season opens today. For details about fees and payment, please see our Competition Registration Page.

1

Opening Day!

May 1 is Opening Day for iGEM 2021! On this day you can view and edit the safety forms, update your team rosters, make your track selection, and much more!

It’s important to note that this does not refer to the day you begin your project. Teams can begin their work at any time.

Track Selection Opens

Teams can indicate their track preference while track selection is open. Track selection will allow other teams interested in the same track to find you and possibly form useful collaborations. Your team's final track selection is due on September 24, 23:59 EDT.

Team Roster Opens

For collegiate teams, Team Rosters are used to determine if your team will be categorized as an Undergraduate or Overgraduate team (high school teams are automatically placed into the high school section). This will impact the track awards and special prizes you can compete for during the competition, so make sure your Team Roster is correct and up to date.

Only the team members (including PIs, instructors, students, and advisors) listed on the Team Roster will be officially recognized as iGEM 2021 participants. Only approved individuals on the Team Roster will receive participation certificates, so please make sure your Team Roster is up to date! The deadline for Final Team Roster is September 24, 23:59 EDT. Click this page for instructions for how to manage the team roster.

Safety Form and Safety Check-Ins Open

Team Safety Check-In forms open and are accepted throughout the iGEM competition. Your team's Safety Form opens. Both the Check-Ins and Safety Form are reviewed by the iGEM Safety Committee. Please review the Safety Form carefully to make sure you understand every component of the form prior to the due dates.

An initial version of the Safety Form (Preliminary) is due on June 25 and any team member may submit these parts of the form.
The Safety Form (Final) is due on October 1 and your Primary PI must submit the final, completed form.

GitHub Sign-Up Opens

The iGEM GitHub Repository sign-up opens today. This is a requirement for Software Track teams, but any team writing software may request access to the iGEM GitHub Repository. Teams may sign up for access by emailing software [AT] igem [DOT] org. The deadline to submit your code documentation is October 1.

15 - 16

Opening Weekend Festival

Get ready for the Opening Weekend Festival, the official start of the 2021 iGEM Competition season! Make this iGEM Opening Weekend Festival an occasion, take a moment and celebrate with your team before the madness begins. Visit festival.igem.io to pre-register, explore the lineup, watch on-demand videos, and learn how to host your own iGEM Festival party.

28

Late Team Registration Ends

Late team registration closes today, May 28, 2021, at 23:59 EDT. For details about fees and payment, please see our Competition Registration Page.

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

1

Giant Jamboree Late Registration Opens

Late registration for the Giant Jamboree begins on September 1 at 12:00AM EDT and ends on September 30 at 23:59 EDT! Teams must register by the late registration deadline in order to ensure you have a presentation session at the Giant Jamboree.

24

Final Team Rosters due

Your team roster must be finalized by September 24, 23:59 EDT.

Why is this deadline important?
For collegiate teams, Team Rosters are used to determine if your team will be categorized as an Undergraduate or Overgraduate team (high school teams are automatically placed into the high school section). This will impact the track awards and special prizes you can compete for during the competition, so make sure your Team Roster is correct and up to date. Only the team members (including PIs, instructors, students, and advisors) listed on the Team Roster will be officially recognized as iGEM 2021 participants. Only approved individuals on the Team Roster will receive participation certificates after the Giant Jamboree, so please make sure your Team Roster is up to date! The deadline for Final Team Roster is September 24 at 23:59 EDT. Click this page for instructions for how to manage the team roster.

24

Final Track Selection due

Final track selections must be finalized by September 24, 23:59 EDT.

Why is this deadline important?
Track selection is important as it directly impacts the Giant Jamboree presentation schedule. We will group teams together by track in random groups of three to fit within the presentation schedule. Track selection also impacts the awards that will be given during the Giant Jamboree (for example, if there are no teams in a specific track, then there will be no award given for that track). You can make your track selection on your Team Information Page, found through the Team List ⇗.

30

Giant Jamboree Late Registration closes

Late registration for the Giant Jamboree will end on September 30 at 23:59 EDT.

OCTOBER

1

Final Safety Forms Due

Your team's Safety Form must be completed and submitted by October 1, 23:59 EDT.

Your Safety Form must be completed and submitted by one of the team's PIs by October 1, 23:59 EDT. If you will not be able to complete this form before the deadline, please email us at safety [AT] igem [DOT] org and tell us about your situation.

1

Team Project Title and Abstract Freeze

Your team project title and abstract must be submitted by October 1, 23:59 EDT.

Why is this deadline important?
Your team project title and abstract is important for your team's Judging Form. You need to add your title and abstract to your Team Information Page, found through the Team List ⇗, and the Title and Abstract will be automatically copied over to your Judging Form. It's the first item about your project that your Judges will see upon viewing your Judging Form, so make sure to submit it on time! Your project title and abstract will be posted online for everyone to view prior to the Giant Jamboree.

1

Preliminary Judging Form Due

Why is this deadline important?
The Judging Form informs your team's judges about the medal criteria you have fulfilled as well as any special prize(s) you have nominated your team to compete for at the Giant Jamboree. This deadline gives you extra time to check that your Standard URL pages on your Team Wiki and Registry Part pages (if applicable) are correct before the Wiki and Registry Freezes.
Please start editing your judging form by October 1, and make sure you finalize and save your form by the Judging Form Freeze, October 21, 23:59 EDT.

13

Additional Team Information Due

NEW

To help Jamboree attendees learn more about your team's hard work and achievements from the season, we're building a new project discovery tool for the Jamboree event website, and we need some additional team information from you, including: Team photo, Team logo, Public-facing email address, and Social media accounts. Please submit your team information by October 13, 11:59 EDT.

21

Registry Pages Freeze

The Registry Freeze is on October 21, 23:59 EDT.

Why is this deadline important?
All of your Registry pages must be completed by this deadline, as we will freeze the entire Registry until after the Giant Jamboree. Teams must finalize their Registry Part pages so the judges can begin their assessment of your work. For all parts, all of your part documentation and characterization data must be on the Main Page of the Registry Part page(s).

21

Software Team GitHub Freeze

The GitHub Freeze is on October 21, 23:59 EDT.

Why is this deadline important?
Every Software Track team must submit their code documentation to the iGEM GitHub Repository for evaluation by the judges. We also strongly recommend any team creating a software tool upload their code to the iGEM GitHub Repository.

21

Wiki Freeze

The Wiki Freeze is on October 21, 23:59 EDT.

Why is this deadline important?
The Wiki Freeze is important for the judging process of the competition. Judges will be assigned their teams and begin judging assessments the next day. Your Wiki is the public face of your project, so make sure you begin work on it early to avoid last minute problems and mistakes. Once the wikis are frozen, users can no longer make any changes until they are unfrozen after the Jamboree. Please be sure to read through the the wiki requirements! No extensions will be provided (no exceptions!) and judges will begin their assessment the next day, so make sure all changes are done by October 21, 23:59 EDT.

IMPORTANT: All teams must follow the Wiki Rules. Failure to follow these rules may prevent your team from winning medals or prizes.

PLEASE NOTE: During week of wiki freeze, iGEM experiences higher than normal traffic which can lead to strain on our servers and sessions timing out for users. iGEM HQ recommends that users do not wait till the last days to work on and/or finish their wikis. Edits done during the final week should be very minor edits (spelling mistakes, updating images, etc.).

21

Final Judging Form Freeze

Your team judging form must be finalized by October 21, 23:59 EDT.

Why is this deadline important?
The Judging Form informs your team's judges about the medal criteria you have fulfilled as well as any special prize(s) you have nominated your team to compete for at the Giant Jamboree. This deadline allows iGEM Headquarters to assign the judges to your team, so this is a very critical deadline for every team. Please make sure you fill out and save your form by October 21, 23:59 EDT.

28

Team Presentation Videos Due

The Team Presentation Videos are due on October 28, 11:59AM EDT / 11:59 EDT.

Why is this deadline important?
Every team must create and submit a Team Presentation Video this year. You must submit your project presentation video by October 28, 11:59AM EDT. Instructions for submission will be available on the Presentation Video page closer to the deadline.

NA

Poster Freeze

Teams are no longer required to submit posters for this year

NOVEMBER

4

Giant Jamboree Begins

For more details, visit the Giant Jamboree page.

14

Giant Jamboree Ends

For more details, visit the Giant Jamboree page.

DECEMBER

17

Closing Date for 2021 Competition / Wiki Archive Date

Team wikis will be re-frozen and archived at 23:59 EST. This is your last chance to make final corrections, or add your Jamboree results after the Giant Jamboree. Teams will not be able to edit their pages again after this date, so please ensure all content is correct!

UPDATES

The iGEM 2021 Calendar was updated on July 29, 2021, to reflect new deadlines and freeze dates for the 2021 Competition. Please check the calendar below for these important updates! The full list of updates can be found below:

Final Safety Form Due: TBD → October 1 23:59 EDT
Title and Abstract Due: TBD → October 1 23:59 EDT
Preliminary Judging Form Due: TBD → October 1 23:59 EDT
Wiki Freeze: TBD → October 21 23:59 EDT
Registry Freeze: TBD → October 21 23:59 EDT
GitHub Freeze: TBD → October 21 23:59 EDT
Judging Form Freeze: TBD → October 21 23:59 EDT
Presentation Videos Due: TBD → October 28 11:59 EDT
Poster Freeze: No longer required

If there are discrepancies in calendar dates between 2021.igem.org/Calendar and any other location, please refer to the dates on 2021.igem.org/Calendar, and contact us at hq [AT] igem [DOT] org to report the discrepancy.

Calendar

iGEM 2021 Deadlines Calendar

Competition Calendar Updated

Regular Team Registration Opens

Regular Team Registration Closes

Late Team Registration Opens

Opening Day!

Track Selection Opens

Team Roster Opens

Safety Form and Safety Check-Ins Open

GitHub Sign-Up Opens

Opening Weekend Festival

Late Team Registration Ends

Giant Jamboree Registration Opens

Preliminary Safety Form Due

Team Project Promotion Videos Due - Deadline Postponed

Check-in Day: Roster and Track

Consent Forms Due

Testing Day

Giant Jamboree Registration closes