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Informed by Data

Multi-year formative and summative evaluations by Arizona State University found that participation in Citizen Science Month benefits participants, project scientists, and facilitators—including increased understanding of citizen science and greater confidence to engage in projects.

Evaluation Highlights

Citizen Science Month 2024 Summative Evaluation

Citizen Science Month Across the Years: 2025 Poster, Association for the Advancement of Participatory Sciences

April is Citizen Science Month!

A global celebration of public participation in scientific research.

Each April, Citizen Science Month celebrates the people, projects, and scientific outcomes made possible through public participation. In 2026, we worked together to surpass 2.50 Million Acts of Science, marking America’s 250th Birthday through collective discovery, service, and impact. We hit our goal on Earth Day and ended the month with more than 4.7 Million Acts of Science!

See the Citizen Science Month 2026 Outcomes

What is Citizen Science Month?

Citizen Science Month is a global call to action each April, inviting people everywhere to help shape the future through science. While SciStarter connects people to citizen science projects and events year-round, this month brings together partners worldwide to reach new audiences and remind people that their participation truly matters. Small but important Acts of Science, taken together, lead to big impacts.

Citizen Science Month also presents an inspiring challenge for collective action. In 2026, participants around the world aimed for 2.50 Million Acts of Science, demonstrating how individual contributions add up to meaningful scientific impact. Participants also earned the 2.50 Million Acts of Science badge in recognition of their contributions!

Citizen Science Month is built on the belief that everyone has something to contribute. Throughout April, during events and through ongoing projects, individuals of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to take part in real scientific research. No prior experience is needed, only curiosity and a willingness to contribute.

Visit SciStarter.org/CitizenScienceMonth to learn how you can participate and be recognized for your contributions during Citizen Science Month.

WHAT IS AN ACT OF SCIENCE?

An Act of Science is any real way you help science. During Citizen Science Month, this can include sharing observations with a project, helping analyze data, attending a citizen science event, or completing the Foundations of Citizen Science training. Each of these actions counts as an Act of Science.

The goal of “Millions of Acts of Science” shows how many small actions, taken together, can create a big scientific impact.

Learn about the fundamentals in our free self-guided Foundations of Citizen Science online training.

What is Acts of Science: Connected?

Acts of Science: Connected is a series of weekly, live virtual events in April, bringing people together around the world to take part in the same citizen science project at the same time. Fully produced by SciStarter and Arizona State University and hosted on Zoom, each event is led live by a project scientist and features hands-on participation across an exciting range of topics—from exploring weather on Mars and discovering comets, to transcribing historic records, spotting wildlife, and even playing games that advance medical research.

Anyone can join from anywhere on their own by registering for one of the weekly Zoom events.

Libraries, museums, schools, cafés, and community spaces: make participation easy, fun, and social by hosting an in-person gathering to livestream the virtual event so attendees can join in together. Designed for families and communities ages 13+. Find everything you need here.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Visit CitizenScienceMonth.org/Participate to find ways to get started in minutes.

Find projects: Use SciStarter to discover projects by topic, location, and age level.
Join events: Participate in online workshops or local gatherings during April.
Contribute data: Make observations from your backyard, school, library, or community.

For a full list of projects, curated for the region you live in, visit our project finder.

**2.50 Million Acts of Science Badge!**

Learn how to earn a digital badge for your participation in 2.50 Million Acts of Science!

Learn More

The History of Citizen Science Month

Citizen Science Month began in 2019 as Citizen Science Day and expanded into a month-long initiative in 2020. Over time, the initiative has grown in geographic reach, strengthened partner engagement, and added training and resources to support both participants and facilitators.

Giles, E., Et al. Citizen Science Month Across the Years: Lessons Learned & Impacts Measured. ECSA Conference 2026.

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS

Since expanding to a full month, the program has evolved through continuous improvement and evaluation—including foundational training for citizen scientists and facilitators, global collaboration, and expanded community hubs (including libraries) that support participation worldwide. Learn more about what we achieved together during Citizen Science Month 2025 and see the most recent results from Citizen Science 2026 on the SciStarter Blog!

Citizen Science Month 2025 Highlights Reel

Founding Partners

SciStarter.org
SciStarter brings together people, projects, and tools to make large-scale public participation in science possible. It connects millions of curious and concerned individuals with thousands of opportunities to participate in real scientific research, offering volunteer pathways that match people’s interests, time, goals, and availability. This shared ecosystem accelerates scientific research and delivers meaningful benefits for society.

Arizona State University
The School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS) is a transdisciplinary unit at the vanguard of ASU’s commitment to linking innovation to public value. SFIS pursues a vision of responsible innovation that anticipates challenges and opportunities, integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives, and engages broad audiences. By examining the ways we translate imagination into innovation — and how we blend technical and social concerns along the way — SFIS aims to build a future for everyone. ASU’s University Office of Evaluation and Educational Effectiveness (UOEEE) & College Research and Evaluation Services Team (CREST) has supplied research and evaluation support across the years.

Association for the Advancement of Participatory Sciences
The Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS) is a member-driven organization that connects people from a wide range of experiences around one shared purpose: advancing knowledge through research and monitoring done by, for, and with members of the public. The association was a founding partner supporting the growth and coordination of the participatory sciences field.

Financial and Partnership Support
Thanks to support over the years from the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, SciStarter and Arizona State University have scaled the program globally, supported a network of more than 1,000 public libraries, and increased the public’s awareness of and engagement in scientific research.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Citizen Science Month?

Citizen science (also called participatory research or community science) takes place year-round. Each April, Citizen Science Month spotlights discoveries, volunteers, practitioners, projects, and outcomes—and makes it easier for people to join together in shared activities.

What is “Citizen Science”?

Scientists can’t be everywhere and they don’t know everything. That’s why they need you. By following simple protocols, such as documenting observations or classifying images, you can jump in and help answer questions scientists cannot answer without you. Every project is different, and everyone is invited to participate.

Where can I learn more about hosting an event in April?

Visit the Citizen Science Month resources page to explore toolkits, planning guides, and outreach materials. Use our Media Toolkit to spread the word!

What’s the relationship between Citizen Science Month, Acts of Science, and Acts of Science: Connected?

Citizen Science Month is the umbrella term for all events and programs taking place in April.

Acts of Science: this is a call to action and one way to digitally measure impact. How many data observations were shared? How many online data files were annotated or analyzed? SciStarter records these Acts through Affiliate projects (these projects uses digital tools that report data to SciStarter) and self reporting through online forms hosted by SciStarter. In April 2026, the goal is 2.50 Million Acts of Science in celebration of America’s 250th birthday.

Acts of Science: Connected: This refers to a series of weekly, virtual events hosted by SciStarter that feature a single project. Anyone can tune in from wherever they are, as we all do the same project together. We’ll introduce you to the project scientist who will talk us through the steps and answer your questions.
Many libraries, schools, museums, etc, will host in-person gatherings and livestream these virtual events. Attendees will bring their computers. Hosts will stream the virtual event, and provide Wi-Fi, space, swag, and fun and people around the world engage in the same project, at the same time.

Find a list of weekly events and featured projects here.