Host a STEAM event

Host a STEAM event

The COSI Science Festival invites you to join in the fun and showcase the STEAM occurring in your organization.

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CSF Community Events...

Come in many formats:

Small, intimate events such as nature walks or a tour may attract a half dozen people, well known speakers or high profile events may attract thousands. No event is too large or too small for the COSI Science Festival.

Are produced by many different groups and individuals:

The COSI Science Festival relies on businesses, organizations, museums, cultural and educational institutions, scientists, engineers, designers, and technologists to contribute content to programs, host events, and create STEAM projects during the COSI Science Festival. Join us in our effort to develop high-impact programs that elevate science literacy in our community and beyond. Collaboration is key to the success of the COSI Science Festival.

Celebrate STEAM concepts:

Ultimately, COSI Science Festival events share several common bonds. Festival events celebrate science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics and their impacts on our world. Festival events are fun, engaging, and demonstrate that science is everywhere and for everyone. We believe something really special happens when people come together to inspire their community through creative collaboration.

Interested in hosting an event?

The 2024 Community STEAM Event application window has closed.

Benefits of Participation:

In 2023, the COSI Science Festival saw over 40,000 attendees, and a thorough evaluation indicated the attendees gained an increased appreciation for STEAM and a broadened view of STEAM career options.

Increase Community Visibility

A key component of the COSI Science Festival is to display the impressive array of STEAM opportunities in the region and beyond. This varies from research at colleges and universities, career paths at our local companies, or neighborhood resources. We want to foster an appreciation of STEAM, how interconnected and beneficial it is to our everyday life. We promise it includes the work you’re doing.

Gain New Audiences

Ohio loves the COSI Science Festival, with tens of thousands of yearly attendees. Our vision is to engage, inspire, and transform lives, making STEAM learning accessible to all. COSI serves as a hub for families, teachers, and students, equipping them with the tools and knowledge for lifelong learning. We aim to create a STEAM-literate community that can thrive in the digital economy and tackle 21st-century challenges. Our goal is not just about increasing attendance; it’s about connecting individuals with the idea that science is part of everyone’s work and celebrating the benefits it brings to our lives.

Connect with Science, Cultural, and Educational Institutions

The COSI Science Festival is a central point of connection for people and organizations who are passionate about the importance of STEAM education. By participating in the festival, there are a variety of opportunities to grow these connections, creating new ideas for exciting events and collaborations to share the importance of STEAM with the public. Join in the fun and let’s see what we can do together.

Event Host Timeline:

Event Categories:

One of the primary goals of the COSI Science Festival is to make sure that quality science engagement opportunities take place all throughout Central Ohio. In order to expand the reach of the Festival, geographically diverse organizations are needed to host events that fall into the categories below.


Be A Scientist Series: Host an event at your location displaying the cool STEAM you do! Be A Scientist events provide behind-the-scenes access to the region’s labs, nature centers, museums, and more to learn what STEAM experts do on a daily basis – all while having fun!

Adult Science Series: Whether your event requires attendees to be 21+ or is simply content for an older audience, help us prove that it’s never too late to have fun with science!
Arts Event: There’s a commonality of creativity driving arts and science, both are problem solving and render ideas about the world into a form that allows the viewer to connect. One way to make science more accessible is to highlight how science and art are connected. Whether you’ve got a scientist who isn’t afraid to perform on stage or someone who is painting a series of murals on lizards, we’re here to tell the public about it.
Science Block Party: Invite the whole neighborhood for a science block party. These could have music and/or food trucks, as well as science themed hands on stations, but are large-scale, fun, engagement opportunities.
Have an event idea that doesn’t fit in one of the above categories? Not a problem. You can always submit a proposal for any event idea that you have.

Want more in-depth information?

View our COSI Science Festival Partner Guide

CSF Partner Guide

Produce an event:
Events, no matter their size, can make a significant impact on an attendee. What’s an important topic related to your organization’s mission that you’d like to convey?
We typically recommend hosting events after school hours, but ultimately the time, topic, and format are up to you. What aligns with your organization’s goals and your audience? We encourage new ideas, but something you could repeat may also be a great fit.

Promote your event and the overall festival:
Once you know what to do, it’s important to tell people about it. COSI will send you a toolkit to help advertise, but event hosts should work with COSI to promote their event, including social media posts, email social media, and posting signage.

Complete necessary paperwork:
While applying is easy, there are a few key steps in the application process. As we approach the COSI Science Festival, it is critical that you meet timeline deadlines. Receiving the information needed for your event will help us both advertise your event to the public.

  • Event subject matter should showcase your organization’s mission and what you’re passionate about. Ultimately this is decided by you, but we’re willing to provide as much feedback as you’d like. We guarantee there’s something cool, regardless of the industry.
  • Science, technology, engineering, art, and/or mathematics should be a significant component of the event. We encourage you to think outside the box and try something you haven’t done before, but also consider what has worked well in the past.
  • Host accepts all responsibility for the event, including organization, content, staffing, costs, etc.
  • In person events are typically located in Ohio. Virtual events are also perfectly accessible. Have an idea for something that isn’t in Ohio? Let’s talk! – [email protected]
  • Event should occur during the COSI Science Festival, however events that begin prior to the Festival but culminate during the Festival may also be acceptable. Events should not occur on the last day of the festival during the Big Science Celebration at COSI.
  • Event should be accessible to the general public. Free events are encouraged, but free events with admission are acceptable. Keep transit, time of day, and parking in mind as you plan.
  • Free events are encouraged. If they are ticketed, it is to cover production costs only. Typically we aren’t able to support events that are fundraisers for other causes.
  • Host agrees to promote the event as a COSIScifest event using marketing materials provided by the COSI Science Festival.
  • Host agrees to provide COSI with requested feedback.
  • Festival organizers may reject events that are determined to be excessively commercial. Festival organizers reserve the right to reject any event for any reason.

COSI Science Festival organizers work with hosts to maximize attendance and to ensure that every event meets Festival standards. To assist hosts, the Science Festival will:

  • Promote events on the COSI Science Festival website as part of the online calendar.
  • Promote events via the COSI social media feeds and through a statewide marketing campaign.
  • Provide hosts with a COSI Science Festival branding tool kit such as event signage, advertising templates and the COSI Science Festival logo for use with print and electronic marketing efforts.
  • Provide hosts with COSI Science Festival swag.
  • Create a unique URL for hosts to use to promote events within their communities.
  • COSI will send a COSI representative as available.

Possible events include lectures, expos, science cafes, family science events, exhibitions and performances. Please see the 2023 Event Archive for more examples.

The COSI Science Festival team will review submitted events and ensure they meet our selection criteria. Events that meet the selection criteria are named “Official Events.” If a proposed event does not meet the selection criteria, Festival staff will contact the event organizer to suggest modifications.

Need help with an event idea?

If you’d like to host an event but need an idea, we can help. The Festival team is happy to consult with members of your organization to discuss event possibilities and to connect you with like-minded STEAM professionals in your region. For more information, please contact: [email protected].