Although anxiety is a significant emotional element of formal school science, little is known about how anxiety is originated and managed in the context of science fairs. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how a group of students in Grades 7 to 12 discursively (re)produce anxiety and its management from the perspective of their participation in a national science fair competition in Canada. Based on the analysis of participant's talk during a focus group interview, our findings suggest that "performance anxiety" is an emotion inherent to participation in all stages of the event: from choosing a project to the administration of time, performing in front of an audience, and gaining public recognition. In this context, recurring participation emerges as an effective strategy for coping with this feeling. In exploring the ways that academically successful science students talk about how anxiety is generated and regulated, we advance knowledge about science fair participation and contribute to current discussions on how to create more captivating school science learning environments for all.