Competitions for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 630 competitions for high school students. Of these, 329 are free to participate in and 328 offer virtual participation. Examples include 2026 U.S. Innovator Challenge, 7EDU Global Academy NACLO Site (Bay Area), and 9th Circuit Civics Contest.
- 630
- listed
- 329
- free
- 328
- virtual
- 627
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are competitions for high school students?
- Competitions for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- When are the application deadlines?
- 627 of the 630 competitions listed here have a specific deadline month noted. Deadlines vary by program, so check each listing for exact dates.
- Are any of these competitions free?
- Yes — 329 of the 630 competitions listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 328 of the 630 competitions listed here offer virtual or online participation.
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2026 U.S. Innovator Challenge
The U.S. Innovator Challenge is an invitation-only national innovation competition hosted by Innovation World where top K-12 inventors from across the United States present their inventions virtually, with winners advancing to a global innovation event.
7EDU Global Academy NACLO Site (Bay Area)
Only public Bay Area high‑school NACLO site; good option if your school doesn't host the competition.
9th Circuit Civics Contest
Essay or video contest on "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness," analyzing one core right historically and today.
AAN Neuroscience Research Prize
Submit a research paper on a neuroscience topic. Winners present at the American Academy of Neurology conference.
Academic WorldQuest
A fast-paced team trivia competition for high school students testing knowledge of international politics, geography, global economics, history, and world cultures; teams first compete in local contests hosted by roughly 30 World Affairs Councils nationwide before winners advance to the national championship in Washington, D.C. each April.
Access Sacramento High School PSA Competition
An annual competition (12th+ year running) for high school students enrolled in animation or video production classes in the Sacramento County/West Sacramento area, who write and produce a 30-second public service announcement for a real community client such as the Sacramento Area Sewer District.
ACS National Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp
Invitation-only training camp for top USNCO performers preparing for International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).
ACS U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO)
The premier national chemistry exam; progression from local section to national camp and possible IChO team. Requires deep problem-solving and independent study.
Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose (The Adroit Journal)
Highly selective prizes in poetry and prose for secondary and undergraduate students; winners are published in The Adroit Journal.
Advanced Vertical Robotics (AVR) Competition
National HS competition using UAVs and ground vehicles in realistic mission scenarios like search and rescue. Focus on robotics systems integration.
Aerial Drone Competition (RECF/Robolink)
A national robotics competition recommended for grades 5-12 in which teams of 3-5 students pilot and program drones through teamwork, autonomous flight, piloting skill, and documentation challenges at events run by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation.
Aerospace Jam - High School Aerospace Robotics Competition
Robotics competition centered on space exploration and aerospace-themed robot challenges. Summer event with awards and recognition.
Aerospace Robotics Competition (ARC - Drone-Based)
Drone robotics competition where HS students design, code, and operate autonomous UAVs to complete missions. National event with scholarship opportunities.
AFSA National High School Essay Contest
An annual essay competition co-sponsored by the American Foreign Service Association and the U.S. Institute of Peace that asks high schoolers to write about diplomacy's role in resolving conflict, with a top prize including a Semester at Sea scholarship.
AFSF Annual Architectural Design Competition for High School Students
An annual design competition run by the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco in which Bay Area high schoolers respond to a real urban site brief (such as a waterfront redevelopment), submitting individual or group architectural proposals judged by design professionals.
AGU Bright STaRS
American Geophysical Union program inviting middle and high schoolers worldwide to present original Earth and space science research, including earthquake and seismology topics, as a poster at AGU's Annual Meeting, with complimentary conference registration included.
Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference
An all-expenses-paid week in Washington, D.C. for 51 high school juniors (one per state plus D.C.) who show promise in journalism, featuring newsroom visits and panels with working journalists; each Free Spirit Scholar also receives a $1,000 college scholarship.
ALA Girls Nation
American Legion Auxiliary program in which two graduating-senior delegates ("senators") from each state's Girls State program travel to Washington, D.C. for a seven-day mock legislature, writing and debating bills, campaigning for office, and visiting Capitol Hill and national landmarks; the 2026 session runs July 18-25.
Alameda County History Day
Local county contest for National History Day; students from Alameda County submit projects in February and compete at the county event on March 7, 2026.
Alameda County Science & Engineering Fair
County science fair leading to CSEF and ISEF qualification.
Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair (ACSEF)
If you live in Alameda county, this is your regional fair. Essential for qualifying for state/national genetics competitions.
All American High School Film Festival
Students submit short films across 13+ categories; official selections screen at a live festival/Teen Indie Awards with scholarship prizes.
All American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF)
The world's largest student film festival, where high school filmmakers submit short films for a chance to screen at an AMC theater in Times Square and compete for scholarships at an annual New York City awards weekend.
AMC 10/12 (MAA American Mathematics Competitions)
National contest series leading to AIME and USAMO, administered at schools or online through registered hosts with fall test dates.
American Academy of Neurology Neuroscience Research Prize
National competition co-sponsored with the Child Neurology Society for original high school research on the brain and nervous system, judged on relevance, creativity, and data interpretation.
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) High School Physics Photo Contest
Annual contest where students submit photos illustrating physics principles with written explanations.
American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive
ABT's flagship summer ballet training program held in New York, California, and Florida, offering advanced dancers instruction in ABT's National Training Curriculum with merit-based scholarships available.
American Battlefield Trust Postcard Contest
An annual creative contest from the American Battlefield Trust in which students in grades 4-12 design an illustrated postcard reflecting on the importance of preserving Civil War and Revolutionary War history.
American Computer Science League (ACSL)
Team-based competition with programming challenges and written tests covering Boolean algebra, digital electronics, algorithms, and data structures. Four divisions based on skill level.
American Legion Boys Nation
One of the most selective civic-education programs in the country: two delegates chosen from each state's American Legion Boys State program (about 100 nationally from a pool of 20,000+ Boys State participants) travel to Washington, D.C. to serve a week as mock U.S. senators, drafting bills, holding committee hearings, and meeting elected officials.
American Legion Dept. of California Oratorical Contest
Students deliver prepared/impromptu speeches on the U.S. Constitution, advancing through Post/District/Area/Department finals.
American Legion National Oratorical Contest
A Constitution-focused public-speaking scholarship contest where students deliver prepared and extemporaneous speeches on the U.S. Constitution, advancing from post to state to national, with a $25,000 national top prize.
American Legion Oratorical Contest – California
The American Legion's High School Oratorical Scholarship Program is a constitutional speech contest requiring students to deliver original orations on the U.S. Constitution and citizens' duties to government. California students compete through post, district, and area rounds before an annual Department (state) final, with winners advancing toward national competition for college scholarships.
American Philosophy Olympiad
High schoolers write a proctored philosophical essay (in French or Spanish); top two scorers represent the USA at the International Philosophy Olympiad.
American Philosophy Olympiad (APO)
Timed philosophical essay in French/Spanish; top 2 join the US team at IPO.
American Rocketry Challenge
World's largest student rocket competition; teams hit precise altitude/duration targets.
American Rocketry Challenge (formerly TARC)
The world's largest student rocketry contest, where teams design, build, and launch a rocket to hit precise altitude and duration targets carrying an egg payload, competing for over $100,000 in prizes.
AMS Freshman Undergraduate Scholarship
A national scholarship from the American Meteorological Society for graduating high school seniors planning to study atmospheric, oceanic, or hydrologic science in college. Awards $2,500 per year for the first two years of college based on academic record, test scores, an essay, and letters of recommendation.
ångstromCTF
A capture-the-flag competition organized entirely by students at Montgomery Blair High School focusing on system/network administration, programming, and reverse engineering. Beginner-to-intermediate friendly and online.
Anthro Day UnEssay Competition (AAA)
An annual creative-response competition from the American Anthropological Association held for Anthropology Day (February 19), with a High School division (grades 9-12) inviting submissions such as comics, podcasts, videos, or short essays responding to an anthropological theme; winners are published in Anthropology News and receive a $50 gift card.
APA TOPSS Competition (Psychology/Neuro)
Essay competition for high school students. Topics often focus on biopsychology or substance abuse mechanisms.
APA TOPSS Competition for High School Psychology Students
Students in a psych course submit a video applying psychological science to a real-world topic.
Apex High School AI Championship
National AI competition where students solve STEM and AI challenges through interactive experiences. Prizes include $50K+ in scholarships.
Arabic Speaking Competition (Qatar Foundation International)
Two-round international competition where secondary students studying Arabic submit a recorded oral presentation and, if selected, present live to judges.
ARML (American Regions Mathematics League)
Prestigious national team math competition held simultaneously at multiple host sites, spanning Team, Power, Individual, and Relay rounds.
ASA Data Visualization Poster Competition
American Statistical Association competition where students submit statistical posters, physical or digital, with regional judging feeding national judging.
ASA Statistics Project Competition
National competition where students design and carry out their own statistical studies and present results, open to grades 7-12.
ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards
Juried national competition recognizing emerging jazz composers ages 13-30 with cash awards, judged on an original score and recording submission.
ASCAP Foundation Leiber & Stoller Scholarship for Songwriters
A national songwriting scholarship for college-bound high school seniors who submit their best original song, awarding $2,500 renewable annually for up to four years of college.
ASHG DNA Day Essay Contest
Annual essay contest by the American Society of Human Genetics. 2025 Question asks about the challenges of genetic privacy.
ASHRAE High School Design Competition
A free, international virtual competition in which teams of 1-5 students ages 13-18 use SketchUp to design the HVAC system for an assigned building (2026: a fitness center in Cairo, Egypt), addressing heating/cooling loads, equipment selection, ductwork, and indoor air quality, judged by ASHRAE professionals for cash prizes.
Asian Liver Center at Stanford – Youth Leadership Conference on API Health
The Youth Leadership Conference on Asian Pacific Islander Health, hosted by the Asian Liver Center at Stanford, is a four-day conference for about 100 high-achieving high-school students focused on hepatitis B, liver cancer, and health disparities in API communities. Students attend lectures, build leadership and social-impact skills, and compete in a team leadership challenge where they present projects to a panel of judges and an audience.
ASM Agar Art Contest
Create art using living microorganisms in petri dishes; sponsored by American Society for Microbiology.
Aspen Music Festival and School - High School Division
One of the most selective summer classical music programs in the country, giving roughly 40-50 accepted high schoolers five weeks of private lessons, chamber coaching, and orchestral performance in Aspen, Colorado.
ASTA National Orchestra Festival
National in-person orchestra festival run by the American String Teachers Association, giving high school orchestras adjudicated performances and clinics with professional musicians.
Astronomical League National Young Astronomer Award (NYAA)
A national award from the Astronomical League that recognizes outstanding original astronomical research by US high-school-age students, judged by a panel of professional astronomers; the first-place winner receives a telescope and an expense-paid trip to the League's national convention, ALCon.
Ayn Rand Institute Essay Contests (Anthem, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged)
Annual international essay contests in which middle and high school students read one of Ayn Rand's novels and write an analytical essay on its themes and characters, with top prizes up to $25,000.
Bands of America Grand National Championships
America's premier national marching band championship, presented by Music for All at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Open to all high school marching bands, scored 60% music and 40% visual.
Bay Area BioGENEius Challenge
The most rigorous biotechnology project competition. You must have original research (e.g., from a science fair project) to enter.
Bay Area BioGENEius Challenge (Applied Math Track)
A high-level research competition. Winning projects often use bioinformatics (statistical analysis of genetic data).
Bay Area Brain Bee
The local chapter of the International Brain Bee (neuroscience trivia). Usually held at CSU East Bay. Winner goes to Nationals.
Bay Area Cyber League Competitions
Year-round regional competitions for high school and community college students in the greater Bay Area. Includes fall and spring competitions with Discord community support.
Bay Area Mathematical Olympiad (BAMO)
A proof-based math competition (4-hour, 5-question exam) for students in two divisions, proctored in person at schools and math circles, run by MSRI/Berkeley Math Circle.
Bay Area Programming Contest (BAPC)
ICPC-style programming contest hosted by Gunn High School's Competitive Programming Club featuring 8-13 algorithmic problems ranging from USACO Bronze to Platinum difficulty.
Bay Area Urban Debate League (BAUDL)
The Bay Area Urban Debate League partners with Oakland and San Francisco public school districts to give high school students access to competitive policy debate, including the Julia Burke Debate Institute summer program. BAUDL runs a season of local and national-circuit tournaments and helps cover participation and travel costs to make debate accessible to under-resourced students.
BearMUN
BearMUN is UC Berkeley's dedicated high school Model United Nations conference, run by the Berkeley Model United Nations (BMUN) student secretariat to extend their collegiate MUN program to high schoolers. The 2026 conference runs December 5-6 on the UC Berkeley campus with roughly 500 delegates across 16 committees.
Beloved Arise Queer Youth of Faith National Essay Contest
A national essay and video contest for LGBTQ+ high school seniors of any faith background to share their story at the intersection of queerness and religion. Five winners split $5,000 in scholarships.
Bennington Young Writers Awards
Prestigious competition from Bennington College with categories in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction; winners/finalists often receive big scholarships if they attend Bennington.
Berkeley Ballet Theater Summer Intensive
A pre-professional ballet training program with Junior/Senior Summer Intensive tracks for ages 11-18, requiring a placement class before enrollment, offered alongside youth division classes and tuition-waived boys' classes at this Berkeley dance school.
Berkeley Chess School Scholastic Tournaments
Weekly USCF-rated scholastic chess tournaments held across the Bay Area (Berkeley, Walnut Creek, Alameda) and open to K-12 players including high schoolers, run by the Berkeley Chess School since 1982.
Berkeley Economic Review High School Essay Contest
Annual essay competition where students analyze economic issues and policy questions, with winning essays published in Berkeley Economic Review.
Berkeley Math Tournament (BMT)
Flagship Bay Area high school math tournament with both online and in-person editions at UC Berkeley, recurring annually with advanced problem-solving challenges.
Berkeley Model United Nations (BMUN)
High school delegates simulate UN bodies at UC Berkeley, researching countries, writing position papers, and debating global issues across dozens of committees.
Berkeley Playhouse TeenStage
Berkeley Playhouse's audition-based youth theater training track for grades 8-12, in which students rehearse and perform in full-scale musical productions (2026 season includes Cats) alongside stagecraft and assistant-stage-manager tracks, with financial aid available.
BEST Robotics, Inc.
A free, six-week fall robotics competition for middle and high school teams who design, build, and program a robot for team-vs-team matches while also being judged on an engineering notebook, marketing presentation, and team exhibit.
Bill of Rights Institute We the Students Essay Contest
An annual essay contest on U.S. government/founding-principles themes with a grand prize of $7,500 plus a scholarship to the Constitutional Academy summer program in Washington, D.C.
BioGENEius Challenge
Biotechnology research competition for original projects in healthcare, sustainability, and environment.
BizWorld Young Entrepreneur Success (YES!) Program
A free 10-12 week mentorship program from BizWorld for young entrepreneurs ages 16-22 with an early-stage business idea or venture. Participants receive one-on-one mentorship from industry professionals, networking opportunities, and access to funding resources; past cohorts have generated over $3 million in combined revenue.
Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition
A large virtual pitch competition where high schoolers worldwide identify an unmet need and record a video pitch for an original business idea grounded in Blue Ocean Strategy principles.
BMES High School Poster Expo
A competitive poster presentation event at the BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society) Annual Meeting where juniors and seniors submit abstracts on biomedical engineering research, innovation, or ideas (no lab experience required) and, if accepted, present in person and receive feedback from professors, industry professionals, and admissions directors.
BMI Student Composer Awards
A prestigious annual classical music composition competition run by the BMI Foundation, open to student composers under 28, with $20,000 in total awards and a ceremony in New York City.
Boston Global Investment Competition (BGIC)
An international stock-pitching competition judged by hedge fund managers and Wall Street professionals, where middle and high schoolers research companies and present investment ideas in a live final round.
Botball
An autonomous robotics competition where middle and high school teams design, build, and program fully autonomous robots — no remote controls allowed — using standardized kits and real programming languages.
Botball Educational Robotics Program (KIPR)
A team robotics competition for middle and high schoolers who design, build, and program fully autonomous robots (no remote control) using a standardized kit to complete timed tasks at regional and international tournaments.
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest
International creative-expression competition inviting students ages 11-18 to explore ocean and climate issues through art, film, writing, or performance, with cash awards up to $1,000 in the Senior Division.
BPhO (British Physics Olympiad) Round 1
UK-based but open globally; challenging problem set with calculus-level physics; can lead to IPhO selection for UK students.
Brain Awareness Video Contest (Society for Neuroscience)
Annual contest for short educational neuroscience videos, with a dedicated Best High School Submission award; winners featured on BrainFacts.org.
Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival
Brave New Voices is an annual international youth poetry slam festival founded and produced by Youth Speaks, a San Francisco spoken-word organization. Teen poetry teams from across the world compete in spoken-word slam rounds alongside workshops and community events; the 2026 festival (its 29th year) will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area in July.
Breakthrough Junior Challenge
Science video competition explaining life sciences, physics, or math concepts with $250K scholarship prize.
Bridge Design Contest (Engineering Encounters)
Free online contest designing a virtual steel truss bridge, local to national rounds.
BruinMUN (UCLA)
One of the largest West Coast HS Model UN conferences, hosted by UCLA, with 27 committees including novice-friendly options.
BU Brain Bee (Boston University)
Regional Brain Bee run by Boston University's Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience.
Build A CubeSat Challenge (MIT Beaver Works)
A national MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute challenge in which teams of up to five U.S. high school students, guided by a coach, complete an online course and build hardware kits into satellite subsystems (power, optical payload, data analysis, wireless transmission) for a simulated Lunar Terrain Survey CubeSat mission, presenting via video to a panel in a live online final event.
Building Young Entrepreneurs (B.Y.E.)
A Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurial Development initiative that equips African American youth in Silicon Valley with entrepreneurship skills, guiding participants from idea generation through researching, developing, and pitching a business for startup investment funding.
Business Professionals of America (BPA)
A national Career and Technical Student Organization with over 60,000 members in 2,000+ middle school, high school, and college chapters, in which students compete in Workplace Skills Assessment Program events spanning business, finance, and technology and attend regional, state, and national leadership conferences.
BYU NACLO Site
Brigham Young University NACLO competition site; host information and registration for students in Utah and surrounding areas.
C-SPAN StudentCam
A national documentary competition where students make a short film on an annual civic/political theme incorporating C-SPAN footage, with $100,000 in total prizes across 150 winners.
CA ProStart Cup
California's statewide culinary and restaurant-management competition for ProStart students, featuring a live cooking challenge and a Shark Tank-style restaurant business pitch. Top teams advance to the National ProStart Invitational and win college scholarships.
CAJCL CARCER Certamen Regional Qualifier
A California Junior Classical League regional Certamen (fast-paced quiz bowl on classical civilization, language, and mythology) tournament held each February, with separate Northern and Southern California competitions. Winners advance to the semi-final Certamen rounds at the CAJCL State Convention.
CalChess Grade Level Championship
A statewide scholastic chess championship held in the South Bay (Milpitas) where California K-12 students, including high schoolers, compete by grade level for state titles. Requires an active USCF membership.
CALICO (California Informatics Competition)
Programming competition hosted by UC Berkeley students featuring 6-13 algorithmic problems to solve in 3 hours. Held twice yearly (Fall and Spring) with in-person and online options.
California 4-H Presentation Program (Regional Presentation Events)
A public-speaking development program within California 4-H open to members ages 9-18, in which students give prepared demonstrations/illustrated talks or impromptu speeches on assigned topics (e.g. Democratic Process, Mindfulness, Inspiring Others). Students first qualify at county-level events (Jan-March) before advancing to regional competitions, including a Bay Area regional held in Sonoma.
California Charter Schools Student Pitch Competition
Charter high schoolers develop business/social venture concepts and submit a pitch deck plus video; finalists pitch live at the CCSA conference for cash prizes.
California Cyber Innovation Challenge (Mission Apgaritum)
An annual free state-level cyber competition for CA high school teams organized by Cal Poly CCI. Students solve a simulated cyber-crime scenario involving digital forensics and puzzles. The event usually runs virtually in early October with awards for top teams.
California Envirothon
Teams study soils, wildlife, forestry, aquatic ecosystems, and a current issue topic, then compete in a day-long field and knowledge competition; state winner advances to nationals.
California FCCLA STAR Events (Culinary Arts & Nutrition)
Competitive events run through school FCCLA chapters where CA students prepare timed culinary dishes, plan sports-nutrition strategies, or tackle nutrition and wellness challenges, advancing from regional to state to national competition.
California High School Speech Association (CHSSA) State Championship
California's statewide governing body for speech and debate; students qualify locally to compete at one of the largest state championships in the country.
California Language Student of the Year Award (CLTA & CIEE)
Statewide award honoring top California world‑language students with large study‑abroad scholarships.
California Mock Trial
Teams analyze a hypothetical criminal case and enact all trial roles as prosecution or defense before real judges/attorney scorers, advancing from county to state finals.
California Mock Trial (Teach Democracy)
Teams coached by volunteer attorneys argue both sides of a hypothetical criminal case in real courtrooms across 36 CA counties.
California National Debate Institute (CNDI)
The premier West Coast summer debate camp near UC Berkeley.
California Poetry Out Loud
Students memorize and perform published poems, advancing from classroom to county/state competitions; state champion wins cash and represents CA at National Finals.
California Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF)
State-level science fair; qualify through county/regional fairs for prizes totaling over $30,000.
California Student Media Festival
The California Student Media Festival is a nonprofit statewide competition open to any California PreK-12 student (public, private, charter, extracurricular, or homeschool) to submit original work in Film/Video, Animation, Photography, Audio (music or podcasting), or Interactive Media, judged in a Secondary (grades 9-12) division. Finalists are celebrated at an annual awards ceremony, with 2026 entries accepted January 19-March 31 and the ceremony held in May.
California Young Playwrights Contest
Winning scripts get a full professional production or staged reading in San Diego.
Camp BizSmart: Innovate This!
An in-person weekend Maker's Lab competition on the Monterey Central Coast (with an optional Santa Clara University residential option) where teams of teens ages 13-18 assume C-level executive roles to design a water-filtration product for the Monterey Bay Aquarium and pitch it to investors for a cash prize.
CAMWS High School Latin Translation Exam
A national one-hour Latin translation exam administered through schools each fall, offered at intermediate (Latin II-III) and advanced (Latin IV+) levels by the Classical Association of the Middle West and South.
Capezio A.C.E. Awards
15 finalists present original choreography in NYC for cash prizes.
CaseCatalyst
A fully virtual four-week case competition in which high school teams solve real challenges submitted by partner startups, mentored by university students and consulting professionals, with top teams earning startup internships.
CATE Creative Writing Student Showcase
The California Association of Teachers of English (CATE) runs an annual statewide creative writing showcase inviting California students, including high schoolers, to submit poetry, short stories, or essays responding to an annual prompt. Local CATE council divisions select top entries, which are published on the CATE website; the 2026 prompt is 'Preserving Narratives, Amplifying Perspectives,' exploring AI and human voice.
CCEE National Economics Challenge – California State Round
California Council on Economic Education's state portal for NEC, used to register California teams and run the state-level contest.
ChemMatters Magazine Student Writing Contest
Annual writing contest by ACS where students explain chemistry concepts and their real-world applications, with winners published in ChemMatters magazine.
Chinese Bridge Speech Contest (China Institute of America)
Regional qualifying round of the international "Chinese Bridge" competition for non-heritage U.S. high school learners of Mandarin, featuring a keynote speech, culture quiz, and talent showcase, with top winners advancing to a summer camp in China.
CHSAA Speech & Debate State Championships
Colorado High School Activities Association's annual state speech and debate tournaments (3A, 4A, 5A) covering Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Congressional Debate, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Extemporaneous, Interpretation events, and more. Compete for a state title via your high school's team.
CHSSA State Tournament
State governing body for CA high school speech/debate; local leagues culminate in a state tournament across debate, oratory, and interpretation events.
CIF Esports Initiative (NASEF California)
The California Interscholastic Federation's official statewide esports league, operated by the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations (NASEF), in which high schools field varsity, JV, and exhibition teams competing in titles like League of Legends, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The season runs from January through a live Grand Finals Championship each April at CSU Dominguez Hills, with over 300 California high schools and 900+ teams participating.
CLTAC Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest (Northern California)
Regional Mandarin speech competition run by the Chinese Language Teachers Association of California; long‑running and respected in NorCal.
Code/Art Game Design Competition for Girls
A national game design competition for female-identifying and gender non-binary students in grades 3-12. Participants design and build an original browser-based game (Scratch, GameLab, p5.js, or MakeCode Arcade) and submit a written reflection, competing for cash prizes by grade division.
ColoradoFIRST – FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
Colorado's affiliate of FIRST Robotics, organizing the Denver Regional and supporting FRC teams across the state. High schoolers join a team to design, build, and program a competition robot to solve the season's challenge (2026 challenge: 'REBUILT'). Denver Regional held annually at the University of Denver.
ColoradoFIRST – FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)
Colorado's affiliate of FIRST Tech Challenge, supporting teams of up to 15 students in grades 7-12 who design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in an alliance-format floor game. No prior technical experience required; teams need two adult coaches. Colorado FTC Kickoff held at Chatfield High School and Grand Junction High School.
Columbia Political Review High School Essay Contest
Annual essay contest hosted by Columbia University's undergraduate political journal. Prompts focus on contemporary political issues and public policy; winning essays may be published in the Columbia Political Review.
Columbia Undergraduate Law Review – High School Essay Contest
Essay contest on law and public policy topics run by Columbia's undergraduate law review. Often intersects with constitutional law, civil rights, and governance.
Congressional App Challenge
Annual nationwide competition where students create original apps and submit to their congressional district. Winning apps are displayed in the U.S. Capitol.
Congressional Art Competition
A nationwide U.S. House of Representatives art contest in which high schoolers submit work to their congressional district office, with winning pieces displayed for a year in the U.S. Capitol.
Congressional Art Competition (CA-04, "An Artistic Discovery")
High schoolers submit an original 2D artwork representing their congressional district; winner's art displays in the U.S. Capitol for a year and wins a DC trip.
Congressional Essay Contest (National Society of the Colonial Dames of America)
An annual essay contest run by state societies of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America since 1977, in which high school students write a 750-word essay on the functions of American government for a chance at one of roughly 50 scholarships to the Washington Workshops Congressional Seminar in Washington, D.C.
Conrad Challenge
A global STEM innovation and entrepreneurship competition where student teams design original solutions in categories like Aerospace & Aviation or Energy & Environment, culminating in an Innovation Summit at Space Center Houston.
Conrad Challenge (Aerospace & Aviation Category)
One of five tracks of the global Conrad Challenge innovation competition, in which teams of 2-5 students ages 13-18 develop entrepreneurial solutions involving flight, drones, or space exploration through Lean Canvas and Innovation Stage phases, culminating in the in-person Innovation Summit.
Conrad Challenge (Cyber-Technology & Security Category)
Annual multi-phase innovation and entrepreneurship competition with a dedicated Cyber-Technology & Security category for tech solutions.
Conrad Challenge (Energy & Environment)
Student teams design an innovation and business plan solving a real-world problem in tracks including Energy & Environment, progressing through Activation and Innovation stages to the Innovation Summit.
Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge
Entrepreneurship and innovation competition where students create products addressing global challenges, with mentorship from NASA and industry experts.
Constituting America – "We the Future" Contest (Civics & Constitution)
National contest on U.S. constitutional principles with categories like essays, PSAs, short films, and songs about founding documents and civic values. Very political/civics-oriented.
Contra Costa Ballet Summer Intensive
A 2-4 week ballet summer intensive for dancers ages 8-18 at Contra Costa Ballet Centre in Walnut Creek, requiring in-person or video audition for ages 9+, with daily technique, pointe, jazz, character, and repertoire training for intermediate/advanced levels.
Coolidge Scholarship
Highly competitive, full-ride four-year undergraduate scholarship awarded to high school juniors based on essays and interviews grounded in American history and government.
Cooper Hewitt National High School Design Competition
A free national design competition run by the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt museum, inviting individuals or teams of high schoolers to design a solution to a community-focused annual prompt and submit it virtually for judging, with regional and national recognition.
Council for Economic Education – Student Programs Hub
Central page listing CEE's student-facing econ opportunities (NEC, personal finance challenge, stock market game, etc.).
Creative Youth Awards (Bay Area)
Large regional competition offering more than $100k in cash awards for youth across categories including visual art; open to Bay Area high school students.
CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition
The Air Force Association's flagship youth cyber competition, the world's largest cybersecurity contest for teens. High school teams defend virtual networks by finding and fixing security flaws in Windows, Linux, and Cisco images. Runs fall–spring with online qualifiers and National Finals.
DAR American History Essay Contest
National essay contest that asks students to write on a themed U.S. history prompt; entries go through local DAR chapters to state and national levels.
DAR Patriots of the American Revolution High School Essay Contest
A Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest focusing on people of the American Revolution, judged for historical accuracy and use of primary sources, advancing from chapter to state to national levels.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock/WRI – High School Summer Internship Program
Eight-week paid summer internship at Dartmouth Health and the Warner Research Institute where selected high-school students shadow clinicians and work on clinical or research projects in departments like cardiology, oncology, or pediatrics.
Datathon (CP Mentorship)
A one-day, in-person data science challenge co-hosted by CP Mentorship, Women in Data Science Worldwide, and Silicon Valley Youth at Google's Mountain View campus. High school teams analyze real-world datasets (e.g., wildfire response data) with mentor guidance; open to all experience levels.
David McCullough Essay Prizes
Prestigious essay competition for high school students in Gilder Lehrman Affiliate Schools, honoring narrative or analytical essays on American history.
Davidson Fellows (Science)
Prestigious scholarship program awarding up to $50,000 for significant original research projects in biology and science fields.
Davidson Fellows Scholarship
Prestigious scholarship recognizing extraordinary young people who have completed significant projects in STEM, including chemistry research, with awards up to $50,000.
Daydream Silicon Valley
A free, teen-organized weekend game jam in San Jose where participants ages 12-18 design and deploy an original game to itch.io within 48 hours, with no experience required and beginner workshops offered on-site. Part of Hack Club's Daydream network of simultaneous teen game jams held in 100 cities, the event provides meals, merchandise, prizes, and travel reimbursement for those coming from farther away.
Debate & Leadership Institute (Founding Forward)
A five-day student debate and leadership program hosted on Founding Forward's (formerly Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge) 75-acre campus in Valley Forge, PA, combining competitive debate training with civic leadership workshops.
Debating Matters: Transatlantic (Bill of Rights Institute)
A four-day in-person debate program that brings together U.S. and U.K. high school students in London for structured transatlantic debate on contemporary issues, run by the Bill of Rights Institute.
DECA Competitive Events & International Career Development Conference
Business and marketing competitive events covering nearly 60 role-play, case-study, prepared, and online events across marketing, finance, hospitality, management, entrepreneurship, and personal financial literacy. Top state competitors advance to the International Career Development Conference (2026: Atlanta).
DECA Virtual Business Challenge – Entrepreneurship
Online simulation where DECA members run one of 20 virtual businesses, making financing, staffing, pricing, and marketing decisions scored via exam and judged evaluation.
Delaware BioGENEius Challenge
A state-affiliate biotechnology research competition run by the Delaware Biotechnology Institute at the University of Delaware, feeding into the International BioGENEius Challenge with original biotech/genetics research.
Denker Tournament of High School Champions
A prestigious invitational chess tournament, founded in 1985 by Grandmaster Arnold Denker, in which the reigning high school chess champion of each US state and DC compete against one another for the title of Denker Champion of Champions. Held alongside the US Open.
Diamond Challenge
A global entrepreneurship competition from the University of Delaware's Horn Entrepreneurship in which teams of 2-4 high schoolers pitch a Business Innovation or Social Innovation venture, competing for over $100,000 in prizes at the Limitless World Summit.
Diamond Challenge (Tech/Business Innovation Track)
Global entrepreneurship competition where students develop tech-based business or social innovation solutions. $100,000 in total prizes.
Directing Change Program & Film Contest
CA statewide contest where youth make short films on mental health/suicide prevention.
Doodle for Google
An annual national art contest from Google where K-12 students design their own Google homepage doodle around a yearly theme, with finalists winning scholarships and a tech package for their school.
DownBeat Student Music Awards
A national jazz-education honor from DownBeat magazine open to junior high, high school, and college entries. Students submit instrumental/vocal recordings across performance, composition, arranging, and engineering categories.
Dr. Jerry Hiura Next Gen Visual Artist Award
Visual art scholarship award for Santa Clara County high school students, honoring Dr. Jerry Hiura; awards include a $3,000 first prize and additional $1,000 prizes.
Drones in School / MultiGP STEM Alliance
FPV drone racing STEM program where student teams design, build, and race their own drones, competing in a national school-league pathway.
DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition
Students write a 700-1,000 word essay on one of four topics, including "protect people and the environment," competing nationally for savings-bond prizes and an awards trip.
DVHS Robotics (Dougherty Valley HS - VEX Focused)
Student-run high school robotics program in San Ramon with competitive VEX teams and novice pipelines.
Earth Science Week Contests (AGI)
Annual national contests held during Earth Science Week (mid-October), sponsored by the American Geosciences Institute. Students enter the photography, video, visual arts, or essay contest with work tied to that year's Earth Science Week theme.
EarthEcho International Youth Leadership Council
A competitively-selected leadership council (ages 15-22) founded by Philippe Cousteau Jr. that leads campaigns and programs on ocean and water conservation.
Economics World Cup (EWC)
International economics competition with online qualifiers and continental/world rounds, covering theoretical and applied economics.
EduHam Online (Hamilton Education Program)
A free curriculum-based program created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeffrey Seller, and Gilder Lehrman where students study Founding-Era primary sources and create an original performance piece, with a national student showcase.
Elmseed Consulting High School Fellowship
A virtual fellowship for students in grades 9-12 with a 3.0+ GPA and demonstrated interest in consulting, combining weekly instructional sessions, pre-session readings, and small-group case discussions with a capstone case competition where teams present business solutions to judges.
Emory National Debate Institute (ENDI)
A two-week policy debate institute for novice and 1-2-year debaters.
English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition
A performance-based program running since 1983 in which students memorize and perform a Shakespeare monologue and sonnet, advancing from classroom to regional ESU Branch rounds and ultimately a national final in New York City.
Envision Intensive Law & Trial
10-day residential trial advocacy program at Stanford culminating in a mock trial in a real courtroom.
Esporterz Esports & Coding Camp
An in-person esports and coding camp based in Larkspur (Marin County, Bay Area) where teens play competitive and casual video games on pro-gaming PCs, learn basic coding and robotics, and take part in outdoor STEM activities during weeklong summer sessions.
Essentially Ellington
National high school big-band jazz competition/festival from Jazz at Lincoln Center. Directors submit recordings of transcribed Ellington and jazz arrangements, and top bands are invited to New York to compete at Frederick P. Rose Hall each May.
ExploraVision
Science competition where students envision future technology by researching current science and extrapolating 20 years into the future, sponsored by Toshiba.
F=ma Exam (AAPT)
First round of Physics Olympiad qualification; focuses on mechanics and problem-solving, open to any HS student.
Farm Bureau Foundation Gold Cup Award (Sonoma County Fair)
An annual award from the Farm Bureau Foundation of Sonoma County given to a graduating 4-H or FFA member who exhibited at the Sonoma County Fair, based on a mock job-interview competition judging leadership, citizenship, project work, and academic achievement. The winner receives a $2,500 scholarship and their 4-H club or FFA chapter receives an additional $500.
FBLA Competitive Events & National Leadership Conference
Future Business Leaders of America's competitive events span 50+ business and career-related areas (accounting, marketing, public speaking, business plan). Students compete at state conferences, then top placers advance to the National Leadership Conference each summer (2026 NLC: Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio).
FBLA Data Science & AI (Competitive Event)
A national FBLA high school competitive event, new for the 2025-26 season, testing members' knowledge of data analysis, machine learning, and AI principles through a 100-question, 50-minute objective exam at district, state, and national leadership conferences.
FBLA Personal Finance (Competitive Event)
National objective-test competitive event within Future Business Leaders of America where students demonstrate knowledge of budgeting, saving, credit, and investing.
FCCLA Entrepreneurship STAR Event
A national Family, Career and Community Leaders of America competitive event in which members individually or in teams design and present a business plan for a small business rooted in Family and Consumer Sciences, advancing from regional and state rounds to FCCLA's National Leadership Conference.
FCCLA Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation (STAR Event)
A national FCCLA competitive event in which students research a hospitality or tourism business, build a basic business plan and website, and demonstrate customer-service problem-solving through an onsite case study, judged via portfolio, presentation, and case study performance.
Federal Bar Association – National Civics Essay Contest
National essay competition on constitutional and civics themes; high school students write up to 1,000‑word essays responding to a prompt with legal/historical analysis; prizes include scholarships for top essays.
Financial Advisor's Contest (CCEE)
A California-exclusive competition from the California Council on Economic Education where teams of high schoolers act as financial advisors to a fictional client, mentored over four weeks by a volunteer CFA or finance professional before presenting their recommendations at a virtual competition day.
Fire Hacks 2026
A free one-day in-person hackathon for high school students hosted by nonprofit CodeStarters at Zoho HQ in Pleasanton, CA, featuring a dedicated AI Track where students build AI apps, agents, and copilots with mentor support.
FIRST Global Challenge
An international robotics olympics-style event with typically one team per country tackling a global-challenge-themed game each year, emphasizing international collaboration on grand challenges.
FIRST LEGO League Challenge
An entry-level FIRST program using LEGO-based robots plus a research/innovation project and core-values teamwork, primarily middle school but relevant for younger high schoolers and as a feeder to FTC/FRC.
FIRST Robotics - San Francisco Regional (FRC)
One of the main NorCal FRC regionals held in San Francisco. Great target event for Bay Area teams competing in the FIRST Robotics Competition.
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
Flagship varsity high school robotics competition where teams build 120 lb robots to play a new game each year. Most prestigious robotics competition with pathways to substantial scholarships.
FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)
A robotics competition for middle and high schoolers who build smaller-scale robots to compete in a new game released each September, emphasizing engineering design and teamwork.
FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) - California
Smaller robots (18" cube) with metal extrusion kits and Android-based control. Popular in NorCal leagues with accessible entry point for robotics teams.
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award
One of the world's most prestigious poetry competitions for writers aged 11-17, run by the UK's Poetry Society, offering free entry, publication, and mentoring opportunities to top winners and commended poets worldwide.
Fracchia Prize – San Francisco Historical Society
Annual research-essay contest on San Francisco history; open to any student attending a high school in San Francisco, with 1,200–1,600-word original essays.
Free Expression Essay Competition (PEN America)
An annual essay competition from PEN America in which high school students ages 15-17 write 1,000-word essays on threats to free expression in the U.S. or abroad, with top entries winning cash prizes.
Future City Competition (High School Division)
A national engineering and urban-design competition where teams of grades 9-12 students research, write an essay, and build a physical model of a resilient future city addressing an annual real-world theme, advancing through a virtual qualifying round to finals in Washington, DC.
Future We Want Model United Nations (FWWMUN – NYC)
Large international MUN conference where students debate global issues and write UN-style resolutions in New York.
G4C Student Challenge
An international game design competition from Games for Change inviting students ages 10-25 to build original digital games addressing a UN Sustainable Development Goals theme (recent themes include hunger, road safety, and biodiversity). The program supports entrants with in-school and after-school game-making courses, student game jams, and mentorship from game industry experts before the final submission and awards, which include scholarships and industry opportunities.
Gallaudet University National Literary Competition
Annual national competition open to deaf and hard-of-hearing students in grades 6-12, judging writing and storytelling/poetry performance in both ASL and English.
GAMA Aviation Design Challenge
A national high school competition run by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association in which teams of at least three students use free X-Plane-powered flight simulation curricula to learn flight science, then modify an aircraft design and compete in a virtual fly-off scored on aerodynamic and performance metrics.
GameGala
Billed as the largest game-specific K-12 contest in the U.S., GameGala started in California in 2018 with 80 participants and has grown into a global virtual competition (hosted by the K12 Ventures Foundation) where students build original games solo or in teams of up to three. High schoolers compete in their own age division for placement awards and special recognitions like the Innovation Award and Best Teamwork.
Games for Change Student Challenge
The largest student-facing game design competition in the U.S., inviting middle and high school students nationwide to design a digital game addressing a real-world issue tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals; the top Game of the Year winner receives a $1,000 scholarship.
Genes in Space
Design a DNA experiment (PCR, etc.) to be performed on the International Space Station. Winners get their experiment launched to space.
Genius Olympiad (AI Category)
A category new for 2026 at the international GENIUS Olympiad where high school students design AI agents using machine learning and data analysis to address environmental sustainability issues, with finalists presenting at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, NY.
Genius Olympiad (Business Category)
An international high school project competition held at St. John Fisher University near Rochester, NY, in which the Business category asks students to submit a video presentation of an innovative, environmentally sustainable business idea, with top scorers invited to present in person and compete for medals and university scholarships.
George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest (Sons of the American Revolution)
An annual national essay contest from the Sons of the American Revolution open to students in grades 9-12, who write an 800-1,200 word essay on an event, person, or ideal tied to the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, or U.S. Constitution, advancing from local chapters to state and national judging.
Georgetown Entrepreneurship Academy
A two-week residential Georgetown University summer program where high schoolers learn startup fundamentals, prototype testing, and market research, culminating in a team pitch competition.
Get Lit - Words Ignite Classic Slam
One of the largest youth spoken-word poetry competitions in the country, in which middle and high school teams (using the Get Lit curriculum) each memorize and perform a classic poem paired with an original spoken-word response. Teams advance through qualifying rounds to a live finals judged by professional poets and performers.
GGJ Next (Global Game Jam Next)
The middle- and high-school-focused arm of the worldwide Global Game Jam, offering flexible short game-design jams (as brief as 4-6 hours, spread across one or more days) for school clubs and student teams, with a pathway into the Games for Change Student Challenge for a shared $10,000 scholarship prize.
Girls Go CyberStart
An online gamified cybersecurity competition by SANS Institute designed for U.S. high school girls to explore cyber careers. Participants solve fun puzzles in cryptography, forensics, and web exploitation. High scorers earn prizes and scholarships.
Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Scholarship
National competition for high school seniors and first-year college students intending to make music central in their future; awards up to $3,000.
Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (GYEC)
Teams have a 12-hour window to develop and pitch a sustainable business idea addressing a global issue, submitting a brief and video, with country winners advancing to finals.
Golden Gate STEM Fair
Regional science fair pathway to CSEF and ISEF for Bay Area high school students.
Golden Gate STEM Fair (GGSF)
The ISEF-affiliated fair for the SF Bay Area. You must enter the "Biological Sciences" category with a genetics project.
Harvard Crimson Global Case Competition (HCGCC)
A fully virtual global business case competition where teams of high schoolers act as consultants to solve a real company's strategic challenge and pitch solutions to judges, with mentorship from top consulting firms and universities.
Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition (HCGEC)
International essay contest organized with The Harvard Crimson, with multiple prompts and a focus on critical/creative thinking and writing.
Harvard Debate Council Summer Workshops
Public Forum, Policy, Congressional/Model Congress, and World Schools training.
Harvard Model Congress Boston
A large congressional simulation conference run by Harvard undergraduates where high schoolers write and debate legislation, argue mock trials, and role-play crisis scenarios across dozens of committees.
Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN)
Oldest/largest high school MUN conference, 3,000+ delegates in Boston.
Harvard Pre-Collegiate Economics Challenge
Online economics case competition where teams analyze real-world economic scenarios and present solutions, hosted by Harvard undergraduates.
Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT)
A large student-run team math tournament held twice a year with individual and team rounds.
High School Analytics & Data Visualization Competition
National competition where students analyze datasets and create visualizations to communicate insights, focusing on real-world data problems.
High School Entrepreneurship Olympiad
A national two-round competition for teams of up to five high school students: a 30-question, 60-minute multiple-choice assessment followed by a startup-strategy case challenge judged on clarity and feasibility, with up to $5,000 in prizes awarded by percentile tier.
High School Esports League (HSEL / Generation Esports)
One of the largest and longest-running scholastic esports organizations in North America, now operating under Generation Esports/PlayVS. High schoolers compete online in regional, conference, and national tournaments across titles like Rocket League, Valorant, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with scholarships awarded to top performers at HSEL Nationals.
High School Fed Challenge
Teams research an assigned economic theme (2025-26: "economics of music") and write podcast scripts, with top entries published in the Fed's Journal of Future Economists.
High School Fed Challenge (Federal Reserve Bank of New York)
Macro and monetary policy competition where teams act like the FOMC: analyze the U.S. economy, develop a policy recommendation, and submit to the New York Fed.
High School Health Research Challenge (HSHRC)
A virtual competition run by the High School Health Research Forum in which full-time students in grades 9-12 worldwide submit original, evidence-based proposals addressing a societal health issue; the 2026 season was listed as forthcoming as of this research.
High School International Economics Essay Competition (HIEEC)
Global essay competition where students analyze contemporary economic issues and policy questions with international perspectives.
High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM)
Two-week team modeling challenge where students apply mathematics to solve open-ended real-world problems, run by COMAP.
Hindus for Human Rights Civil Rights Scholarship Contest
An essay and art contest presented by Hindus for Human Rights and the International Commission for Dalit Rights inviting high school and college students to explore migration, borders, and belonging, with cash scholarships and possible publication for winners.
Hivestorm
A cyber-defense competition where teams of 2-4 secure virtual machines, remove malware and threats, and harden systems to score points, emphasizing practical security and system-administration skills.
HOSA – Human Growth and Development (Competitive Event)
A HOSA-Future Health Professionals competitive event in which active HOSA members take a 100-question written exam (with a tiebreaker essay) on biophysical, cognitive, social, and emotional human development across the lifespan.
HOSA — Future Health Professionals
260,000+ member org competing in health-science events incl. public health categories.
Houston Brain Bee (Rice Neuroscience Society)
Regional Brain Bee chapter run by Rice University's Neuroscience Society, with winners advancing toward the national Brain Bee.
HSArts Art Competition
Visual art competition offering scholarships up to $3,000 for local youth artists; awards applied to HSArts tuition, young artist programs, or summer camps.
HSCTF (High School Capture the Flag)
An international online hacking competition designed for high schoolers where teams of up to 5 crack codes, reverse engineer, design algorithms, and solve web/crypto challenges. Student-organized and beginner-accessible.
Hult Future Leaders Challenge
Teams tackle a real corporate business challenge (2026 brief set by LEGO) over 11 weeks with masterclasses, pitching to judges with top 10 teams advancing to a Global Final.
IEOx Essay Challenge
International economics essay competition covering topics in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and global economic policy.
IEP Assure High School Ad Competition
A nationwide advertising competition where high schoolers create an ad in any format (video, graphic, or social media campaign) for a chance to win a $3,000 scholarship that can be claimed up to four years later.
iGEM High School Competition
International synthetic biology team competition where students design and build biological systems.
iGEM High School Division
International synthetic biology competition where high school teams design, build, and test genetically engineered systems using standard biological parts.
Independent Innovator Challenge (IIC) - 2026
The Independent Innovator Challenge (IIC) is an annual national innovation competition that lets K–12 students from anywhere in the U.S. submit invention/innovation projects directly, serving as a pathway into the U.S. National Innovator Challenge (NIC) for students who do not have another qualifying organization. Students develop inventions, create logbooks, pitch videos, slides, and prototypes. Top innovators receive awards including invitations to the U.S. National Innovator Challenge.
Institute of Economic Affairs Essay Competition
UK-based economics essay competition covering classical liberal economics, market theory, and policy analysis, open to international students.
International / USA Brain Bee
Live Q&A neuroscience competition for high schoolers testing knowledge of the brain, neuroanatomy, histology, MRI, and patient-diagnosis skills, running through local, regional, national, and international levels.
International BioGENEius Challenge
The most prestigious high school biotech research competition, entered via 13 state partner competitions or an At-Large virtual track with original research in drug discovery, genetic engineering, or environmental sustainability.
International Brain Bee
A global neuroscience quiz competition open to teens ages 13-19 that tests knowledge of brain anatomy, imaging, and neurological disorders through local, national, and international rounds, run by a consortium including the Society for Neuroscience and APA.
International Brain Bee — Los Angeles Regional
Regional round of the neuroscience knowledge competition at USC's Zilkha Institute.
International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)
Elite international chemistry competition for top 4 USNCO performers representing the USA, featuring experimental and theoretical chemistry challenges.
International Economics Olympiad (IEO)
Global olympiad combining economics theory, data analysis, and business case problem-solving; participants reach IEO via their country's national selection.
International Finance Olympiad (IFO)
A free, fully online global competition for pre-collegiate students that tests financial and economic analysis skills through a Global Grand Test and, for finalists, a case-based test plus a video case analysis presentation.
International High School Writing Contest
Global analytical and creative writing competition with categories like short story, flash fiction, poetry, critical essay, and dramatic script; no entry fees.
International Invitational Math Optimization Challenge (IIMOC)
A free, virtual international team competition in which high school and college students tackle algorithmic optimization problems over a multi-week window, submitting solutions to a leaderboard for ranking — introducing techniques used in operations research and computer science.
International Linguistics Challenge
Multi-round virtual olympiad where students of all experience levels solve linguistics problems, with junior, youth, and senior divisions and a supervised online final.
International Linguistics Challenge (ILC)
International competition with multiple rounds of linguistics/logic problems; closer in style to math/science Olympiads but focused on language.
International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL)
Global olympiad in linguistics and language puzzles; you reach it by performing well in your country's qualifying contest (e.g., NACLO for US/Canada).
International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) - U.S. Teams
One of the 12 International Science Olympiads, with the U.S. sending two four-student teams selected via top NACLO performance to compete in individual and team analytical linguistics contests.
International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IM2C)
An international team competition in which high school students spend five consecutive days applying mathematics to analyze and solve an open-ended real-world problem and submit a written solution report; in the USA, participation is by invitation based on performance in COMAP's HiMCM/MidMCM contests.
International Neuroscience Olympiad (INO)
Global brain-science competition using exams, events, and collaborative learning to make neuroscience accessible to students worldwide.
International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA)
Top USAAAO scorers compete internationally against 40+ countries.
International Physics Olympiad (IPhO)
Invitation-only global competition for top national teams; experimental and theoretical exams.
International Psychology Olympiad (IPsyO)
A global competition in which high school students demonstrate psychology knowledge and research skills through a qualification test, a reading-based exam module, and a team-based research proposal presentation. Students from around 80 countries, including the US, have participated since its 2021 founding.
International Public Policy Forum (IPPF)
Teams of 3-6 research and write a policy debate brief on a global issue, advancing through written elimination rounds to live oral debates in NYC.
International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
World's largest pre-college STEM competition where students present original research projects, with winners earning scholarships and recognition.
International Thespian Festival
A week-long national theatre festival at Indiana University bringing together thousands of high school Thespians for workshops, college auditions, and the Thespy Awards recognizing excellence in school theatre performance and technical design.
International Thespian Festival — Thespy Awards
Regional-qualified students perform for adjudication, scholarships, and a week-long festival.
International Youth Neuroscience Association (IYNA) Ideaathon
Virtual competition where teams propose a solution to a neurological problem (e.g., "Design a better treatment for epilepsy").
Intuit Hour of Finance Challenge
A national financial literacy initiative in which middle and high school classes complete an interactive one-hour online game covering credit and budgeting decisions during an annual spring challenge window, competing for school-level recognition and prizes.
InvestWrite
Stock Market Game participants write an individual investing essay judged by financial professionals, with national recognition for top finalists.
InvestWrite Essay Competition
SIFMA Foundation essay competition where students research investments and write reports on stock market strategies and portfolio management.
ISC3 Innovation Challenge in Sustainable Chemistry
Design challenge where students develop sustainable chemistry solutions to real-world problems, focusing on green chemistry principles and innovation.
Ithaca College High School Investment Competition
A free virtual stock market simulation in which teams of high schoolers nationwide manage a simulated $1 million portfolio on the StockTrak platform for cash prizes.
JA Be Entrepreneurial: Rapid Business Planning
A Junior Achievement of Northern California learning experience where high schoolers use Design Thinking and the Lean Canvas framework to turn a business idea into a one-page business plan across six sessions; participants may go on to compete in the JA Social Innovation Challenge.
JA Titan
A Junior Achievement business-strategy simulation in which high school students compete as CEOs of a phone company, making pricing, marketing, R&D, and corporate-social-responsibility decisions across a series of tutorial, strategy, and competition sessions delivered in classrooms, after school, or remote-live.
Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) Essay Contest
An annual international essay contest on a set Jane Austen theme, open to students worldwide, with scholarship prizes and free registration/travel to the JASNA Annual General Meeting.
JASNA Essay Contest
An annual international essay contest from the Jane Austen Society of North America in which high school students write a scholarly essay on an assigned aspect of Austen's novels, with a $1,000 scholarship for the top entry in each division.
JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention
The nation's largest gathering of scholastic journalists, held twice yearly by the Journalism Education Association and National Scholastic Press Association, featuring hands-on workshops plus on-site student media contests across newspaper, broadcast, and yearbook.
JETS TEAMS
Theme-based team engineering competition run through the Technology Student Association.
John Estey Student Writing Competition (American Writers Museum)
Essay/narrative competition on topics related to American writers, literature, or culture, run by the American Writers Museum.
John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest
An annual essay contest from the JFK Library Foundation asking U.S. high schoolers to research and analyze an act of political courage by an elected official who served in or after 1917, with a $10,000 top prize.
John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition (Philosophy)
International essay competition on provocative philosophy prompts.
John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize
Analytical essay contest with prompts in philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law; judged for argumentation and writing quality.
Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest
National oratory competition by the Sons of the American Revolution where high schoolers write and deliver an original speech connecting the Revolutionary War era to the present.
JSHS (Junior Science & Humanities Symposium) - NorCal
Research presentation competition. You must submit an original neuroscience research paper to compete.
Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS) - Northern California
Research paper competition at SF State where top presenters win scholarships and advance to nationals.
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) - Northern California Region
Selective research paper and presentation competition; NorCal regional winners advance to nationals; strong chemistry category.
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) — Southern CA Regional
DoD-sponsored research symposium at CSU Long Beach; Life/Behavioral Sciences is one of eight categories.
K12 Photography Competition
A free national photography competition open to all U.S. students in grades PreK-12 (no enrollment at a K12-powered school required), judged on creativity, technique, composition, and storytelling, with cash prizes awarded in four grade bands including 9-12.
Kaggle: Spaceship Titanic
Free beginner-friendly ongoing ML competition on a public dataset.
Kasparov Chess Foundation All-Girls National Chess Championship
An annual national scholastic chess championship run by the Kasparov Chess Foundation (founded by World Champion Garry Kasparov) exclusively for girls, drawing 650+ participants, alongside the foundation's Young Stars training and online KCF Academy instruction.
Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation Essay Contest
An annual international essay contest run by the 501(c)(3) Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation (KHREF), inviting high school students in the U.S. and abroad to write on an assigned human rights prompt (a new question is posted each year). Winners in separate U.S. and international categories receive cash prizes up to $5,000.
Kennesaw State University High School Model UN Conference (HSMUN)
A long-running regional Model UN conference for high schoolers across the Southeast, held on Kennesaw State's campus with ten committees simulating international diplomacy.
Kinolime NXT National High School Short Screenplay Competition
A free national screenplay competition where high schoolers submit a 5-15 page short script; audience voting narrows the field to finalists, with the winning screenwriter receiving a $5,000 film production grant and all student writers sharing a $2,500 scholarship fund.
Kyung Uhn Scholarship Speech Contest
National English-language speech contest hosted by The Korea Society for U.S. high schoolers on Korean culture and its global impact.
Leangap Summer Startup Program
An intensive entrepreneurship program based at UC Berkeley (with a fully online option) where high school students validate a business idea, build a prototype, and launch a real startup over four weeks. The program culminates in a Demo Day pitch to investors and Silicon Valley business leaders.
LifeSmarts California
Teams complete online quizzes on personal finance, technology, consumer rights, and workforce topics, competing to become State Champion and qualify for Nationals.
Lockheed Martin Code Quest
Annual programming competition where teams of 2-3 students solve 20-30 algorithmic problems in 2.5 hours using Java, Python, C#, or C++.
Long Island Brain Bee (Zucker School of Medicine)
Regional Brain Bee for Long Island high schoolers hosted by the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
Marin Poetry Center High School Poetry Contest
Annual poetry contest open to any high school student in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, with winning poems published in an anthology and honored at a public awards reading.
MATE ROV Competition
An international underwater robotics competition where student teams design, build, and pilot remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to complete ocean-industry-themed engineering missions, then present their work like a startup company to professional judges.
MATE ROV Competition - Monterey Bay Regional
Northern California regional of the international MATE ROV underwater robotics competition, held in Watsonville, CA, where student teams design, build, and pilot remotely operated vehicles through ocean-themed engineering missions.
Math Kangaroo USA
Large international multiple-choice math contest with NorCal testing centers and online option, designed to build confidence and mathematical thinking for students of all levels.
Math Madness by AreteLabs
Season-long online team competition with weekly or biweekly matches, similar to an online math league for middle and high school teams.
Math Prize for Girls
A prestigious one-day math competition hosted at MIT by the Advantage Testing Foundation and Jane Street, open to female and nonbinary students in 11th grade or below who have taken the AMC, with substantial cash prizes for top scorers.
MathCON
National online math test followed by in-person finals for top scorers, covering algebra, geometry, and problem-solving for grades 4-12.
MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge (M3 Challenge)
Intensive 14-hour team-based math modeling competition where students solve real-world problems using mathematical modeling, open to high school juniors and seniors.
Mechanics' Institute San Francisco Scholastic Chess Championship
A free, all-day scholastic chess tournament hosted each spring by the Mechanics' Institute - the oldest continuously operating chess club in the U.S. - drawing 300+ young players from kindergarten through 12th grade to Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. The Institute also runs year-round scholastic classes, school-break chess camps, and free chess instruction for Title 1 San Francisco schools.
Medusa Mythology Exam (National Mythology Exam)
An annual national exam for grades 9-12 testing knowledge of classical (Greek and Roman) mythology, administered by Excellence Through Classics, a committee of the American Classical League. Students take the exam through their school and can earn gold, silver, or ribbon awards.
MESA Day (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement)
Annual California engineering/science competition circuit hosted by regional MESA centers, with robotics- and machine-building challenges alongside coding and design competitions.
MetaCTF CyberGames
An annual jeopardy-style capture-the-flag hosted by MetaCTF with challenges across binary exploitation, cryptography, web exploitation, forensics, and reverse engineering, open to all skill levels including high schoolers.
MITRE Embedded Capture the Flag (eCTF)
A free, semester-long national cybersecurity competition open to U.S. high school and college students 13 and older, in which teams design and defend a secure embedded system before attacking other teams' designs; MITRE provides free development hardware.
Modeling the Future Challenge
Mathematical modeling competition focused on sustainability and environmental challenges, where teams analyze real-world data and present solutions.
Morristown Festival of Books Teen Writing Contest
Festival‑associated contest celebrating teen writing; winners are recognized at the Morristown Festival of Books.
MTNA Student Competitions
Among the most prestigious student music competitions in the U.S., with three-tiered state, division, and national finals Performance Competitions (piano, strings, brass, woodwind, voice) plus Composition and Chamber Music competitions, Senior division ages 15-18.
Music Center Spotlight Awards
Large Southern California performing arts competition and training program with $100,000+ in scholarships across categories, including music.
Music for All National Festival
Prestigious non-competitive national festival in Indianapolis where invited high school concert bands, orchestras, percussion, and chamber ensembles perform for expert adjudicators.
MyImpact Challenge (Bill of Rights Institute)
A national civic engagement contest for students ages 13-19 who are engaged in community service, volunteerism, or entrepreneurship; entrants submit their project through an online portal for a chance at a grand prize of up to $10,000. The 2026 submission deadline is May 3.
NACLO
Pencil-and-paper contest where high school students solve self-contained linguistic puzzles across world languages; top scorers advance toward the International Linguistics Olympiad team.
NACLO – Montclair State University Site
A regional NACLO testing site at Montclair State University serving New Jersey high schoolers, hosting the Open Round and Invitational Round of the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad.
NACLO – Ohio State University Site
A regional in-person testing site at Ohio State University for the North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO), open to any high schooler who registers, requiring no prior linguistics background.
NACLO – University of Maryland Site
A free regional NACLO testing site hosted by the University of Maryland's Language Science Center, open to students in grades 6-12 (mainly 9-12) to solve linguistics and computational-linguistics puzzles requiring no prior background.
NACLO – University of North Texas Site
A regional NACLO testing site at the University of North Texas open to North Texas high schoolers, offering optional practice sessions before the pencil-and-paper linguistics puzzle competition.
Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest (Hollins University)
Poetry contest for high‑school girls; winners receive cash, publication in Cargoes, and scholarship opportunities at Hollins.
NASA Dream With Us: High School Engineering Challenge
A national FAA/NASA aviation engineering design challenge in which teams of 3-7 students in grades 9-12, guided by an adult coach, design an aircraft concept using NASA's Vehicle Sketch Pad software and an engineering design notebook to solve a real-world aviation problem, culminating in live judged presentations.
NASA GLOBE Program – International Virtual Science Symposium
Students design an original earth-science investigation and submit for global feedback.
NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC)
A nine-month NASA engineering challenge in which student teams design and build human-powered or remote-controlled rovers to navigate a simulated lunar/Martian obstacle course at a culminating event at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
NASA Student Launch - High School/Middle School Division
A non-competitive, nine-month NASA engineering design challenge in which qualifying teams (who placed top 25 at the American Rocketry Challenge or top 5 at Rockets For Schools and completed an Advanced Rocketry Workshop) design, build, test, and launch high-powered rockets carrying scientific or engineering payloads, following NASA's design-review lifecycle through a final launch event at Marshall Space Flight Center.
NASEF Scholastic Esports Clubs
A national nonprofit offering free scholastic esports clubs, tournaments (including the Minecraft-based Farmcraft and Beyond the Game Challenges), STEM/social-emotional-learning curriculum, and career pathways for middle and high schoolers. Broader than and distinct from its California-specific CIF Esports Initiative partnership.
National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament
4,000+ students from 430+ schools compete in debate, oratory, dramatic performance, and extemporaneous speaking.
National Chinese Language Speech Contest (CLTA‑US)
Nationwide Mandarin speech contest assessing pronunciation, fluency, and content through prepared speeches in Chinese; regional winners advance to national level.
National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA)
A national homeschool speech/debate league culminating in a national championship in June.
National Classical Etymology Exam (NCEE)
A 50-question, 45-minute multiple-choice online exam testing knowledge of Latin- and Greek-derived vocabulary and its use in English, administered by the National Junior Classical League with awards given in Novice (K-8), Intermediate (9-10), and Advanced (11-12) divisions.
National Cyber Cup by CYBER.ORG
A free, jeopardy-style capture-the-flag competition from CYBER.ORG exploring reverse engineering, decryption, programming, and networking, with a dedicated high school division.
National Cyber League (NCL)
An annual online cybersecurity challenge for high school and college students. NCL presents realistic tasks in forensics, pentesting, cryptography, and more to develop cyber skills. Runs in Fall (regular season) and Spring (all-star game) on the Cyber Skyline platform.
National Cyber League (NCL) High School Division
Biannual competition with real-world challenges: forensic analysis, packet capture analysis, password cracking, and ransomware recovery. Performance-based scouting reports provided.
National Cyber Scholarship Competition (NCSF)
A timed CTF-style competition reached via CyberStart that awards hundreds of college scholarships plus SANS course/GIAC certification vouchers to top-scoring high schoolers.
National Cyber Summit - Cyber Cup Challenge
A capture-the-flag challenge held alongside the National Cyber Summit in Huntsville, Alabama, giving students a chance to compete on real cybersecurity problems at a major industry conference.
National Economics Challenge
Teams tested on micro/macroeconomic principles and world economy knowledge across state, semifinal, and national rounds.
National Economics Challenge (Council for Economic Education)
Nationwide high school economics competition where teams of 3-4 students answer questions in micro, macro, and international economics, advancing from state to national finals.
National Examinations in World Languages (NEWL)
College Board-endorsed online proficiency exams in Arabic, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian developed by American Councils, letting high schoolers demonstrate reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills for potential college placement credit.
National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY)
The largest youth film festival in the world, held annually in Seattle, screening and awarding short films made by filmmakers age 24 and under, with dedicated student and high-school-specific award categories.
National French Contest – Le Grand Concours (AATF)
Annual exam measuring achievement in French, administered nationally; students earn platinum/gold/silver/bronze medals and national rankings.
National French Contest (Le Grand Concours)
Students of French take a written exam on grammar, vocabulary, reading, and culture, competing against peers at a similar study level.
National Geographic Slingshot Challenge
Global youth environmental-action challenge where individuals or teams create a one-minute video proposing an innovative solution to protecting nature, cleaning air, restoring the ocean, reducing waste, or addressing climate change. Top submissions receive $10,000 each.
National German Exam
Leveled standardized exam (Levels 1-4) testing German proficiency; top scorers earn certificates, medals, and scholarship consideration.
National German Exam (American Association of Teachers of German)
Standardized German exam with national percentiles, medals, and travel awards for top scorers.
National Greek Exam (American Classical League)
An annual Ancient Greek exam across six levels testing grammar, vocabulary, syntax, and translation, with top scorers on the Attic Prose exam eligible for a renewable $2,000 scholarship.
National High School Ethics Bowl (NHSEB)
Teams debate real-world ethical cases; regionals include UC Santa Cruz and Chapman.
National High School Mock Trial Championship
Annual national mock trial tournament; only the winning team from each state, territory, or country qualifies. 2026 nationals: May 7-9 in Des Moines, Iowa. To compete, students join their state's mock trial program through their high school team and win at the state level.
National High School Mock Trial Championship (NHSMTC)
Each state's champion team competes for the national title, hosted by a different state bar association each year.
National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN)
Prestigious MUN conference held at UN Headquarters, NYC.
National High School Musical Theatre Awards (Jimmy Awards)
A national celebration of student musical theater performers, where nominees who win one of 51 regional awards programs travel to perform at a Broadway showcase in New York City for scholarships and recognition.
National High School Sport Business Case Competition
An in-person case competition at Kutztown University where teams of high schoolers analyze a real-world sport business scenario and present recommendations to judges over a weekend event.
National History Bee and Bowl
Nationwide history quiz competitions run by International Academic Competitions, with an individual buzzer-based Bee and a team-based Bowl, split into Varsity (grades 11-12) and Junior Varsity divisions that advance from regional tournaments to national championships.
National History Day – California (NHD-CA state contest)
NHD-CA is the state-level round of National History Day, where county champions present exhibits, documentaries, websites, performances, or papers on the annual NHD theme; it's one of the largest state history contests in the U.S.
National History Day – National Contest
National finals for NHD, held June 14–18, 2026 at the University of Maryland, College Park, where 3,000+ students present projects and compete for medals, scholarships, and special prizes.
National Italian Exam (American Association of Teachers of Italian)
Assessment and contest in Italian language and culture; students can earn medals, national rankings, and be considered for scholarships.
National JA Stock Market Challenge
A Junior Achievement competition in which teams of high schoolers who have completed the JA Take Stock in Your Future curriculum simulate 90 days of stock trading in 90 minutes, with top teams advancing to an in-person final in Boston.
National Japan Bowl (Japan-America Society of Washington DC)
Quiz‑bowl style competition on Japanese language, culture, history, and society for high‑school teams; top teams invited to national finals.
National Japanese Exam (AATJ)
Online, standards-based proficiency exam in reading, listening, grammar, and culture for middle school, high school, and college learners of Japanese, administered by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese.
National Junior Classical League (NJCL)
The largest classics organization for students in the world, running local chapters plus a national convention with academic testing, the Certamen quiz-bowl, and creative arts competitions centered on Latin, Greek, and classical culture.
National Latin Exam
Standardized exam testing Latin grammar, vocabulary, and culture at the student's level; top scorers earn certificates, medals, and scholarship opportunities.
National Latin Exam (NLE)
International Latin exam with questions on grammar, vocabulary, culture, history, and classical literature; medals and certificates awarded based on national norms.
National Mythology Exam (Medusa, HS Level)
HS students studying classical mythology take a 40-question exam on Greco-Roman myth with an annual theme, earning certificates and awards.
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
Teams of 4-5 compete in a buzzer-style academic competition on ocean biology, chemistry, physics, geology, policy, and current events at regional bowls.
National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB)
A regional and national quiz-bowl style academic competition for high school teams testing knowledge of ocean biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and policy, run at universities and research institutions across the country.
National Personal Finance Challenge
National competition testing knowledge of personal finance topics including budgeting, saving, investing, and credit, hosted by the National Financial Educators Council.
National Playwriting Competition (Young Playwrights Inc.)
Winning scripts are professionally developed and produced Off-Broadway.
National Political Science Bee (IAC – U.S. Division)
Individual buzzer-based quiz competition on U.S. and world politics, political theory, political economy, and current events. Students first sit for a National Qualifying Exam; top scorers advance to the National Championships held alongside other IAC events and participate in discussion dinners with practitioners.
National Portuguese Exam (AATSP)
Annual proficiency exam for grades 10-12 students of Portuguese in the U.S., administered by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, with medals awarded to top scorers.
National PTA Reflections - Literature
A long-running national arts program with a dedicated Literature category, with entries advancing from local PTA to council, region, state, and national levels.
National Robotics Challenge (NRC)
An open-platform robotics competition, founded in 1986, open to students from 6th grade through graduate school who design and build robots from self-sourced materials across a dozen competition categories at an annual championship.
National Robotics League (NRL)
A combat-robotics competition in which high school students design, build, and battle their own robotic creations, developing manufacturing and technical problem-solving skills through regional events and a national championship.
National Russian Essay Contest (NREC)
Annual timed essay competition run by the American Council of Teachers of Russian for U.S. middle and high school students of Russian, judged nationally with multiple award levels.
National Science Bowl
Fast-paced academic competition testing knowledge in biology, chemistry, physics, math, and earth/space science with regional and national tournaments.
National Science Bowl - Bay Area Regional
DOE-run, fast-paced quiz competition with heavy chemistry content; NorCal teams compete at regional site then nationals.
National Science Bowl - SLAC Regional
Fast-paced quiz competition covering biology, chemistry, physics, and more; hosted at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
National Science Bowl (Physics Rounds)
National academic competition with physics-focused rounds; teams compete regionally then nationally.
National Spanish Exam
Standardized exam assessing Spanish listening, reading, and grammar at the student's level; top scorers earn certificates and national recognition.
National Spanish Exam (NSE)
Nationwide standardized exam recognizing achievement in Spanish; high scorers earn medals, national rankings, and can access scholarships and travel programs.
National Speech & Debate Tournament (NSDA)
The largest academic competition in the world; 7,000+ students qualify through state/district tournaments to compete in policy, LD, public forum, congress, and individual speech events.
National Student Production Awards (NATAS)
The national-level video production competition run by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the Emmys); regional chapter winners in news, craft, and programming categories advance to compete for this national high school broadcasting honor.
National Wind Band Honors (Mark of Excellence)
National recorded-submission competition recognizing outstanding high school and middle school concert bands, judged on a live recording from the current school year.
National YoungArts Foundation - Photography
National YoungArts Foundation's Photography discipline is part of its prestigious national arts competition for 15-18 year olds (grades 10-12), spanning documentary, conceptual, portrait, environmental, color, black-and-white, alternative process, digital, and mixed-media photography. Winners named with distinction are invited to National YoungArts Week for masterclasses and critical support, joining the foundation's broader alumni network.
National YoungArts Foundation National Arts Competition
A prestigious national competition for artists ages 15-18 across ten disciplines including visual arts, design, film, jazz, photography, classical music, theater, dance, and voice, with cash awards and mentorship for winners.
National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYO-USA)
Carnegie Hall's free, highly selective summer orchestra program for musicians ages 16-19, who complete a multi-week residency with professional musicians and then perform on an international tour.
NCF-Envirothon
North America's largest high school environmental education competition. Teams of five test their knowledge across soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and a rotating current environmental issue, plus an oral presentation, progressing from local to state to the international NCF finals.
NCF-Envirothon (California)
Environmental science team competition covering aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and soils.
NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing
National recognition program celebrating women and gender-expansive students for their computing accomplishments and career aspirations.
New York Times Student Editorial Contest
Students ages 13-19 write a persuasive editorial judged by Times journalists.
NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth)
World's largest festival for filmmakers 24 and under, in Seattle.
NFFTY Screenplay Competition
Filmmakers/writers 24 and under submit short screenplays/pilot scripts; finalists win cash and passes to NFFTY, the world's largest festival for young filmmakers.
NFPW High School Communications Contest
A national scholastic communications contest run by the National Federation of Press Women with 23 categories spanning writing, photography, and broadcast media, including a dedicated radio/television category for student-produced audio and video work.
NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
The flagship business plan and pitch competition of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, where students advance through local, regional, and national elimination rounds to compete for cash prizes.
NFTE West Region Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
The Bay Area/Northern California qualifying competition of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship's West Region, where students from NFTE's Entrepreneurship Essentials, Startup Tech, and BizCamp courses pitch student businesses for scholarships and seed capital, with winners advancing toward NFTE's national showcase; NFTE has served Bay Area students for over 25 years.
NFTE World Series of Innovation
Free global design-thinking challenge where students ages 13-24 develop solutions aligned to UN Sustainable Development Goals, sponsored by companies like PayPal and EY.
NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase
NFTE's reimagined flagship pitch competition where students develop and pitch original business ideas through classroom, regional, and national rounds with entrepreneur mentorship.
NGPF PAYBACK Challenge
An annual national challenge from Next Gen Personal Finance in which high school students play the PAYBACK college-simulation game and then write an essay or make a video on applying what they learned to future financial decisions, competing for scholarship prizes.
NHD-CA Historical Paper Contest
Separate category where historical papers skip the county level and are submitted directly to a statewide paper contest; top papers then feed into the larger NHD-CA pathway.
NHSMUN (National High School Model United Nations)
One of the world's largest and longest-running Model UN conferences, held in New York City, where secondary school delegates debate global issues, draft resolutions, and interact with actual UN staff and diplomats.
NJCL National Certamen
A quiz-bowl-style competition run by the National Junior Classical League testing knowledge of Latin/Greek language, Roman life, mythology, history, and literature, held at the NJCL National Convention.
NorCal House of Chess
A Northern California chess organization that has run roughly 200 rated tournaments, including monthly Scholastic Quads (4-player mini-tournaments with trophies/medals) and FIDE-rated Swiss events open to K-12 students. Several partner clubs founded by former NHC students now run parts of the scholastic program and use proceeds for charitable causes.
NorCal Stock Market Challenge (Junior Achievement)
A one-day, live stock market simulation event hosted by Junior Achievement of Northern California where high school teams build and manage investment portfolios in real time and compete against other regional teams.
NorCalCyber Mayors Cup
Regional competition for students in Greater Sacramento and Far North California. Features team-based learning and digital forensics challenges.
Norm Strung Student Writing Contest (OWAA)
Outdoor/nature writing prose contest for students; HS division focuses on 500–1,000‑word pieces about the outdoors.
North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO)
Flagship North American contest where students solve linguistics and computational linguistics puzzles; top scorers can make national teams for IOL.
Northeastern University Oakland: Experiential Entrepreneurship
A two-week residential pre-college program on Northeastern University's Oakland campus where high school students form teams, learn business planning, product development, pitching, and negotiation from Bay Area mentors, visit local innovative businesses, and culminate in a pitch presentation to entrepreneurs.
Northern California Area Emmy Student Production Awards
The Northern California Area Emmy Awards (National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences chapter) recognizes outstanding student video and broadcast production through its Student Production Awards of Excellence and Merit, including a dedicated 'Crystal Pillar - High School' category. Student entries covering work produced during the eligibility year are judged by television industry professionals, with winners eligible to purchase an engraved Emmy-style Crystal Pillar trophy.
Northern California Esports League (NCEL)
A scholastic esports league operated by the Butte County Office of Education in partnership with NASEF, serving predominantly rural and small Northern California schools with both middle school (NCEL-MS, the first middle-school esports league in the nation) and high school divisions. Students compete in titles such as League of Legends, Rocket League, Fortnite, NBA 2K, and Overwatch while building communication and teamwork skills.
Northern California High School Ethics Bowl
Teams discuss real-world ethical cases in a collaborative (non-adversarial) format judged by academics/professionals; winners advance toward the National Championship.
Northern California Regional High School Ethics Bowl
The Northern California Regional High School Ethics Bowl, hosted by UC Santa Cruz's Center for Public Philosophy, brings Bay Area high school teams together to collaboratively deliberate on contemporary ethical and policy dilemmas rather than debate adversarially. The regional serves as an official qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl.
Northern California Science Olympiad - Chem Events
Team-based competition with specific chemistry events (Chem Lab, Forensics, etc.); high-level teams train intensively all year.
Northwestern Economics Tournament
Team-based economics competition featuring quiz bowl rounds and case presentations on economic theory and current events.
NPR Student Podcast Challenge
Students write/record/produce an original 3-8 min podcast.
NSA Codebreaker Challenge
A free annual online coding and cyber puzzle challenge by the U.S. National Security Agency. Students solve mission-oriented tasks in reverse engineering, cryptography, vulnerability research, and scripting in a fictional intelligence scenario. Top performers receive NSA certificates.
NSA Stokes Educational Scholarship Program
A competitive scholarship with summer internships for U.S. high school juniors intending to study cyber, computer science, engineering, or math. Covers full tuition plus stipend and requires service commitment after college. Includes NSA internships in later summers.
NSDA National Speech & Debate Tournament
Largest academic competition in the world, organized by the National Speech & Debate Association. 2026 tournament held in June in Richmond, Virginia (Altria Theater, Greater Richmond Convention Center, area high schools). To compete, students must be NSDA members with at least 25 honor-society points and qualify through district tournaments.
NSDA National Tournament / Debate Circuit
Students compete in policy, LD, public forum, and congressional debate through school teams, qualifying via districts toward Nationals, which features legislation on topics like federal jobs guarantees and Arctic policy.
NSLC International Diplomacy
NSLC's International Diplomacy program has high schoolers take on the role of UN diplomats, debating current events and practicing negotiation across a joint session split between Georgetown University and Columbia University. Students explore international relations theory alongside communication and leadership skills.
NUMU ArtNow – New Museum Los Gatos
Annual juried high school art exhibition inviting work from across Santa Clara County; selected works exhibited at the museum.
NYIT High School Business Competition
A team-based competition run by New York Tech's School of Management where high school juniors and seniors spend four weeks solving a real business problem posed by a partner company and present findings to its executives.
NYU CSAW High School Forensics Challenge (HSF)
A cybersecurity competition by NYU's CSAW for U.S. high school teams. In the online qualifier, teams solve a cyber forensics mystery (network analysis, mobile forensics, steganography) to earn points. Top teams advance to live Finals in US, France, and UAE.
Oakland Rotary Enterprise Institute
A three-day retreat in Aptos, CA, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oakland since 1982, where sponsored high school juniors from Oakland schools form leadership teams to create and operate a mock company, developing marketing and business strategy skills with mentorship from returning student peer counselors and business leaders.
Ocean Awareness Contest
Students submit art, writing, poetry, film, music, or multimedia exploring ocean conservation and climate themes for scholarships; free and open worldwide including CA.
Olive Hyde Art Guild Scholarships
Scholarships for Fremont high school seniors and Ohlone College students pursuing visual arts; includes a $2,000 first prize and several additional awards.
Olympiada of Spoken Russian
Oldest ACTR program for U.S. secondary schools, where students of Russian compete in conversation, poetry recitation, and Russian civilization at regional/state competitions.
One Teen Story Contest
Short story contest for teen writers; winner is published in One Teen Story and receives a cash prize.
Online Olympiad in Linguistics (OnLing)
Fully online international linguistics contest with a dedicated school‑age division; problems look like IOL/NACLO style puzzles.
Optimist International Oratorical Contest
A club-sponsored oratory contest on an annual civic topic with over $150,000 in scholarships awarded annually.
Orchestra Cup (National Orchestra Championships)
Elite, invitation-based national high school orchestra championship held at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, where top school orchestras perform for renowned adjudicators.
Owl Certamen (Rice University)
An annual quiz-bowl-style Classics competition hosted at Rice University where student teams compete on ancient language, literature, and civilization knowledge; students may also take individual academic tests without joining a certamen team.
Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers (The Kenyon Review)
A free annual prize for one unpublished poem, open worldwide to sophomores and juniors, with the winner published in The Kenyon Review and awarded a full scholarship to a Kenyon Review Young Writers workshop.
Penn Certamen
An annual Classics quiz-bowl competition hosted by the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Classical Studies, drawing roughly 200 middle and high school students from multiple states; revived in 2026 by student organizers and a faculty advisor after a hiatus.
Penn Model Congress
A four-day spring congressional simulation hosted by University of Pennsylvania students where high school delegates from across the country debate bills and discuss current political issues.
Penn State Language and Linguistics Day
Free annual on-campus event where nearly 100 high schoolers attend hands-on linguistics workshops and compete in a linguistics competition.
Physics Bowl)
National team-based physics competition with multiple-choice questions spanning mechanics, E&M, modern physics, etc.
Physics Olympiad Summer Training Camp (MOP equivalent for Physics)
Invitation-only training camp for top USAPhO performers; preparation for International Physics Olympiad team.
PhysicsBowl Online
Online version of Physics Bowl for remote participation; same content and scoring.
picoCTF
A free, online capture-the-flag cybersecurity contest created by Carnegie Mellon for middle and high schoolers. Players solve interactive puzzles in reverse engineering, cryptography, web hacking, and forensics to collect flags. Annual contest runs March–April.
picoCTF by Carnegie Mellon University
The largest free cybersecurity hacking competition globally. Solve capture-the-flag challenges in web exploitation, cryptography, forensics, and reverse engineering.
Pioneers in Engineering Robotics Competition (UC Berkeley PiE)
Berkeley student-run competition providing low-cost robot kits, control system, and mentoring to Bay Area high schools. Very NorCal-specific and robotics-focused.
PlayGround Young Playwrights Contest
Bay Area high schoolers write short plays on an annual prompt ("Tales of the City" 2026); finalists get a professional staged reading with actors at the PlayGround Festival.
PlayGround Young Playwrights Project
Bay Area playwriting contest and mentorship program for high school students across all nine Bay Area counties, with winning short plays given professional staged readings at Potrero Stage in San Francisco.
PlayVS High School Esports - California
PlayVS is the CIF-recognized platform powering official California high school esports leagues. Students compete on their school's varsity/JV teams across seasonal titles such as League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Madden NFL.
Poetry Out Loud
A national poetry recitation competition, run by the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation, where students memorize and perform poems, advancing from classroom to school, state, and national finals in Washington, DC.
Presentation High School Robotics (FRC 2135, all-girls)
San Jose all-girls FRC team, strongly focused on hands-on robot build and leadership development.
Princeton Certamen
A free, one-day quiz-bowl-style competition on the language, literature, culture, and history of ancient Rome, hosted annually at Princeton University by Princeton undergraduates for middle and high school Classics students at multiple skill divisions.
Princeton Legal Journal High School Essay Contest
The Princeton Legal Journal's High School Essay Contest invites students worldwide to write a 1,500-3,000 word analytical essay on an assigned constitutional law topic (2026: religious liberty in American law and public life), with the top three essays published in the journal.
Princeton Model Congress
The oldest model congress program in the country, bringing roughly 700 high schoolers to Washington, D.C. to debate bills, sit as Supreme Court justices, and role-play executive branch decision-making.
Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC)
A student-run team mathematics competition hosted at Princeton in the fall with individual and team rounds.
Princeton University Physics Competition (PUPC)
Student-run online physics competition with both individual and team rounds; conceptual and problem-solving focus.
Princeton University Ten-Minute Play Contest
Juniors nationwide submit an original ten-minute play judged by Princeton faculty and a guest playwright; winners receive cash prizes.
Project Citizen (Center for Civic Education)
A portfolio-based civic education project in which middle and high school students identify a local public policy problem, research it, and develop and present a public-policy proposal to classmates, community stakeholders, or local officials; California implementation is coordinated by the California We the People and Project Citizen network.
Project ECHO: National Teen Entrepreneurs' Business Plan Competition
The 22nd annual national business plan competition where middle and high school teams pitch original startups to judges for scholarships and awards, culminating in an in-person event at California State University, Dominguez Hills with more than 40 competing teams and a public livestream.
Project Unity Catalyst Academy
Flagship 8-week summer research and leadership academy where high-school students nationwide work in mentored teams on real public-health, medicine, and digital-health problems and present at the UNITY Research Conference; 2026 applications are currently open.
ProjectCSGIRLS (Bioinformatics)
While CS focused, many winning projects use code to solve genetics problems (Bioinformatics). Open to 8th-12th grade (Select tracks).
ProStart
A two-year, industry-backed culinary arts and restaurant management career pathway for high schoolers, offered through participating high schools nationwide (including California) via the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Combines classroom instruction and industry mentorship with the annual National ProStart Invitational competition.
Purple Comet! Math Meet
A free, online team-based math competition open to middle and high school students worldwide, run annually since 2003, where teams collaborate to solve a set of challenging problems within a fixed time window.
Quill and Scroll International Writing, Visual and Multimedia Contest
An annual scholastic journalism contest, run by the International Honor Society for High School Journalists, where students submit news, feature, editorial, sports, and photography work across a dozen categories for national recognition.
Rachel Carson Sense of the Wild Contest
An intergenerational creative contest run by the Rachel Carson Landmark Alliance in which teams with members from at least two different generations submit poetry or essays celebrating humanity's connection with nature.
Redbird Risk Management Challenge
A free week-long residential program at Illinois State University's Katie School of Insurance and Risk Management where high school seniors form teams to manage a simulated corporation through risk scenarios, learning actuarial and risk-management fundamentals; next held in 2027.
Redwood Writing Contest
Co-hosted by the Redwood Writing Project and the Redwood Council of CATE at Cal Poly Humboldt, this annual North Coast California writing contest invites students in grades 3-12 to submit original personal essays, poetry, or short stories organized by grade band. Winners are published in a contest anthology, invited to an awards ceremony, and top entries advance to the statewide CATE Student Writing Showcase.
Reed Magazine Emerging Voices Contest
Creative writing and art contest exclusively for Santa Clara County, California high school students, with winners published in San Jose State University's Reed Magazine.
REEX Summer Program
A residential summer program at Howard University for rising juniors and seniors of color interested in commercial real estate, combining masterclasses, site visits, case studies, and a national team competition around real estate entrepreneurship.
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
The world's largest pre-college science competition; qualify through affiliated regional/state fairs with over $9 million in awards.
Regeneron ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) - Physics Category
Global science fair with physics & astronomy category; winners receive scholarships and recognition.
Regeneron Science Talent Search
America's oldest and most prestigious science competition for high school seniors, offering up to $250,000 in top prizes for original research.
Regeneron Science Talent Search (Physics Projects)
Prestigious national competition where students submit original research; many winners do physics/astrophysics projects.
Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS)
Widely considered the top U.S. science research competition for high school seniors; requires a completed original research paper, including chem/biochem.
Regeneron STS / ISEF (Computer Science Category)
Nation's most prestigious pre-college science competitions with dedicated computer science categories for original research projects.
Regional Brain Bee at Rutgers (Newark)
Regional Brain Bee hosted by Rutgers Brain Health Institute in Newark, NJ.
Rita Moreno Awards
Regional high school musical theatre awards program covering San Mateo to Santa Barbara counties, California, recognizing top student performers who compete for a chance to represent the region at the national Jimmy Awards in New York.
River of Words Poetry & Art Contest (Teen Category)
Global contest on nature and watersheds; strong way to blend environmental themes with poetry.
RoboBoat
International autonomous surface vehicle competition where student teams design, build, and program boats to complete maritime tasks like coastal surveillance and port security.
RoboCupJunior USA
A student robotics competition open to teams up to age 19 who design, build, and program fully autonomous robots to compete in soccer, rescue, or theatrical performance (OnStage) leagues, with top teams advancing to the international RoboCup.
Robofest
An annual robotics festival hosted by Lawrence Technological University with a Senior Division for grades 9-12, featuring autonomous-robot game challenges, BottleSumo, vision-based tasks, and a robotics-themed exhibition and arts competition.
RoboRAVE International
An international robotics competition, founded in New Mexico in 2001, in which teams of 2-4 students of any age build and program autonomous robots on any hardware platform to compete in events like line following, sumo, and firefighting at regional Opens worldwide and a World Championship.
RoboSub
International autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) competition, held annually in Irvine, California, where high school and college teams design, build, and program AUVs to complete simulated maritime missions.
RTDNA Student Edward R. Murrow Awards
A national broadcast/digital journalism competition open to high school and undergraduate students, judging entries across eight audio, video, and digital categories; one Student Murrow Award is given per category, with winners honored at RTDNA's Murrow Awards Gala.
Russian Scholar Laureate Award (RSLA)
National ACTR award recognizing one outstanding 10th or 11th grade Russian-language student per eligible school each year.
Sacramento Ballet Senior Summer Intensive
A five-week pre-professional summer intensive for serious ballet students ages 14-22, offering ballet technique, pointe, pas de deux, contemporary dance, and professional repertoire training with Sacramento Ballet's artistic staff; admission is by video or in-person audition.
Sacramento Valley Model UN Conference (SVMUNC)
Sacramento Valley Model UN Conference is a free, student-led Model United Nations program serving public high schools across the greater Sacramento region, including the annual FranklinMUN conference hosted at Franklin High School in Elk Grove. Delegates debate global issues in committee simulations with support from college mentors including UC Davis Model United Nations.
Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Art & Writing Contest
One of the largest Holocaust education contests in the country, where students respond creatively to Holocaust survivor or rescuer testimony.
San Francisco Shakespeare Festival - Upstart Crows
An audition-required summer teen intensive at San Francisco Shakespeare Festival for actors ages 14-18 with prior acting experience, focused on Shakespearean text, voice, and movement work, culminating in a performance; need-based scholarships are available.
SANS Holiday Hack Challenge
A free online cybersecurity CTF by SANS Institute held every December. Open to participants worldwide including high school teams. Each year's challenge is holiday-themed with diverse challenges over ~2 weeks. Leaderboards and prizes for top scorers.
Santa Clara Valley Model UN (SCVMUN)
One of the oldest/largest West Coast HS MUN conferences, held in San Jose, drawing 800+ delegates from 60 schools.
Sara Bareilles Awards (Northern California Regional High School Musical Theatre Awards)
The Northern California regional program of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (the Jimmy Awards), presented by BroadwaySF/ATG, recognizing outstanding high school musical theater performers from 31 counties spanning San Francisco to the North Coast and Sacramento; top student representatives advance to the Jimmy Awards in New York City.
Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge
A prestigious international screenplay competition based on the popular Save the Cat! story methodology; writers under 18 may enter features or TV pilots with parent/guardian permission. Every entrant receives a full professional script analysis, and the grand prize includes a trip to Los Angeles and a live table read at the Lee Strasberg Institute.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Flagship U.S. teen contest with categories in poetry, fiction, personal essay, journalism, drama, etc.; national medals and scholarships are a major flex.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards — Journalism category
National writing competition's dedicated Journalism category.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards — Screenplays & Scripts
National writing competition category for film/TV/stage scripts.
School Enterprise Challenge
Students worldwide create, launch, and manage a real school-based business through a 10-stage curriculum from market research to financial reporting, using a free online platform.
School of American Ballet Summer Course
A five-week intensive ballet training program in New York City run by the official school of New York City Ballet, admitting intermediate and advanced dancers ages 12-18 through a national audition tour.
Science Ambassador Scholarship
Create a 3-minute STEM education video for chance at $20,000 scholarship; open to high school seniors.
Science Olympiad - Bay Area Regional
Team-based STEM competition with multiple biology events; advance to state and nationals.
Science Olympiad – Dynamic Planet (Division C)
Team event mastering a rotating earth-science topic through timed testing stations.
Science Olympiad (Physics Events)
Team-based competition with multiple physics-related events (e.g., Mousetrap Vehicle, Circuit Lab, Detector Building).
SCMUN (USC Model United Nations)
USC's Model UN team hosts a HS conference with 16 traditional and historical/crisis committees exploring global issues.
Scribo Writing Contest (Excellence Through Classics)
A national creative-writing contest for Latin students at the elementary, middle, and high school level, run by Excellence Through Classics (American Classical League). Students submit original short stories, poems, or comics in Latin around an annual theme, judged by experience level.
Scripps Research Translational Institute – Student Research Internship
The Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI) Student Research Internship is a voluntary 10-week summer research program for highly motivated high-school (16+), college, and professional-school students. Interns work with a multidisciplinary team on translational science in genomics, computational biology, and mobile/digital health, design an independent project with a mentor, and present their findings at institute research meetings.
SCUDEM (SIMIODE Challenge Using Differential Equations Modeling)
A team-based mathematical modeling competition in which groups of three students use differential equations to model a real-world problem in physics/engineering, chemistry/life sciences, or social sciences, culminating in a 10-minute video presentation reviewed by judges.
SeaPerch
A national underwater robotics program where students build a remotely operated vehicle from a low-cost kit and compete in regional and international challenges built around ocean engineering scenarios.
Selma Moidel Smith Student Writing Competition in California Legal History
Essay competition inviting students to research and write about a topic in California's legal and judicial history.
SF Photography Competition (Bay Area Showcase)
Sponsored by Peak Design, this annual Bay Area photography competition invites high school students in grades 9-12 to submit original photos responding to the theme 'What Does SF Mean To You?' Winners receive Peak Design photo gear, media features, and an exhibition of their work at the Peak Design flagship store in San Francisco.
SIFMA Foundation Capitol Hill Challenge
A national investing competition, now in its third decade, that pairs members of Congress with public middle and high schools in their districts; student teams manage a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio of stocks, bonds, and other assets, with priority given to Title I schools.
Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest
An annual essay contest from Penguin Random House open to high school juniors and seniors, who write on a themed prompt tied to a classic novel for a chance at a $1,000 scholarship and a library of Signet Classics for their school.
Simply Neuroscience Synaptic Hacks
Annual hackathon focused on neurotechnology and computational neuroscience.
Sir Isaac Newton Exam (SIN)
University of Waterloo Canadian physics contest; algebra-based, open to international students.
SkillsUSA - Robotics & Automation
A career-and-technical-education competition within SkillsUSA where small teams tackle robotics/automation challenges, advancing from state to national championships. Requires an active school SkillsUSA chapter.
SMART Competition (IEEE Region 6)
An IEEE Region 6-sponsored engineering competition in which high school teams use professional design software (Bentley Systems) to redesign a fictional school gymnasium for structural integrity, energy efficiency, and renewable power generation. Teams submit engineering solutions that are judged by practicing engineers.
Solar Car Challenge
A 15-month educational program culminating in a national race where high school teams design, engineer, and build road-worthy, solar-powered cars from scratch, then compete on a closed track or in a cross-country event.
Space Grand Challenge (California Cybersecurity Institute)
Gamified satellite cybersecurity competition designed by Cal Poly for middle and high schoolers. Features space-themed challenges in a Unity WebGL platform.
Space Settlement Design Competition
An international competition in which high school students are organized into simulated aerospace companies to respond to a Request for Proposal by designing a space settlement, culminating in judged regional and international finals with roles mirroring real aerospace firms.
Sphinx Competition
Annual national competition in Detroit for young Black and Latinx classical string players. Finalists perform with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra and compete for nearly $100,000 in prizes plus mentorship and instrument access.
SPOA + Sony Student Photo Contest
A free national photography contest for students in grades 6-12, run by School Photographers of America in partnership with Sony. Students submit original photos in categories like Action Shot, Candid Photo, and Detail Shot; winners receive cameras donated by Sony.
SSCS Arduino Contest (IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society)
A free, worldwide electronics competition in which high school teams of up to three build an Arduino-based household or personal innovation device using microcontrollers, sensors, motors, and displays (no integrated AI allowed for the high school category), submitting a three-minute demo video; free starter kits are available for students who need them.
St. John's University High School Pitch Competition
A Shark Tank-style event at St. John's University's Tobin College of Business where high schoolers pitch original business ideas to judges for seed-funding prizes, with no prior business experience required.
Stanford AIMI High School Programs (Health AI Bootcamp & Summer Research Internship)
Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging runs virtual high-school programs: a Summer Health AI Bootcamp (lecture-based intro) and a Summer Research Internship (mentored projects in health AI). Both include career panels and are competitive.
Stanford Math Tournament (SMT 2026)
Stanford's flagship in-person high school math competition at Stanford University with team and individual rounds covering various mathematical disciplines.
Stanford Model United Nations Conference (SMUNC)
Stanford's flagship high school MUN conference with multiple committees where delegates debate, negotiate, and draft resolutions on international issues.
Stanford STaRS – Surgical Translational Applied Research Summer Program
Intensive summer research experience in Stanford Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery where high-school, undergrad, and med students work on plastic-surgery and regenerative-medicine projects with faculty mentors.
Startup UCLA Summer Institute: Social Entrepreneurship (SESI)
A UCLA-run Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute offered as a two-week virtual course (or an optional Los Angeles residential track) in which high school students in grades 10-12 develop a social-impact venture from idea to a final pitch presentation and earn a Certificate of Achievement.
Stevens Trading Day
A two-part stock market competition from the Stevens Institute of Technology in which high school sophomores and juniors manage a simulated equities portfolio online, with top performers invited to trade live on Bloomberg terminals at Stevens' Hoboken campus.
Stevens Trading Day Competition
A combined virtual-and-in-person investing competition where high school sophomores and juniors trade in a month-long simulator before the top portfolios compete live using Bloomberg terminals at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Stoa USA
A national speech/debate league for privately-educated/homeschooled students, culminating in NITOC nationals.
Stock Market Game
Virtual stock trading competition where students manage investment portfolios and learn about markets, economics, and financial literacy.
Stockholm Junior Water Prize (US/CA)
Students conduct an original water-related research project, competing through state and national judging; the US winner receives a cash prize and represents the US at the international finals in Sweden.
Stossel in the Classroom Essay Contest
Libertarian-leaning economics/policy essay contest on videos/topics by John Stossel; strong for persuasive writing at the econ/policy intersection.
Student Poetry Award (Poetry Society of America)
An annual national award, endowed under the Whitbread and Bourne bequests, for the best unpublished poem submitted by a student in grades 9-12, judged anonymously by the Poetry Society of America.
Student Television Network (STN) Convention & Contests
STN is a national student media organization supporting high school broadcast journalism, film, and media students through an annual convention and a slate of named competitions including Broadcast Excellence, Film Excellence, STN Challenge, and Story of the Year. Students and advisers attend live conventions (2027 in Long Beach) with contests, workshops, and awards recognizing top student broadcasters and filmmakers.
Student Writing Contest (The National WWII Museum)
An annual national essay contest from The National WWII Museum open to U.S. students in grades 7-12, who submit a 500-750 word essay on an assigned WWII-era topic using at least five sources, judged separately in Junior (7-9) and Senior (10-12) divisions.
STUFFit Student Film Festival – Animation Category
A national student film festival with dedicated Senior and Junior Animation categories for high schoolers (ages 12-18); students submit an original animated short under 10 minutes made within the last 12 months for festival screening and judging.
Susan Polgar Foundation National Open for Girls and Boys
A national scholastic chess tournament founded by GM Susan Polgar, featuring a girls' workshop, simultaneous exhibitions with titled players, and blitz side events. The foundation has awarded nearly $8 million in prizes and scholarships to young players since 2003.
Swift Student Challenge (Apple)
Apple's annual challenge for students to showcase creativity and coding capabilities through app playgrounds built with Swift.
Synopsys Championship - Santa Clara Valley Science & Engineering Fair
Very competitive ISEF-affiliated fair for Santa Clara County; many high-level chemistry projects.
Synopsys Championship (Santa Clara Valley Science & Engineering Fair)
Students design and present independent research projects in categories including Environmental Science at this regional fair for Santa Clara County middle/high schoolers.
Synopsys Science Fair (Santa Clara County)
Regional science fair for Santa Clara County serving as pathway to California State Fair and ISEF.
Technology Student Association (TSA) Robotics
TSA runs robotics-focused events within its broader STEM competitive program at state and national conferences, requiring an active school TSA chapter.
Technovation Girls
Girls/non-binary students form teams to build an AI or mobile app addressing a community problem, submitting a pitch video and business plan to a global competition.
Technovation Girls Challenge
Global technology entrepreneurship competition where girls and non-binary students build mobile apps to solve community problems using coding and app development skills.
Teen Investor Cup
An online guided investing competition in which students in grades 8-12 manage a simulated $100,000 portfolio over several weeks, with optional coaching calls and cash prizes for top performers.
Texas Photographic Society International Student Competition
An international student photography competition open to all current high school, middle, and elementary students, with six categories including Documentary/Photojournalism, Portraits, and Fine Art/Abstract. Winners receive a complimentary TPS student membership and recognition.
The Art of Neuroscience
Create an artistic representation of the brain (video, image, sculpture).
The Blank Theatre Young Playwrights Festival
A nationwide playwriting competition for writers ages 9-19 whose 12 winning plays receive fully staged professional productions in Los Angeles with mentorship from working playwrights.
The Fountainhead Essay Contest (Ayn Rand Institute)
Essay analyzing Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead."
The New York Times Student Editorial Contest
A free global contest via the NYT Learning Network asking teens to write a 500-word persuasive open letter/editorial, with winning entries published by The New York Times.
The Sidgwick Prize
An international essay competition affiliated with Cambridge, open to students aged 13-18 worldwide, who write a 2,000-word essay responding to one of three prompts in a chosen discipline from a list of eight, including Philosophy, Psychology, and Art History. Every entrant receives substantive feedback from academic specialists, and discipline winners receive a cash prize plus a discounted Cambridge summer course.
The Supreme Court and My Hometown
In-person national civics program where high schoolers research a historic Supreme Court case with a local connection and complete a capstone project.
The Tech Challenge
Annual team engineering design competition at The Tech Interactive in San Jose where students build and test devices to solve a real-world problem.
Think Essay Prize (Royal Institute of Philosophy)
International essay competition; winning essay published in Think journal.
Top Trader Stock Market Competition (UT Dallas)
A fully online summer stock and ETF trading competition hosted by UT Dallas's Naveen Jindal School of Management, in which high schoolers invest $1 million in virtual currency and compete for a cash prize pool.
Tournament of Champions (TOC)
The premier national/international invitational debate championship at the University of Kentucky; entry requires earning "bids."
Tri-Valley Writers High School Writing Contest
The California Writers Club Tri-Valley Branch hosts an annual writing contest for students attending high schools in Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and San Ramon (East Bay, CA). Students submit up to two original pieces in poetry, nonfiction, or short story categories; branch members judge entries, and winners receive cash prizes and read their work at a public awards ceremony.
Trinity College Cambridge Languages and Cultures Essay Prize
International essay competition open to students in their penultimate year of high school, asking entrants to respond critically to a prompt about language and culture.
TSA Board Game Design
A Technology Student Association high school competitive event in which participants develop, build, and package an original board game with instructions, pieces, and cards, then demonstrate and explain their design process to judges in a semifinal interview round.
TSA Data Science and Analytics
Teams research a societal issue with provided datasets, present at TSA conferences.
U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" Orchestra Young Artist Competition
Prestigious national solo instrumental competition for grades 9-12 strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion; winners perform with the U.S. Army Orchestra.
U.S. Cyber Challenge (Cyber Quests & Camps)
A national STEM initiative to identify cyber talent. High school students compete in Cyber Quests (online CTF-style rounds) to qualify for free week-long Cyber Camps at federal cyber centers. Camps include lodging and are by invitation.
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO)
Premier national chemistry competition organized by ACS with local, national, and international levels, testing conceptual understanding and laboratory skills.
UC Berkeley Business & Entrepreneurship Academy with NFTE
A two-week, in-person Summer Discovery academy at UC Berkeley for grades 9-12 taught by an NFTE-certified instructor, covering market research, the Lean Canvas, financial planning, and marketing strategy, culminating in a professional business pitch judged in a classroom showcase.
UC Davis C-STEM RoboPlay Challenge
Robotics competition from UC Davis's C-STEM Center where K-12 students apply algebra, math, and programming to robot-based challenges; recognized in UC admissions.
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center – OPTIMUS Program
OPTIMUS (Oncology Patient and Translational Research Internship) provides mentored lab and clinical oncology research exposure at UCSD Moores Cancer Center for advanced HS and college students.
University of Alabama CTF (UACTF)
A free, hybrid Jeopardy-style capture-the-flag competition hosted by the University of Alabama, open to middle and high school teams competing on campus or virtually across novice-to-advanced divisions.
University of Washington NACLO Site
Local NACLO competition site at University of Washington; provides on-site support for students in the Pacific Northwest region.
UrbanPlan Americas Student Competition
Developed with UC Berkeley's Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics, UrbanPlan is a project-based real estate development simulation in which teams of high school students act as a fictional developer, balancing budgets, zoning, and community needs to pitch a project for city council approval. Top student teams compete nationally in the UrbanPlan Americas High School Competition.
US Chess National High School (K-12) Championship
The largest annual scholastic chess tournament in the country, drawing over 1,500 students to compete across a championship section and multiple rated/unrated sections. Hosted by US Chess, with individual and team titles awarded plus side events like blitz and bughouse.
US Cyber Challenge - Cyber Quests
Online cybersecurity competition serving as a qualifier for virtual Cyber Camps. Challenges include forensic analysis, packet capture analysis, and vulnerability assessment.
US Cyber Challenge Cyber Quests
Online qualifier for virtual Cyber Camps. Challenges include forensic analysis, packet capture analysis, and vulnerability assessment. Pathway to summer camps and scholarships.
US Junior Investment Challenge (USJIC)
A summer investing competition for students from grade school through high school, aiming to build awareness of personal finance and investing through hands-on team competition and free educational resources.
USA Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad (USAAAO)
Multi-round exam olympiad feeding the US international team.
USA Bebras Computing Challenge
A free, low-stakes national computational thinking competition where students in grades 5-12 solve short informatics puzzles in a 45-minute online session, designed to build interest in computer science regardless of prior coding experience.
USA Biology Olympiad (USABO)
A pure exam competition. 25% of the exam is Genetics & Evolution. Requires registration through your school.
USA Biolympiad (Physics-Heavy Biophysics Track)
While primarily biology, some students with physics background excel in the biophysics/biochemistry sections.
USA Biolympiad (USABO)
The premier US high school biology olympiad, genetics-heavy, run by the Center for Excellence in Education, progressing from an online Open Exam through a semifinal to 20 finalists at a residential national finals, selecting the US team for IBO.
USA Brain Bee
National neuroscience championship where winners represent the US at International Brain Bee.
USA Computing Olympiad (USACO)
The most prestigious algorithmic programming competition in the U.S., serving as the pathway to the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). Four divisions (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) allow students to progress based on performance.
USA Debate Team (World Schools Debating Championships)
NSDA's selective national team trains at Harvard before representing the U.S. at WSDC.
USA Earth Science Olympiad (USESO) National Team Program
Proctored exam feeding a training camp; top 4 represent the US at IESO.
USA Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS)
A free, online, proof-based contest with one puzzle and four proof problems per round, run by AoPS and sponsored by the NSA, giving students a full month per round plus personalized grader feedback.
USA Physics Olympiad (USAPhO)
National exam leading to International Physics Olympiad (IPhO); challenging conceptual and calculus-based problems.
USA-North America AI Olympiad (USAAIO)
A national K-12 competition that selects Team USA for the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) and International AI Olympiad (IAIO) through a multi-round process starting with an online qualifying round and culminating in an in-person training camp where finalists are chosen.
USCCB Religious Liberty Essay Contest
A national essay contest for high school juniors and seniors on a topic related to religious liberty, run by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and open to students of any school type. Top essays win scholarships and publication.
USIYPT (US Invitational Young Physicists Tournament)
A national "physics fight" tournament where student teams spend months investigating open-ended physics research problems, then defend their findings against rival teams before a panel of judges.
Verge Challenge
A global online pitch competition where high school teams submit an original business concept (written narrative plus a video pitch) without needing a launched product or prior experience, competing for a $17,500 total prize pool judged on idea strength, market insight, and go-to-market thinking.
VEX IQ Robotics Competition
The snap-together entry-level tier of the VEX/REC Foundation ecosystem, where robots play a cooperative Teamwork Challenge plus a solo Robot Skills Challenge, best positioned as a beginner/feeder option.
VEX V5 Robotics Competition
The largest and fastest-growing middle/high school robotics program globally, where student teams build robots for a new annual engineering challenge and compete in tournaments up through a World Championship.
VEX V5 Robotics Competition (VRC - HS Division)
Largest global competitive robotics program for middle and high school students. Teams design and build V5 robots for a yearly game with extensive competition opportunities.
VFW Voice of Democracy
A nationwide audio-essay scholarship competition sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars since 1947, in which high schoolers record a 3-5 minute essay on an annual patriotic theme for a share of over $1.6 million in scholarships.
Victory Briefs Institute (VBI)
A top national debate camp at University of San Diego offering LD, Public Forum, and World Schools training.
Virtual Enterprises International – National Business Plan Competition
Students in a school's VE "firm" write and present a global business plan through preliminary, semifinal, and championship rounds at the Youth Business Summit.
Vocabulary Bowl
Free, global vocabulary mastery competition on Vocabulary.com where individual students or entire schools compete to master the most words.
WAMUNC (Washington Area Model United Nations Conference)
A large high school Model UN conference hosted by George Washington University students in Washington, D.C., welcoming delegates of all experience levels to debate international policy issues.
We the People – California
Students study the Constitution and testify as constitutional experts in simulated congressional hearings; state champion advances to nationals in D.C.
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
A civics curriculum and competition from the Center for Civic Education in which student teams research constitutional issues and testify before a panel of judges acting as legislators, advancing from regional and state rounds to National Finals in Washington, DC.
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution – California
We the People is a national civics curriculum and competition in which student teams simulate congressional hearings, testifying as constitutional experts before panels of judges. California's state finals draw 200+ students to the Sacramento area each February, with the winning team advancing to national finals in Washington, D.C.
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals
A constitutional law simulation where teams "testify" before judge panels; state champions advance to D.C.
Wharton Essentials of Entrepreneurship
An intensive two-week residential program at Wharton where high schoolers in grades 9-11 learn startup fundamentals like marketing and venture creation and pitch an original business idea for feedback.
Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
Teams develop an investment strategy for a real client using a $500,000 virtual portfolio and Wharton's simulator, judged on strategy quality rather than returns alone.
Wharton Global Youth Investment Competition
A free 10-week investment challenge in which teams of high schoolers use Wharton's stock simulator and a real business case study to build and defend a portfolio strategy, with top teams presenting at a finale in Philadelphia.
Wharton Global Youth Program: San Francisco – Innovation and Startup Culture
A two-week, in-person Wharton Global Youth Program held at Wharton's San Francisco campus for grades 9-11 with no business background required, featuring lectures, Bay Area startup site visits, and team projects on business model generation, culminating in an original startup pitch and a Wharton Global Youth Certificate.
Wharton High School Data Science Competition
Annual data science competition focused on hockey analytics where high school teams analyze real sports data and compete for recognition.
World Historian Student Essay Competition (World History Association)
An international essay competition from the World History Association open to students in grades K-12, who submit an approximately 1,000-word original essay on an assigned world history theme for a chance at a $500 cash prize and a one-year WHA membership.
World Robot Olympiad
International robotics competition spanning RoboMission, RoboSports, Future Innovators, and Future Engineers categories, with national qualifying rounds leading to a World Final.
World Robot Olympiad (WRO)
An international robotics competition for students ages 8-19, held annually since 2004 in over 95 countries, with categories spanning RoboMission, RoboSports, Future Innovators, and Future Engineers challenges.
Write the World Screenwriting Competition
An online screenwriting competition from the global teen writing platform Write the World, open to writers ages 13-19 to submit an original short screenplay for peer and professional feedback and judging, part of Write the World's monthly competition series.
Writopia Lab - San Francisco Bay Area
Writopia Lab's Bay Area chapter runs writing workshops out of hubs in Oakland and San Francisco, offering high schoolers trimester-long weekly workshops, school-break and summer intensives, and private sessions across fiction, memoir, poetry, and playwriting. Students can submit work through Writopia's affiliated competitions, including the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards regional partnership and the Worldwide Plays Festival.
WUST Cybersecurity CTF
An annual ethical-hacking capture-the-flag competition hosted by the SOC Lab at Washington University of Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA, open to teams of high school, college, and university students, with a free mandatory training workshop beforehand.
Yale Model Congress
The oldest student-run model government conference in the Ivy League, bringing several hundred high school delegates to Yale's campus to simulate congressional debate and lawmaking.
YIS Finance Knowledge Bowl
A free virtual competition for Young Investors Society members that tests personal finance and investing knowledge through an online Kahoot quiz round followed by a live Zoom finals round on real companies, with cash prizes and a berth in the Global Stock Pitch Competition for winners.
YMCA Youth & Government – Model Legislature & Court (California, East Bay)
Six‑month experiential program where high school delegates simulate California's legislature, executive, and courts, writing bills, debating, and attending statewide conferences; local delegations meet weekly.
You Be The Chemist Challenge
National academic competition for grades 5-8 testing chemistry knowledge through multiple-choice questions, with regional and national finals.
Young Family Historians Essay Contest
Essay contest focused on family history and genealogy, asking students to research and write about their own family history using historical methods.
Young Investors Challenge
A free online investing competition open to US and Canadian students 21 and under, in which participants manage a simulated $100,000 stock portfolio over a 10-week period using live market data, competing for cash prizes across age divisions.
Young Investors Society Global Stock Pitch Competition
A global investing competition where high school students or pairs research a publicly traded company and submit a written stock pitch, presentation, and video, with top teams presenting at a New York City summit before finance professionals.
YoungArts National Arts Competition – Writing
National program with categories like fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, plays/scripts, and spoken word; winners join the YoungArts network and may be nominated for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
YoungArts National Arts Competition — Film
Prestigious national arts competition; winners join a lifelong artist mentorship network.
YoungArts National Arts Competition (Music)
Application-based national award for emerging musicians ages 15-18 in categories including Classical, Jazz, Voice, Popular Voice, and Singer-Songwriter. Winners receive up to $10,000, mentorship, and eligibility for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
Youth America Grand Prix (San Francisco Regional)
Pre-professional ballet dancers perform variations before international judges at a regional semi-final; top scorers advance to master classes and the international YAGP Finals scholarship competition.
Youth Cinema Project
Youth Cinema Project (YCP), a signature program of the Latino Film Institute, teaches filmmaking to students through in-school, after-school, summer, and CTE film production pathway programs. YCP operates in school district partnerships across California, including Northern California sites in Daly City and Napa, guiding students from screenwriting through production to a culminating short film.
Youth Economics Initiative (YEI): EconBowl
The self-described world's largest coalition of high school economics clubs runs EconBowl, a fall economics competition with a $1,500 prize pool, alongside school-based EconClubs, a members-only spring EconOlympiad, and a speaker series, partnering with organizations including Bank of America and Stanford.
Youth for Human Rights International Essay Competition
An annual international essay competition open to students age 18 and under who study the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and write about "What Are Human Rights?", with standout essays featured on Human Rights Day.
Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam / Brave New Voices
Bay Area teen poets compete in Olympic-style slam rounds; top poets represent the region at Brave New Voices, a national youth poetry festival and slam.
YOUTH: Creative Competition for Bay Area High School Artists
Organized around the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and promoted through Creative Sonoma, this annual competition invites Bay Area high school students to submit original work in essay, poetry, video, or fine art categories. Winners are recognized at a public 'Step Into the Light' exhibit and awards ceremony, with cash and prizes for best-of-show entries in each category.
Zero Robotics
MIT/NASA competition where students program SPHERES/Astrobee satellites aboard the International Space Station using C-like programming.
Zero Robotics High School Program (Astrobee on ISS)
Robotics programming competition using real robots aboard the International Space Station, focused on autonomous behavior. Extremely strong prestige.
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