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.
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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.
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.
American Anthropological Association Virtual High School Internship
A four-week virtual spring internship run by the American Anthropological Association in which high school students research contemporary anthropological scholarship and adapt it into public-facing content for a 6th-12th grade audience, alongside a rotating secondary project focused on accessibility or public education.
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
An international nonprofit organization that trains and supports amateur and student astronomers in observing and reporting variable star brightness data used in real astrophysics research. AAVSO offers free beginner tutorials (including a no-equipment-needed 10-Star Tutorial), webinars, mentorship, and community forums for students starting in observational astrophysics.
International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC)
A free citizen-science program in which student teams analyze real telescope imaging data using Astrometrica software to search for and report new asteroids. Month-long campaigns run several times a year and student discoveries can result in official credit and provisional asteroid designations.
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.