Competition.
Solo or team contests with clear submission deadlines and finals events. The application is the project itself; pick one whose subject already excites you.
189 verified programs.
Adam Smith Society HS Essay
Essay contest exploring market economics and policy.
AFSA National High School Essay Contest
An essay contest designed to engage students in thinking about peace and conflict resolution.
AIME
Invitational round for top AMC scorers. 15-question, 3-hour exam that gates the USAMO. No fee for invited students.
All-National Honor Ensembles
National honor ensemble for top high school musicians selected via state programs.
All-National Honor Ensembles
Top high school musicians audition for national honor ensembles.
AMC 10/12
The entry-level American Mathematics Competition. Top scorers qualify for AIME and the path to the USAMO. Open to all US high schoolers; school registration required.
American Computer Science League (ACSL)
A multi-division computer science competition covering both theory and programming.
American Mathematics Competitions (AMC 8/10/12)
Series of national math competitions leading to USAMO/USAJMO and IMO selection.
Apple Swift Student Challenge
Swift coding competition hosted by Apple to showcase creativity and app development skills.
ASA DataFest
48-hour data analysis competition (primarily collegiate; some HS satellite events).
Aspen Challenge
City-based design challenge for high school teams to solve community problems.
Bebras Computing Challenge (US)
An international computational thinking and informatics competition. Students can take the test remotely or through a local school coordinator.
Bennington Young Writers Awards
A prestigious creative writing competition for students to win cash prizes and publication.
Bill of Rights Institute MyImpact Challenge
Civic engagement competition awarding scholarships for student-led community impact projects.
Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneurship Competition
Free global pitch competition with cash prizes. Teams pitch a novel business idea via video; finalists present live.
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest
Creative arts contest on ocean and climate themes; visual art, film, poetry, music.
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest
Annual creative contest for teens combining art, writing, film, and music with environmental advocacy.
BrainBee Neuroscience Competition
International neuroscience competition for high schoolers with local, national, and global rounds.
Brilliant.org High School Problem Solving Track
While the physical show has locations, the virtual 'Think Tank' and 'Daily Challenge' offer online logic and math problems for students nationwide.
British Informatics Olympiad (Open to Int'l)
Solve complex math and computer science problems created by the UK Mathematical Trust.
C-SPAN StudentCam
Annual student documentary competition on public policy.
CFA Institute Research Challenge
Global equity research and analysis competition with high school divisions in some regions.
Chapman University Holocaust Art & Writing Contest
A writing contest for high schoolers exploring the impact of the Holocaust through various creative prompts.
Chemistry Olympiad
US National Chemistry Olympiad selection for International Chemistry Olympiad.
Civic Spirit Civics Day
National civics competition for middle and high school students from diverse religious schools.
Codeforces Educational Rounds
Free competitive programming platform with weekly contests for students worldwide.
Columbia Scholastic Press Association Awards
Top awards recognizing student newspapers, magazines, and yearbooks.
Congressional App Challenge
District-level coding competition open to every US high schooler.
Congressional App Challenge
District-level app-development competition open to every US high schooler. Winners are recognized by their member of Congress.
Congressional Art Competition
Nationwide art contest with winning art displayed in the US Capitol.
Cyber.org Range Competitions
Free cybersecurity courses, range exercises, and competitions for K-12.
CyberPatriot
A cybersecurity competition for high school teams to learn and apply cybersecurity skills in a virtual environment. Teams compete to find and fix vulnerabilities in simulated operating systems.
CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense
National youth cybersecurity competition with middle and high school divisions.
CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense
Premier national cybersecurity competition.
Data Science Competition
A global competition for high school students centered around data science challenges.
DECA Competitive Events (ICDC)
One of the world's largest business competitions for students to demonstrate their professionalism in multiple event categories.
DECA International Career Development Conference
Largest international business competition for high school students in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.
DECA International Career Development Conference
Marketing, finance, hospitality, and entrepreneurship case competitions.
Diamond Challenge
Free global high school entrepreneurship competition with cash prizes.
Diamond Challenge
Global high school entrepreneurship pitch competition with $100k+ in prizes.
Doodle for Google
Annual K-12 art contest with college scholarships.
Doodle for Google Contest
Annual K-12 art contest where winners' doodles appear on the Google homepage.
eCYBERMISSION Competition
The world's largest youth-led STEM competition focusing on community service and solving problems using the scientific method.
Election Security High School Hackathon (State Specific)Check SITE
Competition where high schoolers solve coding challenges to help secure election technology.
EngineerGirl Writing Contest
Annual essay contest with cash prizes for Kโ12 students.
Envirothon
North America's largest high school environmental education competition.
EPA P3 Student Design Competition
Sustainability design competition (mostly college, some K-12 partner tracks).
ESA Education for Schools
Free space-science education projects, CanSat, Astro Pi for European school students.
European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI)
A competition of similar prestige to IOI, for high-school female students. The top four female high-school students from the USA are selected to compete.
FBLA National Leadership Conference
Future Business Leaders of America national competitive events.
FBLA National Leadership Conference
National competition and conference in 70+ business and tech events.
FBLA National Leadership Conference Competitions
Focuses on business knowledge, academic competition, and leadership development across multiple career clusters.
Fed Challenge
Free team competition analyzing monetary policy โ top teams present at the Federal Reserve.
Find a Fair (for ISEF participation)
Competing at Regeneron ISEF starts at a Society-affiliated fair. Use this tool to find a local, regional, state, or national science fair.
FIRST LEGO League
LEGO-based STEM challenge for grades 4-8.
FIRST Robotics Competition
Team-based robotics season culminating in regional and world championships. Team participation fees vary; financial aid available.
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
High school robotics teams design, build, and program 125-pound robots for competition.
FIRST Tech Challenge
Smaller-scale FIRST robotics program. Team fee + parts; many teams sponsored by schools.
FIRST Tech Challenge
Robotics competition for grades 7-12 using modular metal robotics kits.
Foyle Young Poets of the Year
International poetry award for ages 11-17; free to enter.
From the Top's Scholarship & Radio Program
A national competition for classical music performers for a chance to perform on the radio.
Future Farmers of America (FFA)
K-12 agricultural leadership organization with competitions, scholarships, and SAEs.
Genes in Space
Design a DNA experiment to be performed on the International Space Station. Annual competition with no entry fee.
HackerRank CodeSprint
Sponsored competitive programming contests with student divisions.
Harvard Debate Tournament
Premier college-run high school debate tournament held annually.
Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest
A rigorous economics essay competition organized on a global scale.
High School Fed Challenge
High school teams compete to solve real-world economic problems and demonstrate their understanding of central banking.
HMMT
Twice-yearly team math tournament hosted by Harvard and MIT students. Free to attend; travel to Cambridge required.
HOSA Competitive Events
School-chapter health-science competitions across 60+ medical events. Local through international rounds.
HOSA International Leadership Conference
International leadership conference and competition for future health professionals.
HSCTF (High School Capture the Flag)
One of the largest student cybersecurity competitions, featuring crypto and web exploits.
INCubatoredu Student Pitch Competition
Year-long high school entrepreneurship course with pitch night.
International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad
International olympiad in astronomy and astrophysics with national selection rounds.
International Economics Olympiad
International economics olympiad for high school students with national selection rounds.
International Linguistics Olympiad
International annual contest in linguistics for secondary school students.
International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI)
The most prestigious international algorithmic programming competition at the high-school level. The top four students from the USA training camp are selected to represent their country.
International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) - US Qualifiers
An annual philosophy essay competition for pre-university students globally.
International Songwriting Competition (ISC)
A world-renowned songwriting competition that has launched the careers of many famous artists.
International Young Physicists' Tournament (Online Regional)
Global physics competition for teams to solve 7 open-ended problems and present their results in online 'Physics Fights'.
Iowa Junior Academy of Science Symposium
A statewide competition in Iowa where students present original STEM research to judges from industry and academia.
John Locke Institute Essay
Annual global essay competition in philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law. Free entry; cash and Oxford summer school prizes.
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
Global essay competition across philosophy, economics, history, politics, theology, law.
JSHS
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Regional and national competitions in original STEM research, with cash awards and DoD lab tours.
Kaggle Competitions
Global data science and ML competition platform; many beginner-friendly to advanced contests.
Knowledge@Wharton Comment & Win
Monthly free contests where students comment on Knowledge@Wharton articles for cash prizes.
Knowledge@Wharton High School Comment & Win
Monthly essay/comment contest on business topics.
LeetCode Weekly Contest
Free weekly competitive programming contests.
MATE ROV Competition
Underwater robotics competition with regional and international finals.
MATHCOUNTS
Premier US middle school math competition with school, chapter, state, and national levels.
MIT THINK Scholars
Funded research mentorship; finalists travel to MIT for an all-expenses-paid weekend.
Model UN (BMUN / NHSMUN / MUNUC)
High school Model United Nations conferences held by universities. Registration fees; many offer financial aid.
Modeling the Future Challenge
Free actuarial science / data analysis competition for HS students with cash scholarships.
MTNA Student Competitions
National classical-music performance and composition competitions with state and national rounds.
NASA App Development Challenge
Open team coding challenge from NASA. Teams build a visualization of mission data. No fee; finalists visit Johnson Space Center.
NASA App Development Challenge
Annual coding challenge for teams of grades 6-12 solving NASA mission problems.
NASA Space Apps Challenge (Student Track)
A data science competition where students use real NASA data to solve problems.
NASA TechRise Student Challenge
Teams design space-bound experiments. Winners receive USD 1500 and their payload flies on a high-altitude balloon.
National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT)
Major US quiz bowl organization running middle school, high school, and college tournaments.
National Civics Bee
Middle school civic engagement competition with local, state, and national finals.
National Cyber League
Twice-yearly cybersecurity capture-the-flag competition with high school division.
National Cyber League
Performance-based cybersecurity learning and competition.
National Economics Challenge
Team economics competition culminating in national finals.
National Economics Challenge
Premier US high school economics competition with state and national rounds.
National Economics Challenge
Premier econ competition for US high school students.
National Envirothon (NFC-Envirothon)
A national environmental science competition where students study forestry, wildlife, and aquatic ecology on-site.
National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) Competitions
A prestigious scholarship competition for vocalists, instrumentalists, and composers.
National Geographic GeoBee Archive
Historical archive and resources for geography competition (paused after 2020) plus successor programs.
National Geographic Slingshot Challenge
Annual video competition for ages 13-18 on environmental solutions with cash prizes.
National High School Mock Trial Championship
A national mock trial case competition where students act as attorneys and witnesses in a simulated courtroom.
National History Bee and Bowl
National history quiz competitions for grades 4-12.
National History Day
Year-long historical research project competition culminating at the national contest.
National Latin Exam
Annual exam recognizing Latin students K-12; widely used by classics teachers.
National Merit Scholarship Program (Social Science/General Score)
A scholarship competition where students address global challenges melalui research-based scenarios in social science.
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
Premier US high school ocean sciences quiz bowl.
National Public Health Week Student Challenge
Annual student challenge for high schoolers to advocate for public health issues.
National Science Bowl
Premier US middle and high school science quiz competition.
National Speech & Debate Tournament
Largest academic competition in the world; speech and debate across many events.
National Speech and Debate Tournament
Largest US high school speech and debate tournament with thousands of competitors.
National Spelling Bee
Premier US K-8 spelling competition culminating in nationals.
National Writing Board
The National Writing Board assesses academic expository writing against an independent standard endorsed by Harvard, Michigan, Princeton, Stanford, Virginia, Yale, and 33 other selective colleges and universities.
National YoungArts Foundation Competition
National arts competition for ages 15-18 across 10 disciplines; finalists receive cash and YoungArts Week.
National YoungArts Photography
Photography track of the YoungArts national competition.
National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
Pitch competition for student entrepreneurs from NFTE programs.
New York Times Editorial Contest
Annual student editorial writing contest for teens 13-19.
New York Times Personal Narrative Contest
Free 600-word personal essay contest; published winners.
New York Times Personal Narrative Contest
Annual personal narrative writing contest for teens 13-19.
NPR Student Podcast Challenge
Free annual podcasting contest. Submit a 3-8 minute podcast. Winning student is featured on NPR.
NSPA Best of the High School Press
National recognition program for student publications.
NYT Personal Narrative Contest
Annual short personal narrative contest for teens. 600 words. Free entry.
NYT Student Editorial Contest
Free annual contest for students aged 13-19 to write a 450-word evidence-based editorial. Top entries are published by the Times.
NYT Student Editorial Contest
Write a 450-word evidence-backed editorial on a topic that matters to you.
NYT Summer Reading Contest
Each summer week, students pick a Times piece and write 350 words about it. Free; winners published.
NYT Summer Reading Contest
Weekly summer contest for students 13-19 responding to NYT articles.
Online Math Team Championship (OMTC) / Purple Comet!
An international online math competition focused on high-level problem solving, often allowing students from rural areas to compete.
Patriot's Pen Essay Contest
Patriotic-themed essay contest for grades 6-8 with $5,000 top prize.
Physics Bowl
International multiple-choice physics competition for HS students.
Physics Olympics
Annual lab and theory physics competition for high schools.
picoCTF
Free annual capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition for middle and high schoolers.
picoCTF
Free annual cybersecurity capture-the-flag competition for students.
Poetry Out Loud
A national poetry recitation competition that begins in high school classrooms and ends in a national final.
Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
Playwriting contest for 11th graders judged by Princeton faculty.
Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest
Annual playwriting contest for 11th-grade students judged by Princeton's Lewis Center faculty.
ProjectCSGirls National Competition
A national computer science competition for middle and high school girls to design technology that solves community problems.
PUMaC
Princeton University Math Competition. Team and individual events, held on Princeton campus each November.
Putnam-Style Online Practice
Free competition math forums, classes, and practice for K-12 students.
Quill and Scroll International Writing Contest
Writing and photography contest for student journalists.
RBA / Federal Reserve Essay Contests
Various regional Fed essay and case competitions for high schoolers.
Regeneron ISEF
The largest international pre-college science fair. Qualify through an affiliated regional or state fair. Travel and lodging covered for finalists.
Regeneron ISEF
International high-school science and engineering fair; affiliate fairs feed into ISEF.
Regeneron ISEF / Science Talent Search
The two biggest US high school science competitions. Free to enter.
Regeneron Science Talent Search
Unique among high school competitions, the Regeneron STS focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the nationโs most promising future leaders in STEM. Each year, around 2,600 students enter Regeneron STS, submitting original research in critically important scientific fields of study and full application for holistic review. $3.1 million in awards are distributed annually, including the first place prize of $250,000.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Longest-running recognition program for creative teens in the US; 28 categories.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Largest national recognition program for creative teens grades 7โ12.
Science Olympiad
Team-based STEM competition with 23 events spanning earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Regional through national rounds.
STEM Fellowship Big Data Challenge
International data science competition with publication in STEM Fellowship Journal.
Stock Market Game
Free K-12 simulation of investing in real-world markets used in classrooms nationwide.
Technovation Girls
Global tech entrepreneurship challenge for girls 8-18.
The Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship
One of the most valuable writing scholarships for high school seniors, based on a portfolio.
Toshiba ExploraVision
K-12 team STEM competition forecasting future technologies.
TSA National Competitions
The premier middle and high school competition for engineering and technology projects involving a formal design process.
U.S. National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) / Envirothon
The world's largest Earth Science competition where teams solve challenges in geology, meteorology, and oceanography.
US Physics Olympiad
F=ma exam then USAPhO. Top 20 attend a training camp for the International Physics Olympiad team.
US Physics Olympiad
US Physics Olympiad selecting team for International Physics Olympiad.
USA Biology Olympiad (USABO)
Free 3-round biology olympiad. Top 20 attend a residential training camp; top 4 represent the US at the International Biology Olympiad.
USA Biology Olympiad (USABO)
National biology competition leading to international IBO team.
USA Chemistry Olympiad
Local-section through national chemistry olympiad. Top scorers attend the USNCO study camp at the US Air Force Academy.
USA Computing Olympiad
Free online programming contests held four times a year. Top US students earn an invitation to the summer training camp and the IOI team.
USA Computing Olympiad (USACO)
The premier algorithmic coding competition for high school students in the US, used to select the IOI team.
USA Computing Olympiad (USACO)
Free monthly online programming competitions; top US students go to international IOI.
USAMO / USAJMO
Two-day, nine-hour proof-based olympiad. Top finishers join the US team for the IMO. Invitation only via AIME.
Vans Custom Culture Art Competition
National high school art competition to design custom Vans shoes for cash and supply grants.
VEX Robotics Competition
Worldwide robotics competition with regional, state, and world championships. School- or club-team based.
VEX Robotics World Championship
World's largest robotics competition with VEX IQ (middle) and VEX V5 (high school) divisions.
VSA Emerging Young Artists Program
Awards for young artists with disabilities; cash and exhibition at the Kennedy Center.
We the People
Free national civics competition. Class teams compete in simulated congressional hearings on the Constitution.
We the People Constitution Competition
National constitutional knowledge competition for classroom teams.
We the People Constitutional Competition
Free constitutional law simulation. Top teams compete nationally in DC.
We the People Constitutional Competition
National civics competition on the Constitution and Bill of Rights for high schoolers.
Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
Free team-based simulated investing challenge with Wharton MBA mentors. Open globally.
Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
Free online team investment simulation for high schoolers worldwide.
World Affairs Challenge
Project-based competition tackling UN Sustainable Development Goals.
World of 8 Billion Student Video Contest
Students create short videos highlighting solutions to global issues like population growth and sustainability.
World Schools Debating Championships
Premier international high school team debating championship.
YoungArts Awards
National competition in writing, visual arts, design, music, theater, film for 15-18 year olds.
YoungArts National Arts Competition
One of the nation's most prestigious honors for high school students in the visual, literary, and performing arts.
YoungArts National Arts Competition
National competition for 15โ18 year-olds across visual, literary, design and performing arts; winners receive cash awards and master-class week in Miami.
YoungArts National Arts Competition Application
Application for the 2027 YoungArts National Arts Competition. YoungArts identifies and nurtures the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts and assists them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development.
YoungArts Theater
National recognition program for theater artists 15-18.
Youth Climate Leaders
Free youth climate summits and competitions. Project-based environmental advocacy.