§ Humanities

Humanities programs for high schoolers.

424 programs indexed in humanities. 240 are free or pay a stipend. 29 prioritize under-resourced or underrepresented students. This page updates whenever we add a new humanities program.

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All humanities programs

University of Pennsylvania
Academic English & University Readiness Academy
Two-week residential academy at Penn for non-native English speakers. Students do university-style work: reading, lectures, discussions, research and group projects, ending in a final presentation. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 2 weeks (July 26 - August 8, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Indiana Association of School Principals
Academic Super Bowl
A statewide academic team competition, running since 1987, in which nine-student teams face off in twenty-question rounds across math, science, English, social studies, and fine arts.
📍 Statewide, Indiana (state finals at Purdue University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
St. Paul's School
Advanced Studies Program
Five-week residential academic program restricted to current sophomores and juniors attending New Hampshire public or parochial schools. Students complete a collegiate-level major course plus an intensive writing workshop; recent subjects include engineering, law/governance, molecular biology, studio art and data science.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Texas A&M University Philosophy and Humanities
Aggie School of Athens Philosophy Camp
A week-long, non-residential philosophy summer camp at Texas A&M that gives teens early access to college-style humanistic inquiry through interactive discussion.
📍 College Station, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Alabama, Alabama International Relations Club (AIRC)
Alabama Model United Nations Conference (ALMUN)
An annual weekend-long Model UN conference at the University of Alabama simulating General Assembly, Specialized Assembly and Crisis committees for high school delegations from across the Southeast.
📍 Tuscaloosa, AL (University of Alabama)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Anchorage Bar Association
Alaska High School Mock Trial Competition
An annual statewide mock trial competition, sponsored by the Anchorage Bar Association, where high school teams argue a simulated court case in front of real attorneys and judges.
📍 Anchorage, AK📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Arizona
American Legion Arizona Oratorical Contest
Constitution-focused public speaking contest for high school students under age 20, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared speech and a 3-5 minute extemporaneous speech, advancing from post to district, area, state, and national rounds with scholarship prizes.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Arkansas
American Legion Arkansas Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speaking competition for high school students under 20, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared oration on the U.S. Constitution plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from post-level contests to the state department finals.
📍 Local American Legion posts statewide, Arkansas📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of California
American Legion California Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speech contest in which high school students compete for college scholarships by delivering prepared and impromptu speeches on the U.S. Constitution, advancing from post to district to state level.
📍 California (Department Finals in Fresno, CA)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Delaware
American Legion Delaware Oratorical Contest
Annual constitutional oratory competition where Delaware high schoolers deliver a prepared speech and an impromptu response on U.S. citizenship, advancing from district to department to national rounds.
📍 Delaware📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Alabama
American Legion Department of Alabama Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speech competition for high school students that advances from post to state to national levels, developing knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and public-speaking skills.
📍 Statewide (Alabama); state final in Montgomery📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Georgia
American Legion Department of Georgia Oratorical Contest
High school students under 20 deliver a prepared 8-10 minute oration on the U.S. Constitution plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from local Posts through District, Area, and the state Department contest.
📍 Statewide; 2027 Department contest at Historic Mary Persons Auditorium, Forsyth, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Hawaii
American Legion Department of Hawaii High School Oratorical Contest
Constitutional speech contest for Hawaii high schoolers, with the state winner advancing to the national finals where scholarships up to $25,000 are awarded.
📍 Oʻahu Veterans Center, Honolulu📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Iowa
American Legion Department of Iowa High School Oratorical Contest
A constitutional-themed speech competition testing students' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution through a prepared oration and an assigned-topic discourse, advancing from local posts through district, area, and department finals.
📍 Local posts statewide, Iowa📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Kansas
American Legion Department of Kansas High School Oratorical Contest
A constitutional oratory contest for grades 9-12 that builds knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and public-speaking skill, progressing from district to a state (department) competition and on to nationals.
📍 Wichita, KS (Department finals); districts vary📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Montana
American Legion Department of Montana High School Oratorical Contest
A constitutional oratory competition for students under age 20 who deliver an 8-10 minute prepared speech plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from post to state to national competition.
📍 Statewide (post-level through Department of Montana finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Nebraska
American Legion Department of Nebraska High School Oratorical Contest
High school students (grades 9-12) deliver prepared and impromptu speeches on the U.S. Constitution, competing for Nebraska scholarships up to $1,500 with a chance to advance to national finals worth up to $25,000.
📍 Statewide Nebraska📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Ohio
American Legion Department of Ohio Oratorical Contest
A constitutional speech contest for high schoolers combining a prepared oration on citizens' duties under the Constitution with an extemporaneous speech on an assigned topic, advancing from district to department level.
📍 District sites statewide; Department contest in Ohio📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion Department of Pennsylvania
American Legion Department of Pennsylvania High School Oratorical Contest
A public-speaking competition for students in grades 9-12 built around knowledge and appreciation of the U.S. Constitution, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared oration plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from the post level to district and state competition.
📍 Statewide, Pennsylvania (post/district/state rounds)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Illinois
American Legion Illinois Oratorical Contest
Statewide public-speaking competition on the U.S. Constitution in which high schoolers deliver an 8-10 minute prepared oration plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, advancing from local posts through district and department contests toward national scholarships.
📍 Springfield, IL (Department finals)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of Indiana
American Legion Indiana Oratorical Contest
A free constitutional-oratory competition for high schoolers under 20, who deliver an 8-10 minute prepared speech on the U.S. Constitution plus a 3-5 minute assigned-topic speech, advancing from post to district, zone, and state levels.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Kentucky
American Legion Kentucky High School Oratorical Contest
Kentucky's branch of The American Legion's national oratorical scholarship program, in which high school students deliver speeches on the U.S. Constitution at post, district, and state levels for a chance to compete nationally for scholarships up to $25,000.
📍 Regional and state contests across Kentucky📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion, Department of Missouri
American Legion Missouri High School Oratorical Contest
A Constitutional speech contest challenging Missouri high school (and homeschool) students to explore the U.S. Constitution while competing for scholarship awards, now in its 93rd year in Missouri.
📍 Local, district, and state competitions across Missouri📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion
American Legion National Oratorical Contest (Colorado)
A Constitution-focused oratory competition for high schoolers, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared oration and a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic, progressing from local posts through state and national finals.
📍 Entry through local American Legion posts in Colorado📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of New Hampshire
American Legion NH High School Oratorical Contest
A speech competition on the U.S. Constitution and citizens' duties to government, advancing from local Legion posts through district and state rounds toward the national contest.
📍 Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH (state finals)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The American Legion Department of Utah
American Legion Oratorical Contest (Utah)
A constitutional speech competition for high school students under age 20, progressing from post to district to state finals. Utah winners receive up to $1,500 and can advance to national scholarships of up to $25,000.
📍 Historic Old Courthouse, Provo, UT (state finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Legion, Department of South Dakota
American Legion South Dakota High School Oratorical Contest
A scholarship speech competition on the U.S. Constitution for South Dakota high school (or junior high) students under 20, requiring an 8-10 minute prepared oration plus a 3-5 minute speech on an assigned topic delivered without notes; district and department winners advance toward the national contest and its scholarships.
📍 Statewide, SD📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Pennsylvania
American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Online Seminar
Two-week online seminar (daily Zoom sessions) teaching basic ASL conversation and narrative skills in an immersion setting, plus Deaf community perspectives through vlogs, lectures and a panel of Deaf professionals. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Online⏱ 2 weeks (July 13 - 24, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
University of Colorado Boulder
Aquetza Academic Summer Program
Residential academic enrichment combining history, literature, health science, writing, science, and civic/social issues while emphasizing leadership and community engagement.
📍 CO🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association (RIJHA)
Archive Digitization Internship - Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association
A paid part-time internship scanning, cataloging, and digitizing historical photographs from RIJHA's archive using ScanSnap equipment and database management, requiring only a high school diploma and no prior archival experience.
📍 Providence, RI (Dwares JCC)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 11–12
Moderate
Arctic Education Foundation (Arctic Slope Regional Corporation)
Arctic Education Foundation At-Large High School Scholarship
Awards $2,000 each to high school seniors who are Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) shareholders or descendants, based on academic performance, leadership, and community service.
📍 Statewide (ASRC Region, North Slope)📅 June🎓 Grade 12
Selective
Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education / State Bar of Arizona
Arizona High School Mock Trial Program
Simulated trial competition for students in grades 9-12, pairing teams with practicing attorney coaches, with regional tournaments in March feeding into a state tournament in Phoenix and the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
📍 Phoenix, AZ (state tournament)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Model United Nations (University of Arizona)
Arizona Model United Nations (AZMUN)
One of the nation's few binational, bilingual high school Model UN conferences, hosted at the University of Arizona, drawing students from the Southwestern U.S. and Sonora, Mexico to debate and draft resolutions in committee.
📍 Tucson, AZ (University of Arizona)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Arizona Commission on the Arts / University of Arizona Poetry Center
Arizona Poetry Out Loud
Statewide poetry recitation contest for high school students that advances champions from the classroom through school, regional, state, and national competition, with free curriculum materials provided to participating teachers.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts
Arkansas Goes Global: World Languages & Cultures
Residential students explore Spanish, French, Japanese and German while examining how global languages and cultures connect to Arkansas history, industry and communities.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Arkansas Bar Association
Arkansas High School Mock Trial Competition
High school teams from across Arkansas simulate a full criminal or civil trial using a case packet of witness statements, exhibits, and jury instructions, competing before real judges and attorneys with the winner advancing to nationals.
📍 Little Rock / statewide rotating site, Arkansas📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Central Arkansas, Department of Political Science
Arkansas Model United Nations (AMUN)
Hundreds of high school delegates from Arkansas and neighboring states simulate UN bodies like the General Assembly, Security Council, and International Court of Justice at this two-day conference hosted by UCA each November.
📍 University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arkansas Arts Council / National Endowment for the Arts / Poetry Foundation
Arkansas Poetry Out Loud
A free program for grades 9-12 (including homeschoolers) that builds public-speaking skill and confidence through memorization and recitation of poetry, culminating in a statewide championship.
📍 Little Rock, AR (state finals)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Madison Badger Precollege
Badger Summer Scholars
A two-week residential or commuter college-preparatory program on the UW-Madison campus where high school students take courses taught by UW-Madison staff and Badger Precollege instructors and prepare for the college application process.
📍 Madison, WI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Trinity College
Bantam Bound
Selective two-day fly-in introducing prospective seniors to Trinity through professor-led mock classes, student discussions and exploration of campus and Hartford.
📍 CT🎓 Grade 12
Selective
Bay Area Urban Debate League
Bay Area Urban Debate League (BAUDL)
A nonprofit that makes competitive policy debate accessible to every Bay Area public middle and high school student through tournaments, practices, and college debate mentorship.
📍 Oakland, CA / Bay Area📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Baylor University
Baylor Accelerate Pre-College Program
A pre-college program letting high school students take college courses at Baylor in summer sessions to get a jump start on college-level rigor, with an Early Admission Track for rising juniors and seniors. Summer course offerings have included history, political science, and film and digital media.
📍 Waco, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Baylor University
Baylor TIP (Talent Identification Program)
A talent-identification program for grades 8-12 offering college-level content, residential summer programs, Baylor TIP Academy summer courses, and personalized talent advising. Its mission is to identify exceptional talent in STEM and the humanities.
📍 Waco, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Utah John R. Park Debate Society
Beehive Bonanza High School Debate Tournament
An annual high school tournament on the University of Utah campus featuring Student Congress, policy, Lincoln-Douglas and public forum debate, and eight individual speech events.
📍 University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Beloit College Center for Language Studies
Beloit College Summer Language Program (Chinese, Japanese, Russian)
A fully virtual, immersive 3.5- or 7-week intensive in Chinese, Japanese or Russian taught Monday-Friday, open to high school juniors and seniors among other learners, earning 8 semester hours of college credit.
📍 Online (Beloit, WI)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
Bennington Museum
Bennington Museum Curatorial Internship (High School)
A paid summer curatorial internship for high school students at the Bennington Museum, working mainly with the Collections Manager while also gaining experience in marketing, education and visitor services.
📍 Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Berkeley Model United Nations
Berkeley Model United Nations (BMUN)
The world's first Model UN simulation, founded in 1952, now draws over 2,000 high school delegates to UC Berkeley each March for a three-day conference on international diplomacy.
📍 UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Between Worlds: Home, Borders, and Belonging
Students study home, borders, and belonging through Latin American studies, English, art, and photography in an interdisciplinary college-level setting.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Brown University Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, with Tomaquag Museum
Black and Indigenous Histories Summer Institute (BIHSI)
A free, week-long in-person institute for high schoolers exploring Black and Indigenous histories of New England through classes, museum visits, guest speakers, and reflective discussion, held at Brown University.
📍 Providence, RI (Brown University)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Brown University
Brown Pre-College
On-campus and online courses across the liberal arts.
📍 Providence, RI⏱ 1-7 weeks📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Bullock Museum Teen Volunteer Program
Volunteers age 16 and up serve as gallery roamers, podium attendants, and program and event helpers at the state history museum. Applicants complete an online application and interview and commit to at least six hours per month.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Forestry Challenge
California Forestry Challenge
California's premier natural resource competition for high school students, similar to Envirothon.
📍 CA⏱ 1 week📅 April 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Teach Democracy (formerly Constitutional Rights Foundation)
California Mock Trial
Student teams of prosecution and defense attorneys, witnesses, and court staff argue a hypothetical criminal case in real courtrooms, guided by volunteer attorney coaches, across 37 California counties.
📍 California courthouses statewide; high school state finals in Oakland📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Immerse Education
Cambridge Immerse Education
Two-week pre-college summer programs at Cambridge, Oxford, and beyond.
📍 Cambridge, UK⏱ 2 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kenyon College
Camp 4
Selective three-week residential pre-college program combining humanities, natural science, studio art and college-admissions preparation.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 11–12
Moderate
Capitol Debate (hosted at Villanova University)
Capitol Debate at Villanova University
Two-week summer debate and public speaking program on Villanova's campus, June 27 to July 8, 2027, for ages 10 to 17. Includes 60+ hours of live instruction covering voice, body language, speech structure, cross-examination and refutation, plus electives in STEM communication, business, legal communication and competitive debate. Residential and commuter options; early bird pricing ends August 21.
📍 Villanova, PA📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
State Archives, State Historical Society of North Dakota
Capturing Oral Histories Workshop
A free workshop teaching participants the fundamentals of recording and preserving oral histories, including practical interviewing techniques and tips for documenting personal stories.
📍 Bismarck, ND📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ulakaia Center (formerly The Aleut Foundation / Aleut Corporation)
Cash for Good Grades
An academic-incentive program from the Aleut Corporation's education arm that pays cash rewards to grades 7-12 students who are Aleut Corporation shareholders or descendants for good grades and attendance.
📍 Statewide (Aleut Region)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado Christian University
CCU Academy
Online concurrent-enrollment college courses taught with a Christian worldview, open to high school students (age 15+) and recent graduates who haven't yet started college.
📍 Online (Colorado Christian University)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Chickasaw Nation
Chikasha Pehlichi Ikbi
Ten-month leadership, business, financial-literacy, cultural and community-service program.
📍 OK🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
Selective
Choctaw Nation
Choctaw Nation Youth Advisory Board
Students complete community projects, leadership development, trainings and civic service in the Choctaw service area.
📍 OK🎓 Grade 12
Selective
Institute for Diplomacy Education and Advocacy
CIMUN (Chicago International Model United Nations)
Four-day advanced Model UN conference in downtown Chicago where high school delegates simulate international diplomacy through fully integrated crisis committees and a historical simulation set in 1989.
📍 Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park, Chicago, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The CIRI Foundation
CIRI Foundation Raven Fund Jump Start Scholarship
Provides up to $2,000 per year to Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) shareholders and descendants who are concurrently enrolled in high school and college-level coursework, plus up to $500 annually for personal expenses.
📍 Statewide (CIRI Region, Southcentral Alaska)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Calista Education and Culture, Inc.
Ciutmuarluni
A youth leadership and postsecondary-readiness program for 11th and 12th graders in the Calista Region, combining Elder-led cultural immersion with college campus visits, financial-aid guidance, and career exploration.
📍 Calista Region (LKSD, LYSD, Yupiit, and Kuspuk school districts), Alaska📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
Westminster University Honors College
Civility Scholars High School Essay Contest
Non-partisan 600-word essay contest for Utah high school students on civil discourse in public life. The winner receives a $2,000 cash prize and finalists earn a $1,000 scholarship to Westminster University.
📍 Utah (statewide); Westminster University, Salt Lake City📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Texas Tech University
Clark Scholars Program
Intensive research with TTU faculty across STEM and humanities. $750 stipend, room and board covered.
📍 TX (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 7 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburg Public Archaeology Institute for High School Students
A week-long field program where rising 9th-12th graders work alongside Colonial Williamsburg archaeologists on excavation, site recording and interpretation, and finish by leading a site tour.
📍 Williamsburg, VA📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado Bar Association
Colorado High School Mock Trial
Statewide mock trial program in which high school teams learn about the judicial system and argue an official case problem through regional and state tournaments, with attorneys, judges, and teachers volunteering as coaches and scorers.
📍 Regional sites and state tournament, Colorado📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Colorado Model United Nations
Colorado Model UN
A statewide consortium in which Colorado high schools host and attend Model UN conferences from September through April, with students serving as delegates, chairs, and background-guide writers.
📍 Host high school and university campuses statewide📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Columbia University
Columbia Summer Immersion
Three-week pre-college sessions in NYC across 80+ subjects.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
U.S. House of Representatives Members
Congressional District Office Internship
High school students can intern in their local district offices to learn about constituent services and local policy.
📍 Local Districts⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Connecticut Debate Association (CDA)
Connecticut Debate Association
Connecticut's statewide high school debate league runs a season of monthly tournaments in college parliamentary format, culminating in State Finals open only to debaters who qualified through earlier league competition.
📍 Tournaments hosted at member high schools statewide📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Bar Association
Connecticut High School Mock Trial Competition
The CBA's statewide mock trial program runs regional trials in Connecticut courthouses each winter, advancing teams through a playoff tournament to a state championship round held before the Connecticut Supreme Court, with the winner representing the state at nationals.
📍 Courthouses statewide; state finals before the CT Supreme Court📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Cornell University
Cornell School of Continuing Education Pre-College
Three or six-week pre-college programs in hundreds of subjects on campus or online.
📍 Ithaca, NY⏱ 3-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth Bound (Free)
Free fly-in program for high-achieving, low-income juniors.
📍 NH⏱ 1 week (summer)📅 March🎓 Grade 11
Selective
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars
Students ages 15–18 take intensive college-level courses taught primarily by Dartmouth affiliates across business, engineering, medicine, humanities and sciences, with residential, commuter and hybrid options.
📍 NH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
DECA Inc.
DECA Competitive Events (ICDC)
One of the world's largest business competitions for students to demonstrate their professionalism in multiple event categories.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Year-long📅 January 10🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National High School Ethics Bowl (NHSEB) / Center for Practical Ethics, University of Mississippi
Deep South Regional High School Ethics Bowl
A regional qualifier for the National High School Ethics Bowl hosted at the University of Mississippi, where student teams analyze and defend positions on real-world ethical case studies without being assigned opposing sides.
📍 Oxford, MS📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Delaware Envirothon / New Castle Conservation District
Delaware Envirothon
Statewide environmental problem-solving competition for high school teams of five, testing knowledge of aquatic ecology, soils, forestry, wildlife, and current environmental issues through hands-on stations and an oral presentation.
📍 Delaware (rotating host site)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
State of Delaware / University of Delaware
Delaware Governor's School for Excellence
Highly selective residential program with academic and visual/performing-arts tracks. Students study subjects including humanities, government, science, economics and the arts with UD faculty.
📍 DE🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Delaware Law Related Education Center / Delaware Judiciary
Delaware High School Mock Trial Competition
Statewide competition where student teams argue a case as attorneys and witnesses before real judges and scoring juries over two days at Wilmington's Leonard L. Williams Justice Center.
📍 Leonard L. Williams Justice Center, Wilmington, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Salesianum School
DELMUN (Delaware Model United Nations Conference)
Student-run Model United Nations conference hosted by Salesianum School, welcoming high schoolers from across the mid-Atlantic to debate global issues such as healthcare, cybersecurity, and endangered species protection through committee simulations.
📍 Salesianum School, Wilmington, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Doyon Foundation
Doyon Foundation High School Award
A scholarship for high school students who are Doyon, Limited shareholders or their children, covering the actual cost of a college-credit course or program up to $1,000.
📍 Statewide (Doyon Region, Interior Alaska)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Duke University
Duke Summer Academy
Pre-college academic programs at Duke. Need-based scholarships.
📍 NC⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Elon University Center for Access & Success
Elon Academy
Multi-year college-access program for selected Alamance-Burlington students combining three residential summers, Saturday programming, advising and college preparation.
📍 NC🎓 Grade 9
Selective
Entrepreneurs Club
Entrepreneurs Club Venture Challenge (ECVC)
A high school startup competition where student teams build real companies and pitch on stage at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium for a share of $10,000 in cash awards.
📍 Sacramento, CA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Mississippi Center for Practical Ethics
Ethical U: Choices that Matter
Rising ninth graders analyze real moral dilemmas, develop arguments, practice critical thinking and leadership, and participate in a case-writing challenge centered on practical ethics.
📍 MS🎓 Grade 9
Moderate
UMBC
Ethics Bowl
Students analyze and discuss ethical questions in an Ethics Bowl–style course.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth
Expand Your Mind (EYM)
Students entering grades 9–12 select an intensive two-week course from a large interdisciplinary catalog spanning STEM, humanities, arts, medicine, law, psychology, engineering, and writing. 2026 commuter tuition was $875 per session and residential tuition $2,200, with financial aid available.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
FBLA National Leadership Conference Competitions
Focuses on business knowledge, academic competition, and leadership development across multiple career clusters.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Year-long📅 January 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Florida 4-H (UF/IFAS Extension)
Florida 4-H Legislature
A 'learn by doing' mock-government program for teen 4-H members, who serve as Florida 4-H senators, representatives, lobbyists, media correspondents, or governor during a week of sessions at the State Capitol.
📍 Tallahassee, FL (Florida State Capitol / FSU dorms)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Various
Freedom Summer Collegiate
Free college-prep program in the Mississippi Delta taught by graduate students. Travel and housing covered.
📍 Mississippi⏱ 4 weeks📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont Historical Society
Geiger Fellowship at the Vermont Historical Society
Paid summer fellowships in collections, library, museum and education work at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier and the Vermont History Center in Barre.
📍 Montpelier and Barre, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Idaho State Historical Society / Idaho State Museum
GEM High School Internship
A hands-on internship where high school students research the stories of Idaho, help with exhibit design, and facilitate youth and family programs at the Idaho State Museum, networking with archivists, curators, and designers along the way.
📍 Boise, ID📅 September🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
GenZ Girl Gang
GenZ Girl Gang Virtual Internship Program (Open to all GS)
A network for students to find virtual internships in tech, non-profits, and policy. Focuses on social impact projects led by youth.
📍 Online⏱ 8-12 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
George Mason University Debate
George Mason Debate Institute (GMDI) Summer Debate Camp
A six-day summer debate camp on George Mason's Fairfax campus with instruction in Lincoln-Douglas, Policy and Public Forum debate, billed as the largest debate camp in Virginia.
📍 Fairfax, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Georgia 4-H / UGA Cooperative Extension
Georgia 4-H State Congress
State Congress is Georgia 4-H's premier annual event for high-school-age members, held since 1942, featuring the Project Achievement and Leadership in Action competitions plus scholarship recognition.
📍 Atlanta, GA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Office of Education and Workforce Strategy
Georgia Governor's Honors Program
GHP is a free residential summer program for talented high school sophomores and juniors, held mid-June to mid-July on a college campus with academic, cultural, and social enrichment beyond typical classroom instruction.
📍 Residential college campus, Georgia (site varies by year)📅 November🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Georgia Forensic Coaches Association
Georgia Speech & Debate (Georgia Forensic Coaches Association)
The GFCA, founded in 1982, governs high school speech and debate in Georgia, running First & Second Year and Varsity State Championships open to any member school's students statewide.
📍 Statewide; State Championship tournaments📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech Sustainable Systems Camp
Multidisciplinary camp exploring sustainable energy, water resources, and climate resilience.
📍 Atlanta, GA⏱ 1 week📅 May 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania (Penn Summer / Penn LPS)
Global Culture and Media Academy
A three-week residential academy exploring the relationship between language, culture, media, and communication in a globalized world, building intercultural communication skills for 10th-11th graders.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
The World Food Prize Foundation
Global Youth Institute
An international organization that empowers students to research and propose solutions to the global food security crisis.
📍 Des Moines, IA/Global⏱ Year-long📅 January 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Saint Anselm College Center for Ethics in Society
Goodchild High School Ethics Bowl
High school teams from the Center's Ethics Circle partner schools compete in the National High School Ethics Bowl format, with kickoff and capstone events hosted on the Saint Anselm campus.
📍 Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia Department of Education / West Virginia University
Governor's Honors Academy
A state-funded residential summer program at WVU for about 175 rising seniors that explores contemporary issues, their historical roots, and the arts and sciences.
📍 West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV📅 April🎓 Grade 11
Selective
Samford University, University Fellows Program
Great Ideas Summer Institute (GISI)
A weeklong residential honors program letting selected high school juniors and seniors experience university seminar life, studying the Western intellectual tradition through faculty-led discussions and campus excursions.
📍 Birmingham, AL (Samford University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
The American Legion, Department of South Carolina
H.W. Dare Maness High School Oratorical Program
A constitutional speech contest that develops high schoolers' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and public-speaking skills, progressing from local posts through semi-final and department-final rounds toward national scholarships.
📍 Multiple sites statewide, with Department Finals in Columbia, SC📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Harding University
Harding University Honors Symposium
A two-week academic summer program on Harding's Searcy campus for students entering their senior year, offering university-level courses in theology, history, literature, critical thinking, and art, with three transferable college credits.
📍 Harding University, Searcy, AR📅 May🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
Harvard International Relations Council
Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN)
Premier conferences hosted by Harvard students simulating international diplomacy and the United Nations.
📍 Boston, MA⏱ 4 days📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Harvard University
Harvard Pre-College (Need-Based Aid)
Pre-college courses with substantial need-based scholarships covering up to full tuition.
📍 MA (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 2-7 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Harvard University
Harvard Pre-College Program
Two-week residential program in 50+ disciplines.
📍 Cambridge, MA⏱ 2 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Brigham Young University–Hawaii
Haumana Program (BYU–Hawaii)
One-day on-campus recruitment and college-exploration event for Hawaii high school students in grades 9-12, including a campus tour, Polynesian Cultural Center visit, and devotional.
📍 Laie, Oʻahu (BYU–Hawaii campus)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hawaii State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
Hawaiʻi High School Mock Trial Program
Statewide mock trial competition in which student teams work with volunteer attorneys to prepare and argue a full case, culminating in a State Championship at the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court with advancement to nationals.
📍 Honolulu, Oʻahu (Hawaiʻi Supreme Court)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities
Hawaiʻi History Day
Year-long project-based history and civics program for grades 4-12, in which students research an annual theme and present at district, state, and national competitions.
📍 Statewide (district and state fairs)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Cambridge
HE+ Cambridge
Free supracurricular resources, subject taster videos, and reading lists from Cambridge academics — designed to stretch Year 12/13 students preparing for competitive applications.
📍 Remote (UK/Global)⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling · anytime🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship / Transylvania University
Henry Clay Center Student Congress at Transylvania University
A free, week-long summer program for rising high school seniors with strong academic and extracurricular records, focused on negotiation, dialogue, and compromise, culminating in a student debate at Frankfort's Old State Capitol.
📍 Transylvania University, Lexington, KY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Heritage Volunteer Program
Teens can assist at the Heritage Center and state historic sites in interpretation, museum operations, research and public programs.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Federal Reserve Bank of New York (and others)
High School Fed Challenge
High school teams compete to solve real-world economic problems and demonstrate their understanding of central banking.
📍 Regional Fed Banks⏱ Semester📅 February 15🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
MIT Educational Studies Program
High School Studies Program (HSSP)
Hundreds of secondary students take multi-week courses taught largely by MIT students on subjects ranging from STEM to humanities and unconventional electives.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
College of Charleston Honors College
Honors Pre-College Summer Institute
A non-residential summer institute on the downtown Charleston campus offering rising sophomores through seniors college-level seminar courses such as 'Exploring Charleston's Ecosystems' and 'Savor the Story: Food, Culture & Charleston,' combining classroom instruction with local field research.
📍 Charleston, SC📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Horizon Academic
Horizon Academic Research Journal
Alumni of the Horizon Academic Research Program can submit their research to the Horizon Academic Research Journal, which accepts only 10% of submissions, making it one of the most selective high-school publications in the world.
📍 Multiple🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
Selective
Horizon
Horizon Academic Research Program
Individual research mentorship program producing a college-level paper; open worldwide.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 10 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Rice University Department of Philosophy
Houston High School Ethics Bowl
A regional National High School Ethics Bowl competition where teams from Houston-area high schools analyze ethical case studies with an emphasis on dialogue and civility. The regional winner is eligible for the national competition.
📍 Houston, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
ASU Hugh Downs School of Human Communication
Hugh Downs School Invitational (Speech & Debate)
Arizona's largest high school speech and debate tournament, drawing more than 1,600 National Speech & Debate Association students from over 125 schools across many states to ASU's Tempe campus each January.
📍 Tempe, AZ (ASU)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mississippi State University, College of Arts and Sciences
Humanities Camp
A week-long residential camp at Mississippi State University where nominated scholars explore humanities disciplines such as African American Studies, Communication, History, Literature, and Philosophy through lectures and experiential learning.
📍 Starkville, MS📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Humanities: The Arts of Power and Knowledge in the Renaissance
Students investigate Renaissance history, philosophy, art, art history, and mapmaking through an interdisciplinary college-level humanities course.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Ohio State University
HumCog — Humanities & Cognitive Sciences Summer Institute
Interdisciplinary lectures, lab demonstrations, workshops and discussions connecting cognitive science with the humanities and arts.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Immerse Education
Immerse Education Essay Competition
Free international essay contest; winners receive 100% scholarships to Immerse summer residencies at Cambridge, Oxford, and elsewhere.
📍 Global📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ball State University
Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities
A selective, tuition-free two-year public residential high school on the Ball State campus for high-ability juniors and seniors, offering college-level courses, AP classes, and Ball State dual-credit options.
📍 Muncie, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Indiana Bar Foundation
Indiana High School Mock Trial
A statewide competition teaching high schoolers the legal system by having them argue both sides of a criminal or civil case as attorneys and witnesses before judge panels.
📍 Statewide, Indiana (regionals in February; state in March)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Institute for Youth in Policy
Institute for Youth in Policy (Economics Dept)
A youth-led organization providing resources for high schoolers to conduct and publish research in economics.
📍 Online⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IHO
International History Olympiad
Individual and team international history competition.
📍 Rotates by host country📅 National rounds Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
IPO
International Philosophy Olympiad
International philosophical essay competition; students write in a language other than their native tongue.
📍 Rotates by host country📅 National selection Spring🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Iowa State Bar Association
Iowa High School Mock Trial Program
An academic competition open to students in grades 9-12 that simulates a criminal trial, pairing roughly 90 high schools and 130 teams each year with practicing attorneys and judges.
📍 Regional sites statewide; state finals in Iowa📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Northern Iowa, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
Iowa High School Model United Nations (IHSMUN)
A spring Model UN conference at UNI where nearly 450 high school delegates from across Iowa debate international issues across committees like the Security Council, ICJ, and ECOSOC and negotiate resolutions.
📍 University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Iowa High School Speech Association
Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) Speech & Debate
The statewide organization running competitive debate, individual speaking events, and large-group performance contests for Iowa high schools, following National Speech and Debate Association topics and rules.
📍 Districts statewide; state contests at member sites, Iowa📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Belin-Blank Center, University of Iowa
Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA)
Iowa students whose schools cannot offer particular advanced courses can receive free access to nearly 30 online advanced and AP courses. Fall 2026 enrollment closed August 17, with additional enrollment cycles offered for later semesters.
📍 IA🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Iowa
Iowa Young Writers' Studio
Premier creative writing program from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Need-based aid available.
📍 IA (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Illinois State Bar Association
ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational
Annual mock trial competition, held since 1982, where Illinois high school teams argue a simulated case before real courts with practicing attorneys as judges, with the winning team advancing to the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
📍 Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars
Free 5-year program for 7th-grade high-achieving low-income students. Includes summer programs, college advising, and scholarships.
📍 Nationwide⏱ 5 years📅 April🎓 Grade 7
Selective
Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia
John Lewis Society (Junior Interpreter Volunteers)
A junior interpretive volunteer program for teens ages 13-16 with an interest in history who interpret on the museum's historic farms after a training session and one-on-one mentoring from museum staff.
📍 Staunton, VA📅 January🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
John Locke Institute
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
Free essay competition in philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law. Open worldwide, ages up to 18.
📍 Global📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
John Locke Institute
John Locke Institute Global Essay Competition
International essay competition across philosophy, politics, economics, history, psychology, theology, and law.
📍 Global📅 Late June🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
JHSS
Journal of High School Science
STEM and humanities journal for high school students.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
JRHS
Journal of Research High School
Multidisciplinary peer-reviewed HS journal.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Journal of the Penn Manuscript Collective
Undergraduate humanities journal welcoming exceptional HS work.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska State Bar Foundation
Judge Lyle Strom High School Mock Trial Program
More than 1,000 Nebraska students and teachers participate annually in this mock trial program, preparing prosecution/plaintiff and defense cases from an original fictional case packet, competing regionally before advancing to the State Finals and potentially the National High School Mock Trial Championship.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Finals in Lincoln, NE📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Mariners' Museum and Park
Junior Volunteer Team at The Mariners' Museum and Park
Students ages 14-17 volunteer as gallery station hosts or lobby greeters, interacting with visitors after required orientation and training.
📍 Newport News, VA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky Association for Academic Competition
KAAC High School Camp
Students spend four days preparing for Governor's Cup and advanced classroom competition through instruction in academic subject areas and Strategic Problem Solving. The 2026 residential/commuter program was held at Berea College.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas FFA Association
Kansas FFA Convention
The largest youth conference in Kansas, bringing over 2,700 FFA members to the K-State campus each year for Leadership Development Events, an Opportunity Fair, state band and chorus performances, and the State FFA Degree ceremony.
📍 Manhattan, KS (Kansas State University)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas Bar Foundation / Kansas Bar Association
Kansas High School Mock Trial Competition
Teams of at least six students act as attorneys and witnesses arguing both sides of a fictional case in front of real judges and legal professionals, advancing from regional tournaments to a state championship.
📍 Kansas (two regional sites, state tournament TBD)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University High School Model United Nations Conference
KSU HSMUN, running since 1986, brings the best high school students from the Southeast to Kennesaw State for a two-day, 10-committee Model UN conference simulating international diplomacy.
📍 Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Kentucky Association for Academic Competition
Kentucky Governor's Cup — High School Division
School teams compete through district, regional, and state rounds in Quick Recall, written assessments, composition, and Strategic Problem Solving. Kentucky public, private, and home schools can participate.
📍 KY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program (GSP)
Selected Kentucky juniors attend a five-week residential academic program on one of three college campuses, studying a focus area while participating in seminars and community activities. Tuition, room, board, most supplies, and program activities are covered.
📍 KY🎓 Grade 11
Selective
Kentucky High School Mock Trial Association (KHSMTA)
Kentucky High School Mock Trial Association
A nonprofit that runs Kentucky's statewide high school mock trial competition, where student teams argue both sides of a fictional legal case, competing through three regional tournaments that feed into a 'Sweet 16' state championship.
📍 Regional sites and state championship, Kentucky📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky High School Speech League, Inc.
Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL)
Kentucky's century-old home for scholastic speech and debate, running regional tournaments and a state championship meet across individual speech events and debate formats, with a handbook and judge resources for coaches and competitors.
📍 Tournament sites across Kentucky📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kentucky YMCA Youth Association
Kentucky United Nations Assembly (KUNA)
A 3-day Model UN conference for grades 10-12 (with a middle school track for grades 7-8) simulating the UN General Assembly, Security Council, International Court of Justice, and Media Corps, held each winter at a Louisville hotel.
📍 Crowne Plaza Louisville Airport Expo Center, Louisville, KY📅 February🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Kimbell Art Museum
Kimbell Teen Council
Grade 9-12 members work with museum professionals to plan and run Kimbell teen programs such as Teen Hangouts, volunteer at education programs and events, and consult on museum projects. Members learn about the collection through behind-the-scenes experiences.
📍 Fort Worth, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Dickinson College
Knowledge for Freedom Seminar
Free two-week residential humanities/civic seminar with college-admissions support, particularly supporting first-gen/lower-income rising seniors.
📍 PA🎓 Grade 12
Selective
UW-Madison Language Institute
Languages of the World Day (UW-Madison)
A one-day event at Union South where Wisconsin high school students and teachers sample languages and cultures through breakout sessions on language, music, dance, film and the scientific study of language led by about 60 UW-Madison faculty, staff and students.
📍 Madison, WI📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Brown University
Leadership Institute
A leadership development program where students explore social justice, identity, and leadership through workshops.
📍 Providence, RI⏱ 2 weeks📅 May 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Learn To Be Foundation
Learn To Be Tutor
A 1-on-1 online tutoring program for low-income K-12 students. High schoolers can apply to tutor and earn volunteer hours.
📍 Online⏱ Flexible📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League
Los Angeles Metropolitan Debate League (LAMDL)
A nonprofit policy debate league that brings competitive debate, tournaments, a debate school, and a summer camp to underserved Los Angeles-area high schools to close the opportunity gap.
📍 Los Angeles, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Louisiana Chess Association (US Chess state affiliate)
Louisiana State Scholastic Chess Championship
A five-round Swiss-format statewide chess championship open to K-12 players with current US Chess membership, split into grade-band sections (including a K-12 high school section), that also serves as a qualifier for national scholastic events like the Denker Tournament of High School Champions.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Lumiere Education
Lumiere Research Scholar (Aid)
Independent research papers with PhD mentors. Need-based financial aid up to 100%.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 12 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Lumiere Education
Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Independent research program mentored by PhDs; open to high schoolers worldwide.
📍 Global📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Maine Forensic Association
Maine Forensic Association Speech & Debate
Maine's statewide speech and debate league, recognized by the National Speech and Debate Association, running a season of tournaments in Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Student Congress debate plus speech events like Oratory and Dramatic Interpretation.
📍 Statewide, ME📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Maine / Margaret Chase Smith Library
Maine National History Day
A year-long research and project-based competition for grades 6-12 in which students create a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance, or website on a historical topic tied to an annual theme, advancing from classroom to state to national competition.
📍 Orono, ME (University of Maine)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Massachusetts Speech & Debate League
Massachusetts Speech & Debate League (MSDL)
A statewide interscholastic league for grades 9-12 running Saturday tournaments year-round in debate formats (including Public Forum and Congressional Debate), oratory, and interpretive/oral-reading speech events across member high schools in Massachusetts and affiliated New England schools.
📍 Massachusetts (member schools statewide)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
MDAH Youth Volunteers
Youth age 16+ can participate in service-learning volunteer placements within MDAH institutions, including the Museum of Mississippi History, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, Eudora Welty House & Garden, and state archives.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Mechanics of Writing for High School (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Builds high school students' writing mechanics, including grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and organization for narrative, expository and argumentative essays.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA (one session online via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
A2Ethics, with University of Michigan Department of Philosophy Outreach Program
Michigan High School Ethics Bowl
A judged tournament in which student teams study, analyze, and publicly discuss challenging ethical case studies, coached in the fall by University of Michigan philosophy graduate students ahead of a February championship.
📍 Southeast Michigan (hosted at partner high schools)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences)
MIPA Fall Conference & Contests
Michigan Interscholastic Press Association's annual Fall Conference at the Lansing Center plus statewide individual contests spanning newspaper, yearbook, broadcast and online media categories for middle and high school journalists.
📍 East Lansing / Lansing, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
State of Mississippi / Mississippi University for Women
Mississippi Governor's School
Gifted Mississippi sophomores and juniors attend a free two-week residential honors program with challenging courses, leadership, service, team-building, and three hours of honors college credit. The 2027 program runs June 6–19.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL)
Missouri High School Mock Trial Competition
Founded in 1979, this statewide competition has students argue simulated courtroom trials as lawyers and witnesses in front of practicing attorneys, advancing through Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield regionals to a state championship.
📍 Regional sites in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield; state championship in Missouri📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Missouri
Missouri Scholars Academy
Three-week residential academic academy for highly capable Missouri sophomores. The 2027 cohort carries a $600 scholar fee, with waivers available to qualifying students.
📍 MO🎓 Grade 10
Moderate
Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)
MOHAI History Lab
Two-week summer intensive for high school students interested in local history and storytelling who conduct their own research and publish a work of historical interpretation on the Rainy Day History website.
📍 MOHAI, Seattle, Washington📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
State Bar of Montana
Montana High School Mock Trial
Teams of high school students argue both sides of a simulated legal case as attorneys, witnesses, and courtroom artists, coached by practicing attorneys and judges, in a statewide competition run by the State Bar of Montana.
📍 Statewide📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Montana
Montana Model United Nations High School Conference
A two-day conference at the University of Montana where over 300 Montana and Idaho high school students represent countries in simulated UN committees, debating and negotiating resolutions on world issues.
📍 University of Montana, Missoula, MT📅 September🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Montana Arts Council / National Endowment for the Arts
Montana Poetry Out Loud
A National Endowment for the Arts recitation competition where Montana students in grades 9-12 memorize and perform poems, advancing from classroom to regional and state finals in Helena.
📍 Grandstreet Theatre, Helena, MT (State Finals)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
James Madison's Montpelier
Montpelier High School Archaeology Excavation Expedition
A week-long hands-on archaeology program specifically for high school students, working side by side with Montpelier's professional archaeologists on excavation sites of the Madison-era property (2026 focus: an 18th-century blacksmith shop run by an enslaved blacksmith).
📍 Montpelier Station, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Morehouse College
Morehouse Summer Pre-College Program
Morehouse's Summer Pre-College Program lets rising high school juniors and seniors with a 3.2+ GPA earn Morehouse College credit in hybrid online/synchronous courses taught by Morehouse faculty.
📍 Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA (hybrid online instruction)📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Illinois Model United Nations, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
MUNI (Illinois Model United Nations)
One of the Midwest's leading Model UN conferences, hosting over 100 high school delegates each spring on the UIUC campus for two days of committee debate, now in its 29th year since founding in 1995.
📍 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Chicago
MUNUC (Model United Nations of the University of Chicago)
One of the world's largest high school Model UN conferences, held since 1988 with an emphasis on pedagogy and substantive debate, offering delegates over $40,000 in financial aid.
📍 Hilton Chicago, Chicago, IL📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Museum Leaders in Training (M.LiT) at VMFA
A free, 12-week career development and leadership training program in which teens go behind the scenes at VMFA, explore museum careers, advise on projects and events, and design an exhibition, earning 50+ community service hours.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 September🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
Georgetown International Relations Association
NAIMUN (North American Invitational Model United Nations)
The oldest and largest student-run Model UN conference for high schoolers, drawing over 3,300 delegates from school and independent delegations to simulate UN committees at the Washington Hilton.
📍 Washington, DC (Washington Hilton, Dupont Circle)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National High School Mock Trial Organization
National High School Mock Trial Championship
A national mock trial case competition where students act as attorneys and witnesses in a simulated courtroom.
📍 Nationwide⏱ Year-long📅 March 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National History Academy (Journey Through Hallowed Ground)
National History Academy
A four-week residential summer program on American history, law and government for rising 10th-12th graders, combining history cases, parliamentary debates, a speaker series and visits to historic sites across the Mid-Atlantic.
📍 Middleburg, VA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
National History Day
National History Day
Year-long historical research project competition culminating at the national contest.
📍 College Park, MD⏱ Academic year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 6–12
Selective
DC History Center (National History Day DC Affiliate)
National History Day in DC
The DC affiliate contest of the national History Day program, where students research a historical topic tied to the annual theme and present it as a paper, exhibit, performance, documentary, or website.
📍 Washington, DC (Howard University, Myrtilla Miner Building)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Idaho State Historical Society (National History Day Idaho affiliate)
National History Day in Idaho
A year-long research program where students in grades 9-12 (Senior Division) create a historical paper, documentary, performance, exhibit, or website tied to an annual theme, competing through regional contests to the state contest and on to nationals.
📍 Regional sites statewide and virtual; state contest at The College of Idaho, Caldwell📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
National History Day / Plymouth State University
National History Day in New Hampshire
NH's affiliate of National History Day, where students research and present original historical analysis as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance, or website.
📍 Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Dakota State University, SD Agricultural Heritage Museum
National History Day in South Dakota
A yearlong research and creative-project competition for students in grades 6-12 who create a documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website on an annual history theme, competing first at one of four regional contests, then at the state contest hosted at SDSU.
📍 Statewide, SD (state contest at SDSU, Brookings)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Utah Division of State History
National History Day in Utah
Students research a historical topic tied to an annual theme and present it as an exhibit, documentary, performance, paper or website at local tournaments and a state contest. Top projects advance to the national contest in Washington, D.C.
📍 Utah (regional tournaments and state contest)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NSDA
National Speech & Debate Tournament
Largest US high school speech and debate tournament with thousands of competitors.
📍 Multiple cities⏱ Academic year📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Turtle Mountain Community College
Native Youth Community Project
Native high-school students receive college and career preparation, dual-enrollment support, cultural enrichment, community projects and exposure to local employers.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Dakota Council on the Arts
ND Poetry Out Loud State Competition
A statewide poetry recitation competition in which classroom and school champions advance to perform memorized poems before judges at the state finals in Bismarck.
📍 Bismarck, ND (ND Heritage Center & State Museum)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
North Dakota High School Activities Association
NDHSAA Debate
Students compete through their schools in structured policy and/or public-forum style debate under NDHSAA rules.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
North Dakota High School Activities Association
NDHSAA Speech
Students compete in interpretive, public-speaking and related speech events through regional and state tournaments.
📍 ND🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National High School Ethics Bowl / Tufts University
New England Regional Ethics Bowl (Maine teams)
Teams of 4-6 students discuss real-world ethical dilemmas and respond to judges' questions in a collaborative (not adversarial) debate format; Maine high schools compete in this New England regional, which qualifies teams for the national tournament.
📍 Medford, MA (New England regional; Maine teams travel)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New Hampshire Bar Association Law-Related Education Program
New Hampshire High School Mock Trial
A statewide competition where high school teams argue a simulated legal case, competing live at district and state-final rounds to learn about the law and legal system.
📍 Statewide, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NH State Council on the Arts / National Endowment for the Arts
New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud
A free poetry recitation competition for high schoolers that builds public speaking skills and literary knowledge, progressing from classroom to school, regional, and state championships.
📍 NH State House, Concord, NH📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Jersey Scholars Program / Lawrenceville School
New Jersey Scholars Program
Free, selective five-week interdisciplinary program for approximately 39 NJ juniors, combining residential seminars with online work and culminating in a major research paper and arts programming.
📍 NJ🎓 Grade 11
Selective
New Jersey Speech and Debate League (NJSDL)
New Jersey Speech and Debate League
A statewide league running daylong competitive tournaments in Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas debate, Congressional Debate, and numerous speech/interpretation events for middle and high school teams, culminating in a state championship each March.
📍 Rotating host schools statewide (e.g., Freehold Township, Summit, Ridge, Bridgewater-Raritan HS); championship at Hunterdon Central Regional HS📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
New York State Forensic League (NYSFL)
New York State Forensic League
A statewide speech and debate league open to all New York high schools that runs an annual Grand Championship Tournament and supports member schools' forensics programs.
📍 New York (statewide)🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Tulane University / Newcomb Institute
Newcomb Summer Session
A selective pre-college program where rising 9th-12th graders explore gender, feminist thought, and social change through discussion-based seminars, workshops, and collaborative projects, earning Tulane credit.
📍 New Orleans, LA📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Barnard College Pre-College Programs
NextGen Leadership Institute
Barnard's signature summer program in which high school students choose courses across humanities, social sciences, STEM, and the arts alongside a Leadership in Action workshop series examining leadership through gender and identity.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
NC Department of Public Instruction
North Carolina Governor's School
A four-week summer residential program for gifted and talented high school juniors, integrating academic disciplines (including Social Science and English) and the arts on two campuses, with no credit, tests, or grades.
📍 Raleigh & Greensboro, NC📅 Varies🎓 Grade 11
Selective
Northern Nevada Forensic League (NSDA-affiliated)
Northern Nevada Forensic League
A competitive speech and debate league spanning five northern Nevada school districts (Washoe, Lyon, Carson City, Douglas, and Elko counties), operating under the National Speech & Debate Association and hosting regular tournaments in Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and other debate/speech formats.
📍 Northern Nevada (Washoe, Lyon, Carson City, Douglas, Elko counties)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Leadership Seminars
Free residential seminars for outstanding rising seniors.
📍 Notre Dame, IN⏱ 10 days📅 February🎓 Grade 12
Selective
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Summer Scholars
Two-week immersion in 25+ academic fields.
📍 Notre Dame, IN⏱ 2 weeks📅 February🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
National Symposium for Debate (NSD), held at Bryn Mawr College
NSD Philadelphia Public Forum Debate Camp
Two-week Public Forum debate camp at Bryn Mawr College for beginners through experienced debaters, with small-group labs, mentor groups, practice rounds, elective seminars and an end-of-camp tournament. The 2026 sessions ran June 28 to July 25 (about $3,000 to $3,600 depending on session and residential or commuter); NSD's site says 2027 camps open for registration in December.
📍 Bryn Mawr, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC)
NSLC on Law & Advocacy
Residential programs for students interested in law, ethics, or leadership held at university campuses.
📍 Multiple Locations⏱ 1 week📅 February 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
U.S. State Department
NSLI-Y (Critical Languages)
Fully-funded US government scholarship for high schoolers to study languages like Arabic, Mandarin, Korean abroad.
📍 Abroad (nationwide eligibility)⏱ 6 weeks or academic year📅 Early November🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
The New York Times
NYT Learning Network Contests
Free monthly writing, photo, and podcast contests for teens 13–19 worldwide.
📍 Global📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 7–12
Selective
Ohio History Connection
Ohio History Day
Students create research papers, documentaries, exhibits, performances or websites and advance from regional contests to the Ohio state and National History Day competitions.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Arts Council / NEA / Poetry Foundation
Ohio Poetry Out Loud
Students memorize and perform published poetry, progressing through school, regional and Ohio state recitation contests to national finals.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Ohio State University
Ohio State Young Scholars Program
Free year-round academic + research support for first-gen Ohio students.
📍 OH⏱ Year-round + summer📅 Rolling (school-based)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma Christian University Honors Summer Academy
A one-week residential college-experience program for academically gifted high school students entering grades 9-11, who earn two hours of transferable university credit by choosing two courses from fields including the humanities, business, engineering, and sciences.
📍 Edmond, OK📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Oklahoma Farm Bureau
Oklahoma Farm Bureau High School Discussion Meet
Agriculture-themed discussion competition testing speaking, reasoning, cooperation and policy problem-solving.
📍 OK🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
Moderate
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma National History Day
Students create research papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites and performances and advance from regional to state/national competition.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 9, 12
Moderate
American Legion Department of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Oratorical Contest
A statewide public-speaking competition for high schoolers under 20 that progresses from local posts through districts to a state final, where contestants deliver a constitutional-topic oration plus an impromptu speech, competing for scholarships up to $25,000 nationally.
📍 Edmond, OK📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oklahoma A+ Schools / Oklahoma Arts Council
Oklahoma Poetry Out Loud
Students memorize and perform poetry through school and state competition, with the state champion advancing nationally.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
OneWorld Now!
OneWorld Now Global Citizen Summer Language Program
Four-week summer program where Seattle-area high school students study beginner Arabic or Korean alongside cultural activities and leadership workshops.
📍 Summit Sierra School, Chinatown-International District, Seattle, Washington📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Ohio Northern University
ONU Oratory & Art Festival
One-day statewide creative-expression event centered on student oratory, performance and visual art.
📍 OH🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Civics Learning Project
Oregon High School Mock Trial
Students serve as attorneys and witnesses in regional and state courtroom competitions.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 9, 12
Moderate
Oregon Historical Society
Oregon History Day
Students produce documentaries, exhibits, papers, performances or websites and advance from regional/state competitions to National History Day.
📍 OR🎓 Grades 9, 12
Moderate
Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association
OSSAA Speech & Debate State Championship
The statewide interscholastic speech and debate season sanctioned by OSSAA, culminating in regional qualifiers and a state championship tournament across classifications, with monthly extemporaneous-speaking topics for practice throughout the year.
📍 Statewide, OK📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oxbridge Academic
Oxbridge Global Scholars Programme
Summer academic residencies at Oxford, Cambridge, Barcelona, Los Angeles. Financial aid for admitted students.
📍 Various📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Oxbridge Launchpad
Oxbridge Launchpad Essay Competitions
Rolling essay competitions across STEM, humanities, and social sciences for global high school students.
📍 Remote (Global)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Oxford Royale
Oxford Royale Academy
International summer academic programs held at Oxford and other UK/US universities.
📍 Oxford, United Kingdom📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Oxford Royale
Oxford Royale Summer Schools
Summer academic programs at Oxford and Yale across humanities, sciences, business for ages 13-18.
📍 Oxford, UK⏱ 1-3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Oxford
Oxford UNIQ and Open Days
Free Oxford summer schools and open days for academically excellent students.
📍 Oxford, UK⏱ 1 week📅 Spring🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Oxford University
Oxford UNIQ Summer School
Free residential summer school for UK state-school students.
📍 Oxford, UK⏱ 1 week📅 January🎓 Grade 11
Selective
Pennsylvania Bar Association
PA High School Mock Trial
Law, argumentation, courtroom advocacy.
📍 PA🎓 Grades 9, 12
Moderate
Hawaiʻi Pacific Model United Nations
PacMUN – Hawaiʻi Pacific Model United Nations
Three-day Model UN conference in Honolulu hosting 500+ high school delegates from across the Hawaiian Islands and beyond to simulate international diplomacy and committee negotiations.
📍 Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort, Honolulu📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Goethe-Institut
PASCH-Initiative
German government initiative offering scholarships to attend summer language and STEM courses in Germany for students at partner schools worldwide.
📍 Germany⏱ 3–4 weeks📅 January (school-nominated)🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Yale University
Pathways to Arts & Humanities Summer Scholars
Free two-week program where local students study archives, art, photography, architecture, comics, playwriting, history and other humanities fields using Yale's collections and faculty.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wyoming Catholic College
PEAK Summer Program (Wyoming Catholic College)
Two-week residential summer program in Lander for rising high school juniors and seniors with seminar-style morning classes on philosophical, literary and theological topics from the Great Books tradition, plus afternoon outdoor activities and a four-day Absaroka Wilderness backpacking trip.
📍 Lander, WY📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Oakland University
Philosophy Camp
Students in grades 9–12 participate in a university-level summer exploration of philosophical questions and reasoning.
📍 MI🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Teachers College, Columbia University
Philosophy for Students: Dialogue to Save the World
A pre-college course using the Philosophy for Children method in which students ages 14-17 hold philosophical dialogues on justice, climate change, identity, and truth, expressing ideas through zines, creative writing, and performance.
📍 New York, NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pennsylvania High School Speech League
PHSSL State Championships
Speech, debate, interpretation.
📍 PA🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
Moderate
Pioneer Academics
Pioneer Academics (Aid)
Accredited college-level research with US professors. Need-based aid up to full tuition.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 15 weeks📅 Multiple cycles🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Pioneer Academics
Pioneer Academics Research Program
One-on-one online research program with US professors across humanities, social sciences, and STEM; produces publishable paper.
📍 Online⏱ 4-6 months📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Alabama Writers' Forum (in partnership with the NEA and Poetry Foundation)
Poetry Out Loud - Alabama
A free national recitation competition for high schoolers that builds public speaking skills and confidence, with students reciting published poems (and optionally original or social-issues poetry) through classroom, regional, state, and national rounds.
📍 Regional competitions statewide; state finals at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery, AL📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Kentucky Arts Council
Poetry Out Loud - Kentucky
A national recitation competition for grades 9-12, run in Kentucky by the Kentucky Arts Council, where students memorize and perform poems in a schoolwide contest followed by state finals, with the state champion receiving $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to nationals for a shot at a $20,000 scholarship.
📍 Schools statewide; State Finals in Kentucky📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Dakota Arts Council / South Dakota Public Broadcasting
Poetry Out Loud - South Dakota
A free statewide poetry recitation and memorization competition for South Dakota students in grades 9-12 (public, private, or home school), building public-speaking skill and confidence; the state champion represents South Dakota at the national Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Humanities / National Endowment for the Arts
Poetry Out Loud — Indiana
A free statewide poetry recitation competition where high schoolers memorize and perform poems from an approved anthology, advancing from classroom to Indiana State Finals in Indianapolis and potentially national finals in D.C.
📍 Indianapolis, IN (state finals)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
SC Arts Commission / NEA
Poetry Out Loud — South Carolina
Students memorize and perform poetry through school and state contests with national advancement.
📍 SC🎓 Grades 9, 12
Selective
California Arts Council
Poetry Out Loud California
A free national recitation competition, administered statewide by the California Arts Council, where high schoolers memorize and perform poems, advancing from classroom to school to county/district to state finals.
📍 California statewide; state finals in Sacramento📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Colorado Creative Industries / Empowered / Lighthouse Writers Workshop
Poetry Out Loud Colorado
Free national recitation competition in which Colorado high schoolers memorize and perform poems, advancing from school and local competitions to the state finals at the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
📍 Denver Center for Performing Arts (state finals)📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Center for the Book / CT Department of Economic and Community Development (Arts)
Poetry Out Loud Connecticut
A free statewide poetry recitation competition where classroom winners advance through school, regional, and state finals, with the Connecticut champion competing at the National Finals in Washington, D.C. for scholarship money.
📍 Statewide (school-based, with a state final)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Poetry Out Loud DC
A free recitation competition, run as part of DC's Words on Fire festival, in which high school students memorize and perform published poetry to build public speaking skills and compete for national awards.
📍 Washington, DC (2026 DC finals at Planet Word Museum)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Division of the Arts
Poetry Out Loud Delaware
Statewide poetry recitation competition that builds public speaking skills and literary appreciation, advancing students from classroom competitions to school, regional, and state finals.
📍 Smyrna Opera House, Smyrna, DE (state finals)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Georgia Council for the Arts / Alliance Theatre
Poetry Out Loud Georgia
Poetry Out Loud challenges Georgia students in grades 9-12 to memorize and perform poems, advancing through regional and state competitions toward the National Finals, with free educational materials provided to schools.
📍 Statewide; state finals via Alliance Theatre, Atlanta📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts & Honolulu Theatre for Youth
Poetry Out Loud Hawaiʻi
Free national poetry recitation competition for grades 9-12, progressing from classroom to school, state, and national finals, with curriculum materials supplied by the National Endowment for the Arts.
📍 Statewide; state finals in Honolulu📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Illinois Arts Council Agency
Poetry Out Loud Illinois
National Endowment for the Arts recitation competition in which Illinois students progress from classroom to school, regional, and state finals reciting memorized poetry, with the state champion advancing to the National Finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Springfield, IL (State Finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Humanities Iowa / University of Iowa Office of Community Engagement
Poetry Out Loud Iowa
A recitation competition that encourages grades 9-12 students to study and perform poetry, progressing from classroom and local contests to the Iowa State Finals and a chance at the national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide; State Finals in Iowa City, IA📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Michigan Humanities
Poetry Out Loud Michigan
A free poetry recitation competition where high schoolers memorize and perform poems in increasingly competitive rounds, starting at school level and advancing to Michigan State Finals and potentially the national championship in Washington, D.C.
📍 Mt. Pleasant, MI (State Finals)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska Arts Council
Poetry Out Loud Nebraska
A free national poetry recitation program for grades 9-12 where students memorize and perform poems, advancing from classroom and local competitions to the Nebraska State Finals and a chance at the national competition in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Finals in Kearney, NE📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Polygence
Polygence Core Program
One-on-one online research mentorship with PhDs in any field; produces a tangible project.
📍 Online⏱ 3-6 months📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Polygence
Polygence Research Mentorship
1-on-1 online research mentorship with graduate students across any field; open globally.
📍 Global📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Polygence
Polygence Scholars (Financial Aid)
1:1 research mentorship with PhDs across any field. Full financial aid for qualifying students.
📍 Remote (nationwide)⏱ 10-20 weeks📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Skidmore College
Pre-College Program
Students take real undergraduate courses alongside college students for credit. Residential and commuter options are available; 2027 applications open in January.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
NCSSM-Morganton
Quetzalcoatl
Student humanities research publication featuring work from Morganton's humanities courses and research projects.
📍 NC🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
UC Santa Barbara
Research Mentorship Program (RMP)
Seven-week intensive in which students work one-on-one with a UCSB graduate student, postdoc, or faculty mentor on an interdisciplinary university-level research project and participate in research lectures and academic programming.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Brown University Department of Philosophy
Rhode Island High School Ethics Bowl
A collaborative (not adversarial) discussion competition in which teams from Rhode Island public, charter, and private high schools analyze real-world ethical cases, hosted annually at Brown University.
📍 Providence, RI (Brown University)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
RISCA / NEA
Rhode Island Poetry Out Loud
Poetry recitation and public speaking, school to state contests.
📍 RI🎓 Grades 9, 12
Selective
Schmidt Futures × Rhodes Trust
Rise
A lifetime program for 15- to 17-year-olds worldwide; the top ~500 finalists receive scholarships, mentorship, and career support to work on problems that matter.
📍 Remote application + summer residency⏱ Ongoing📅 Late January🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Stevens Institute of Technology
Robots, Humans and AI: From Past Visions to Future Stories
Interdisciplinary study of robotics and AI through technological, human and cultural perspectives.
📍 NJ🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
RoundPier
RoundPier Networking & Competition Portal
An online platform where students can find curated digital internships, summer courses, and research opportunities specifically for HS.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Running Start
Running Start High School Program (Young Women's Political Leadership)
A leadership program that empowers young women to increase their political efficacy and leadership skills.
📍 Washington, D.C. / Online⏱ 1 week📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI)
Free college-prep and research program for rural Alaska Native and rural Alaska students.
📍 AK⏱ 6 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
New York Public Library (Schomburg Center)
Schomburg Center Junior Scholars Program
A six-month program for NYC students to examine inequality and social justice through research and advocacy.
📍 New York, NY⏱ 6 months📅 January 15🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Sciences Po
Sciences Po Summer University
International summer program in Paris on social sciences, humanities, and public affairs.
📍 Paris, France📅 March🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
South Central Service Cooperative
Senior High Knowledge Bowl
Five-student high-school teams compete in interdisciplinary academic invitationals and regional events, with qualifying teams advancing to the Minnesota state competition. Registration is open for the 2026–27 season.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SDSU Extension 4-H
SkillsX by 4-H (Teen Leadership Conference)
An on-campus leadership conference for South Dakota youth ages 13-18, featuring workshops, campus tours, community service projects, and keynote speakers, planned each year by the State 4-H Ambassadors.
📍 Brookings, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Youth Engagement
Internships across Smithsonian museums and research centers.
📍 Washington, DC⏱ Varies📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Southern Methodist University
SMU Pre-College
Rising juniors and seniors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area take for-credit, university-level summer courses on SMU's campus. It is a non-residential commuter program with a financial aid calculator and partial scholarships.
📍 Dallas, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Development
South Dakota 4-H Legislature Program
A civic-education program for senior 4-H members (ages 14-18) to run campaigns, serve as elected 4-H Legislators, draft bills, and debate them during a mock legislative session at the South Dakota State Capitol, mirroring committee meetings, caucuses, public testimony, and floor debate.
📍 Pierre, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Future Business Leaders of America - South Dakota
South Dakota FBLA
South Dakota's chapter of Future Business Leaders of America, preparing high school students for business careers through competitive events, public speaking, and leadership training culminating in a State Leadership Conference.
📍 Pierre, SD📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Southern California Model United Nations / USC
Southern California Model United Nations (SCMUN)
An advanced Model UN conference hosted at USC each spring, offering committees ranging from historical crisis simulations to futuristic scenarios for high school delegates.
📍 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education and Outreach
Spanish Culture Camp (UW-Stevens Point)
A four-day day camp for ages 13-17 immersing students in the Spanish-speaking world through hands-on projects, music, games, food traditions, pop culture and real conversations in Spanish.
📍 Stevens Point, WI📅 June🎓 Grades 8–12
Highly Selective
Stanford University
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
Residential courses in humanities, social sciences, and STEM.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 3 weeks📅 February🎓 Grades 8–11
Moderate
Stanford University
Stanford Summer Humanities Institute
Three-week intensive humanities seminars for rising 11th/12th graders.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 3 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 11–12
Moderate
Stanford University
Stanford Summer Session
Eight-week Stanford summer course program for HS juniors and seniors.
📍 Stanford, CA⏱ 8 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 11–12
Moderate
State of Maryland Speech and Debate Association (NSDA affiliate)
State of Maryland Speech and Debate Association
Maryland's official National Speech & Debate Association affiliate, coordinating interleague speech and debate tournaments statewide and an end-of-season interleague competition open to all Maryland, DC, and Delaware students and schools.
📍 Maryland (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Kansas 4-H / Kansas State University Research and Extension
States' 4-H International Exchange (S4-H)
A "learn by doing" cultural exchange for ages 12-18 to live abroad with a host family for 4-8 weeks in summer (destinations have included Norway, Costa Rica, Taiwan, and Japan), or to host an international delegate in Kansas.
📍 Kansas (host placements) / abroad (outbound exchange)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Melbourne School District
STEAM & Beyond: Summer Exploration
Ten-day interdisciplinary enrichment combining STEM, arts, music, literature, communication, social studies and world languages through original projects and problem-solving.
📍 AR🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New York State Archives
Student Research Awards
Students create research projects using historical records and primary sources. High-school projects compete for statewide recognition.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Cherokee Nation
Summer Career Exploration Program
Career, culture and community exploration program designed specifically for younger teens.
📍 OK🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
Moderate
Syracuse University
Summer College — On Campus
Rising sophomores through seniors choose one-to-four-week residential courses spanning Syracuse's schools and colleges; credit and noncredit options are available.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Syracuse University
Summer College — Online
Three- and six-week online pre-college courses for rising sophomores through seniors, with both credit and noncredit study.
📍 NY🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Samford University Debate
Summer Debate Institute
An immersive debate camp for middle and high school students across Alabama, led and mentored by Samford's nationally recognized debate team, focused on Public Forum and Birmingham Area Debate League-style debate.
📍 Birmingham, AL (Samford University)📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Mississippi
Summer Humanities Institute
Rising juniors and seniors conduct faculty-mentored humanities and social-science research around cultural memory and communicate findings through papers, podcasts, documentaries, or screenplays. Participants earn six college credits.
📍 MS🎓 Grades 11–12
Moderate
John Carroll University
Summer in the Heights
Week-long residential/day pre-college program with multiple academic tracks, hands-on learning, admissions preparation and Cleveland excursions.
📍 OH🎓 Eligibility not confirmed
Highly Selective
Oxford College of Emory University
Summer Ox-perience Pre-College Program
Rising seniors take two non-credit college-level courses while living on Oxford's campus and participating in leadership, college-readiness and community activities.
📍 GA🎓 Grade 12
Moderate
After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP Philly)
Summer Speech Academy (ASAP Debate)
A free, annual week-long July camp run by ASAP Debate for Philadelphia students, focused on raising their voices on issues they care about. Participants do team building and public speaking activities, take a field trip, and write Original Oratory speeches that culminate in an end-of-week speech tournament. ASAP also runs the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League (Public Forum) for high school clubs from November through March.
📍 Philadelphia, PA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
IU Indianapolis School of Education
Summer YPAR Institute
A five-day intensive institute where high school youth learn youth participatory action research (YPAR) methodology to investigate and address issues in their own communities, prioritizing students of color and those eligible for free/reduced lunch.
📍 Indianapolis, IN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Buffett Foundation
Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation Scholarship
A program providing financial support and mentoring for Nebraska high school students from underprivileged backgrounds pursuing higher education.
📍 Lincoln, NE⏱ Multi-year📅 January 31🎓 Grade 12
Selective
Smith College
Sustainable Futures
Students investigate sustainability through fieldwork, environmental science, farms, art, writing, community resilience, and Smith's own carbon-neutrality efforts.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Sutton Trust
Sutton Trust US Programme
Fully-funded programme helping state-school students in the UK apply to US universities — includes a residential week in the US, SAT prep, and application support.
📍 UK + week in USA⏱ 1 year📅 January (Year 12)🎓 Grade 11
Highly Selective
TED-Ed
TED-Ed Student Talks
Free, self-run program that helps students discover, develop, and share their own ideas in TED-style talks; open to schools and clubs anywhere in the world.
📍 Remote (Global)⏱ Self-paced club📅 Rolling · anytime🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Walters Art Museum
Teen Takeover: Spirit Realm
WAMTAC teens take over the museum with teen-designed art activities, games, interpretation, and programming inspired by the museum collection. The 2026 event is free.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
TeenTix
TeenTix Newsroom
Teen arts-journalism program in which writers attend arts events for free, write reviews that are edited one-on-one by teen editors, and are paid for their writing.
📍 Seattle, Washington area📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
Telluride Association
Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS)
Fully-funded six-week humanities seminar focused on critical Black studies, anti-oppressive thought, and social justice.
📍 Multiple universities⏱ 6 weeks📅 Winter🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League (THSSDL)
Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League
A statewide association for speech and drama educators whose member schools compete in tournaments and invitationals across events including extemporaneous speaking, solo acting, one-act plays, interpreters' theatre, and public debate, culminating in a State Tournament.
📍 Clarksville, TN📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas Forensic Association
Texas Forensic Association Speech and Debate
The association that oversees high school speech and debate competition in Texas, with events including Congress, debate, extemporaneous speaking, oral interpretation, platform events, and World Schools Debate. Students qualify for the state tournament by earning points at TFA tournaments.
📍 Texas (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Texas State Historical Association (Texas affiliate of National History Day)
Texas History Day
A statewide student research competition where grade 9-12 students present papers, exhibits, documentaries, performances, or websites on a historical topic tied to the annual National History Day theme. Winners advance from regional to state to the national contest.
📍 Austin, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech Clark Scholars Program
Highly selective seven-week paid research program for 12 high schoolers across all fields.
📍 Lubbock, TX⏱ 7 weeks📅 Winter🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
The Alamo (Alamo Trust)
The Alamo Internship Program
Ten-week internships in museum studies, visitor experience and business operations, including conservation, collections management, educational programming and marketing, open to high school, undergraduate and graduate students.
📍 San Antonio, TX📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Concord Review
The Concord Review
The only quarterly journal publishing high school history research essays. Students submit 5K-9K word papers; selected essays are printed and indexed.
📍 Online submission⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Arizona State University
The Dialectic: High School Philosophy Summer Camp
Students work with graduate students and professors on ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, civic virtues, open-mindedness, disagreement, polarization, and philosophical argument.
📍 AZ🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)
The Free Enterprise Institute Summer Seminar (FEE) / FEE con Alternative
Highly selective program on free-market economics, legal principles, and leadership for upperclassmen.
📍 Atlanta, GA⏱ 1 week📅 January 15🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Pittsburgh Promise (Related to Opportunity)
The Heinz Scholars Program (Historical Affinity) / Pittsburgh Promise
Award for high-achieving, low-income students in PA and OH to attend a partner college.
📍 PA/OH⏱ 4 years📅 December 1🎓 Grade 12
Selective
UMBC
The Japanese Cultural Experience
Students explore Japanese culture in a structured summer enrichment course.
📍 MD🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Young Researcher
The Young Researcher
Peer-reviewed journal for IB Extended Essay and similar research.
📍 Online⏱ Year-round📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute
Thinking About Feelings: The Science of Emotion
Students examine emotion through neuroscience, cultural studies, and related interdisciplinary approaches during a three-week college-credit experience.
📍 MN🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Furman University
Top Mock
An advanced trial advocacy summer program at Furman for experienced high school mock trial competitors, run by Furman's collegiate Mock Trial team and culminating in a mock argument at the federal courthouse in Greenville.
📍 Greenville, SC📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Tulsa
TURC Junior Scholars
Tulsa-area high-school students join TU faculty research teams in fields ranging from organic chemistry and biochemistry to nanotechnology, engineering, virology and humanities.
📍 OK🎓 Grade 11
Selective
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley ATDP
Academic Talent Development Program with summer courses for grades 7-12.
📍 Berkeley, CA⏱ 3-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 7–12
Moderate
University of Chicago
UChicago Summer Session Pre-College
Three and four-week pre-college programs at UChicago across humanities and sciences.
📍 Chicago, IL⏱ 3-4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UCLA
UCLA Summer Sessions for HS
Six-week and short-term pre-college academic courses at UCLA.
📍 Los Angeles, CA⏱ 2-10 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Connecticut
UConn Pre-College Summer
High-school students take immersive university-level courses in engineering, medicine, law, chemistry, marine biology, psychology/neuroscience, journalism, art, business and other fields while experiencing college academics and campus life.
📍 CT🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Utah High School Activities Association
UHSAA Speech and Debate State Championships
School-based speech and debate competition sanctioned by UHSAA, with separate state championships by school classification featuring events such as oratory, extemp and interpretation as well as debate formats.
📍 Utah (high schools statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University Interscholastic League (UT Austin)
UIL High School Academic and Speech Contests
Statewide high school academic contests including literary criticism, ready writing, social studies, current issues, journalism, speech and debate (Congress, CX, Lincoln Douglas), and filmmaking. Students compete through their school.
📍 Texas (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UNESCO
UNESCO Youth Programmes
Rolling list of UNESCO calls: youth forums, writing prizes, sustainability grants. Open to youth worldwide.
📍 Various📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UWC International
United World Colleges Scholarships
Two-year, needs-blind scholarships to complete the IB Diploma at one of 18 UWC schools worldwide; students selected by their country's national committee.
📍 18 campuses worldwide⏱ 2 years📅 National deadlines: fall/winter🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Pennsylvania
UPenn Summer Programs
Pre-college summer programs across business, biomedical research, social justice, and academic.
📍 Philadelphia, PA⏱ 3-6 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
USC
USC Bovard Scholars
Fully-funded college-prep and academic program for high-achieving, low-income California juniors.
📍 CA⏱ 3 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grade 11
Selective
USC
USC Summer Programs
Pre-college summer programs across arts, sciences, business, journalism.
📍 Los Angeles, CA⏱ 2-4 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
UT Tyler Center for Ethics
UT Tyler Regional High School Ethics Bowl
High school teams discuss real-life ethical problems and moral dilemmas before judges, building critical thinking and collaboration. The winning team advances to the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Tyler, TX📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Texas National Institute in Forensics (UT Austin)
UTNIF Speech and Debate Camp
A residential summer forensic education camp for high school students focusing on debate, speech, and individual events, established in 1994. Daily schedule includes morning lectures, afternoon lab sessions, and evening practice.
📍 Austin, TX📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Vermont Professional and Continuing Education
UVM Pre-College Courses (for-credit)
High school sophomores through seniors take for-credit UVM courses online or on campus in fields including psychology, economics, political science, history, philosophy, art history, film studies, music and English.
📍 Burlington, VT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Wyoming
UW Summer High School Institute (HSI)
A three-week residential pre-college program for Wyoming sophomores who live in UW residence halls and take two college-style courses, one in the physical and natural world (past topics include robotics and Wyoming energy) and one in human culture.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 February🎓 Grade 10
Moderate
University of Wyoming Department of Modern & Classical Languages
UW World Languages Day (with Linguistics Olympiad)
A two-day event for Wyoming junior high and high school students with language competitions, art submissions, workshops and a resource fair; juniors and seniors can also enter a Linguistics Olympiad by separate registration.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison PEOPLE Program
Free year-round college-prep + research for Wisconsin students of color and first-gen.
📍 WI⏱ Year-round + summer📅 Rolling (school-based)🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt Summer Academy
Pre-college research at Vanderbilt. Need-based aid available.
📍 TN⏱ 1-3 weeks (summer)📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
VCU Department of Philosophy
VCU Summer Camp in Philosophy
A one-week day camp for high school students led by VCU philosophy faculty, with games, theatrical dialogues, presentations, guest speakers and discussion of big questions around a yearly theme (2026: Justice).
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Vermont Principals' Association
Vermont Debate & Forensics League
Interscholastic Public Forum debate and eight individual public speaking events with weekly tournaments and VPA-sanctioned state championships at the State House in Montpelier.
📍 Vermont (state finals in Montpelier)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Vermont Humanities
Vermont Humanities Camps
Week-long, project-based humanities summer camps run by schools, libraries and community partners across Vermont, built around reading, writing projects, field trips and outdoor activities.
📍 Vermont (multiple host sites)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arkansas
VFW Voice of Democracy - Arkansas
An annual audio-essay scholarship contest for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme; students record a 3-5 minute essay and submit it through a local VFW post, competing for state and national scholarships.
📍 Local VFW posts statewide, Arkansas📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California
VFW Voice of Democracy - California
An audio-essay scholarship contest for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme, entered through local VFW Posts, with over $2 million awarded in scholarships nationally each year.
📍 California (submitted through local VFW Posts statewide)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Kentucky
VFW Voice of Democracy - Kentucky
An annual audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 in which Kentucky students record a patriotic essay on a set theme through their local VFW Post, competing for a share of over $2.3 million awarded nationally, including a $35,000 top scholarship.
📍 Submitted through a participating VFW Post in Kentucky📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Montana
VFW Voice of Democracy - Montana
An audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme, judged at the local VFW Post level with winners advancing to state and national competition.
📍 Submitted through local Montana VFW Posts statewide📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of South Dakota
VFW Voice of Democracy - South Dakota
An audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 on a patriotic/democratic theme, run nationally by the VFW since 1947 with nearly 40,000 student participants a year; South Dakota's Department first-place winner receives at least $1,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for national judging.
📍 Statewide, SD📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Colorado
VFW Voice of Democracy (Colorado)
An audio-essay scholarship competition for students in grades 9-12 who record and submit a patriotic-themed essay through a local VFW post via the Scholars App.
📍 Entry through local VFW posts statewide📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Georgia
VFW Voice of Democracy (Georgia)
Voice of Democracy is an audio-essay competition in which Georgia students in grades 9-12 write and record a 3-5 minute essay on an annual patriotic theme, with entries submitted through a local VFW Post.
📍 Submitted via local VFW Posts statewide📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Iowa
VFW Voice of Democracy (Iowa)
An annual audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme, with Iowa's state winner advancing to the national contest for a shot at a $35,000 top scholarship.
📍 Submitted through local VFW Posts, Iowa📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Ohio
VFW Voice of Democracy (Ohio)
An audio-essay competition for grades 9-12 on a democratic/patriotic theme, submitted through a sponsoring local VFW post, with the Ohio first-place winner earning at least $2,500 and a shot at national scholarships up to $35,000.
📍 Submitted through local Ohio VFW posts📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Vermont
VFW Voice of Democracy (Vermont)
Audio-essay scholarship contest for grades 9-12; entries are submitted through a local VFW post and Vermont department winners receive at least $1,000.
📍 Vermont📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Washington
VFW Voice of Democracy (Washington)
Audio-essay scholarship contest for Washington high school students in grades 9-12 on the 2026-27 theme "What a Veteran Taught Me About America", judged at the Post, District, Department and national levels.
📍 Washington (entries uploaded online, judged through local VFW Posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Wyoming
VFW Voice of Democracy (Wyoming)
An audio-essay scholarship competition for high school students entered through a local VFW post. The 2026-27 theme is "What a Veteran Taught me about America."
📍 Wyoming (entries via local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Arizona
VFW Voice of Democracy Arizona
Audio-essay scholarship competition for students in grades 9-12 on an annual patriotic theme, judged from the local VFW post level up through the department and national levels.
📍 Statewide, AZ📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Virginia
VFW Voice of Democracy Audio Essay Contest (Virginia)
A 3-5 minute audio essay contest for grades 9-12 on the theme "What a Veteran Taught Me About America," judged from local VFW Posts up to the Department (state) level.
📍 Virginia (entries through local VFW Posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Delaware
VFW Voice of Democracy Delaware
Audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 on an annual patriotic theme, submitted through local Delaware VFW Posts, with the state winner earning a trip to the Spirit of America Youth Leadership Program.
📍 Delaware (submit via local VFW Post)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Illinois
VFW Voice of Democracy Illinois
Annual audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 built around a patriotic theme (2026-2027: 'What A Veteran Taught Me About America'), progressing from local VFW posts through district and state competition.
📍 Illinois (entries submitted through local VFW posts)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Missouri
VFW Voice of Democracy Missouri
An audio-essay scholarship competition, established in 1947, letting Missouri students in grades 9-12 record a patriotic-themed essay; the 2026-27 theme is 'What a Veteran Taught Me About America.'
📍 Submitted through local sponsoring VFW Posts statewide📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of New Hampshire
VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship (New Hampshire)
An audio-essay competition for grades 9-12 on a patriotic theme, with NH winners advancing to compete for a share of the national program's $2.1 million in scholarships.
📍 Statewide, NH (recorded essay submission)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Utah
VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program (Utah)
An audio-essay scholarship contest for grade 9-12 students on a patriotic theme, entered through a local VFW post. State winners receive at least a $1,000 scholarship and national winners up to $35,000.
📍 Utah (entries submitted via local VFW posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League
VHSL Debate Championships
Virginia's state high school debate competition run through member schools, with district and regional rounds leading to state championships.
📍 Virginia (state finals hosted by member schools)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia High School League
VHSL Speech and Forensics Championships
Virginia's state high school speech competition, sponsored by the league that began as a debating league, with district and regional qualifying rounds leading to state finals.
📍 Salem, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Virginia Department of Education (hosted by Washington and Lee University and Virginia Commonwealth University)
Virginia Governor's World Language Academies
Summer residential academies for Virginia's most motivated world language students: full-immersion French, German and Spanish at Washington and Lee University, plus partial-immersion Japanese and an intensive Latin academy at VCU.
📍 Lexington and Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
Collegiate School / VCU Department of Philosophy / National High School Ethics Bowl
Virginia High School Ethics Bowl
Regional Ethics Bowl hosted by Collegiate School in Richmond where high school teams analyze real-world ethical cases; VCU philosophy faculty and students serve as judges and moderators, and the regional qualifies teams toward the National High School Ethics Bowl.
📍 Richmond, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Junior Classical League
Virginia Junior Classical League (VJCL) State Convention
An annual two-day state convention for middle and high school Latin and classics students with academic contests (mythology, derivatives, Roman history, Latin vocabulary, grammar and literature), oratory, dramatic interpretation, creative arts contests, a Roman banquet and officer elections.
📍 Virginia (host site changes yearly)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Virginia Department of Education
Virginia Summer Residential Governor's School for Humanities
A month-long residential academic program for gifted Virginia students covering history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, political science, economics, sociology, psychology and media, hosted at Radford University.
📍 Radford, VA📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
VFW Department of South Carolina
Voice of Democracy - South Carolina
An audio-essay scholarship competition for high school students who record a patriotic-themed essay responding to an annual prompt, submitted through a local VFW Post, with South Carolina's state winner advancing toward national scholarships up to $35,000.
📍 Submitted through local VFW Posts statewide, South Carolina📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Indiana
Voice of Democracy — Indiana
A free audio-essay scholarship contest for students in grades 9-12 who write and record a 3-5 minute broadcast script on an annual patriotic theme, submitted through a local VFW post.
📍 Statewide, Indiana📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Oregon
Voice of Democracy (Oregon)
An annual audio-essay scholarship competition for grades 9-12 responding to a patriotic theme, with Oregon's top entrants receiving a minimum $1,000 scholarship and a shot at the $35,000 national first-place award.
📍 Statewide, OR📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Hawaii
Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Program (Hawaii)
Annual patriotic-themed audio-essay competition for grades 9-12, with entries judged at the Post, District, state, and national level for a share of over $2 million in scholarships.
📍 Statewide (entries submitted via local VFW Posts)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
VFW Department of Pennsylvania
Voice of Democracy Audio-Essay Scholarship Contest (Pennsylvania)
An annual audio-essay competition for high schoolers on a patriotic theme (2026-27: 'What A Veteran Taught Me About America'), requiring a typed essay and an audio recording, judged at the post, district, and state levels with scholarship prizes.
📍 Statewide, Pennsylvania (state judging in State College)📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
George Washington University International Affairs Society
WAMUNC (Washington Area Model United Nations Conference)
A high school Model UN conference hosted by GW's International Affairs Society in Foggy Bottom, welcoming delegations from across the country and around the world to practice diplomatic communication on global issues.
📍 Washington, DC (Foggy Bottom, near George Washington University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
PLATO and University of Washington Department of Philosophy
Washington State High School Ethics Bowl
Teams of high school students analyze ethical dilemmas on topics such as cheating, peer pressure and social media, judged on the quality of their reasoning rather than adversarial debate.
📍 University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Urban Debate League (WUDL)
Washington Urban Debate League
The only organization offering competitive policy debate to DC public and charter school students, with a focus on Title I schools, running after-school debate, travel teams, tournaments, and a summer debate institute.
📍 Washington, DC (partner schools across DC, MD, and VA)📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington University in St. Louis
WashU High School Summer Institutes
Two-week residential pre-college institutes for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to experience undergraduate-level curriculum without a letter grade, through lectures, small-group collaboration, and final projects.
📍 Washington University in St. Louis, MO📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
Washington University in St. Louis
WashU High School Summer Scholars Program
A five-week program for rising high school seniors to enroll in credit-bearing WashU undergraduate courses across the humanities, math, natural sciences, and social sciences, with residential, commuter, and online options.
📍 Washington University in St. Louis, MO (or online)📅 April🎓 Grade 11
Moderate
California We the People / Center for Civic Education
We the People California
A constitutional-law curriculum culminating in simulated congressional hearings, where high school classes argue constitutional principles before panels of judges, with state winners advancing to national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 California (state competition in Sacramento)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Delaware Center for Civics Education (University of Delaware Biden School)
We the People Delaware
Delaware's coordination of the national We the People program, in which high school students study the Constitution and prepare testimony for simulated congressional hearings before panels of judges.
📍 University of Delaware, Newark, DE📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Institute of the North
We the People of Alaska
A statewide civics competition in which Alaska Studies students form teams of three to five, research constitutional and Alaska governance topics, and present in simulated legislative hearings judged by community members.
📍 Statewide, with finals before the Alaska Legislature in Juneau📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education
We the People: Arizona Regional Competition
Constitutional law program where whole high school classes prepare and deliver testimony in a simulated congressional hearing before panels of community judges, competing at one of nine regional sites statewide.
📍 Statewide, AZ (9 regional sites)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Indiana Bar Foundation
We the People: Indiana Competition
A constitutional-law simulated congressional hearing competition where student teams research constitutional principles and defend their positions before a panel of judges, reaching more than 10,000 Indiana students a year.
📍 Indianapolis, IN (Crowne Plaza Union Station) and regional sites statewide📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
McConnell Center, University of Louisville
We the People: Kentucky Competition
A constitutional-law competition hosted by the McConnell Center in which Kentucky high school teams prepare simulated congressional hearing testimony judged by UofL students, professionals, and McConnell Scholar alumni, with the state winner advancing to the national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 University of Louisville, Louisville, KY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
South Carolina Bar Law Related Education
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution - South Carolina
A civics competition in which South Carolina high school teams prepare and deliver simulated congressional-hearing testimony on constitutional issues before a panel of judges, with the state champion advancing to the national finals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide hearings, South Carolina📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Connecticut Democracy Center
We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Connecticut)
Connecticut's affiliate of the national civics program has student teams research six units of constitutional curriculum, then present testimony before a simulated congressional committee at a statewide hearing competition held at Yale, with winners advancing to nationals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Yale University, New Haven, CT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Constitutional Democracy Project (Illinois coordinator, Center for Civic Education)
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Illinois)
Constitutional-law curriculum and competition in which Illinois high school teams testify before panels of judges in simulated congressional hearings on constitutional principles, with state winners advancing to National Finals.
📍 Illinois (state hearings); Washington, D.C. (nationals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Iowa State Bar Association / Center for Civic Education
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Iowa)
A constitutional studies program where student teams prepare four-minute statements and 'testify' in a simulated congressional hearing before a panel of judges, with the top Iowa high school team advancing to nationals in Washington, D.C.
📍 Iowa (state competition held in December)📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Nebraska State Bar Foundation
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (Nebraska)
Rostered high school classes use a constitutional-democracy curriculum and compete in simulated congressional hearings before a panel of judges, with the state champion advancing to the national finals near Washington, D.C.
📍 Statewide Nebraska; State Finals at the State Capitol, Lincoln, NE📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
New Hampshire Bar Association Law-Related Education Program
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (New Hampshire)
A constitutional-democracy competition where high school classes split into units that prepare and deliver testimony in a simulated congressional hearing before a panel of judges.
📍 Statewide, NH (district hearings and state finals)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Wesleyan Summer Gifted Program
A two-week residential camp, running since 1983, where academically advanced middle and high school students take courses in quantitative, verbal, and social subjects taught by college professors and live in campus dorms.
📍 Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
West Virginia Humanities Council
West Virginia Book Festival
A one-day statewide literary festival with panel discussions, readings, author signings and workshops at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center, open to readers of all ages.
📍 Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center, Charleston, WV📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
West Virginia University / West Virginia Department of Education
West Virginia National History Day
The West Virginia affiliate of National History Day, coordinated through WVU, where students build exhibits, documentaries, websites, papers or performances on an annual theme; top entries advance to the national contest.
📍 School, district and state contests across West Virginia (state contest at WVU, Morgantown)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association
WFCA State Speech and Forensics Tournament
The capstone state tournament for high school competitive speech, with speech and interpretive events and a State Student Congress, open to students of WFCA member schools.
📍 Oshkosh, WI (2027 tournament)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)
WIAA State Speech & Debate Championship
State championship for high school speech and debate events run by the WIAA, in which students qualify through district competition and compete in debate formats and individual speech events.
📍 University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
William & Mary / National Institute of American History & Democracy
William & Mary NIAHD Pre-College Program in American History
A three-week residential pre-college program in which students take one four-credit William & Mary history course (The Road to the American Revolution, The Road to the United States Civil War, or American Independence) with site visits and work with historians and curators.
📍 Williamsburg, VA📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Winthrop University
Winthrop University Model United Nations Conference
A multi-day Model UN conference at Winthrop University where high school delegates from the Carolinas and Georgia debate global issues alongside college students in a United Nations simulation.
📍 Rock Hill, SC (Winthrop University)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
State Bar of Wisconsin
Wisconsin High School Mock Trial
Teams of 6-12 high school students with a teacher and attorney coach argue a hypothetical case in real courtrooms at regional and state tournaments run by the State Bar of Wisconsin.
📍 Wisconsin (regional courthouses; state tournament)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW-Madison Badger Precollege
Wisconsin International Precollege Academy (UW-Madison)
A three-week immersive residential program on the UW-Madison campus for international high school students, with workshops, presentations and excursions in one of two tracks: leadership and critical thinking, or innovating solutions for a sustainable future.
📍 Madison, WI📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wisconsin Labor History Society
Wisconsin Labor History Society Kenneth A. Germanson High School Essay Contest
An annual essay contest for Wisconsin students in grades 9-12 who write about 750 words on how unions have been important to their family, community and nation, using interviews or independent research on labor history.
📍 Wisconsin (email submission)📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin National History Day
Students in grades 6-12 research a historical topic and compete in school, regional and state contests leading to the National History Day finals.
📍 Madison, WI (state contest)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wisconsin Interscholastic Speech and Dramatic Arts Association (WISDAA)
Wisconsin State Speech & Debate Festival (WISDAA)
The state-level speech and debate festival for WISDAA member high schools, held in conjunction with the state speech contest, with in-person events at UW-Madison and online virtual video events.
📍 Madison, WI📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
UW-Madison Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI)
WISLI High School Online Language Courses (UW-Madison)
Highly motivated high school juniors and seniors may be admitted to WISLI's college-level intensive summer language courses, offered online, in over 30 less commonly taught languages.
📍 Remote (UW-Madison)📅 March🎓 Grades 11–12
Moderate
UNLV College of Liberal Arts / The Mob Museum / Atomic Museum
Witnessing History Summer Camp
Students explore how museums preserve and shape public memory through activities at UNLV, The Mob Museum and the Atomic Museum. The program has now run multiple years.
📍 NV🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Smith College
Women, Gender, & Representation
Students examine how gender intersects with politics, health, history, culture, literature, identity, and social change through college-style seminars.
📍 MA🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wonderworks Houston / University of Houston
Wonderworks: From the Ground Up (Architecture)
A comprehensive introduction to architecture with lectures on architectural history and theory, hands-on studio work, and field trips to significant buildings. Students design small-scale structures like cafes and galleries using physical models rather than computer programs.
📍 Houston, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wonderworks Houston / Rice University
Wonderworks: Rules of the Game (Democracy and the Humanities)
An interdisciplinary exploration of democracy through history, political science, law, public policy, philosophy, and classics, combining lectures, readings, case studies, films, and field trips. Held at Rice University, Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 4 PM.
📍 Houston, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Wonderworks Houston / University of Houston
Wonderworks: Story Lines (Fiction and Creative Writing)
A reading-intensive summer program exploring fiction, films based on literature, and creative writing. Students discuss assigned readings in morning seminars and watch thematically paired narrative films in the afternoons.
📍 Houston, TX📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
World Affairs Council of Seattle (Global Classroom)
World Citizen Essay Contest (World Affairs Council of Seattle)
An annual spring essay contest for Washington students in grades 3-12, with a separate 9-12 award division; essays of 1,000 words or less respond to a prompt on global issues and democracy.
📍 Washington (statewide)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Michigan State University, College of Arts & Letters
World Languages Day
A free, one-day statewide conference for high school students, teachers, and parents featuring roughly 75 sessions on world languages and cultures taught by MSU faculty, graduate students, and community members, alongside language-program and study-abroad exhibitor booths.
📍 East Lansing, MI📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Population Connection
World of 8 Billion Student Video Contest
Students create short videos highlighting solutions to global issues like population growth and sustainability.
📍 Global⏱ One-time📅 May 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Demidec
World Scholar's Cup
Team academic tournament — debate, collaborative writing, quiz bowl, and scholar's bowl — with regional, global, and Tournament of Champions rounds at Yale.
📍 Regional rounds worldwide⏱ 2–3 days per round📅 Rolling · regional dates🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Writing Arguments That Matter (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Teaches high school students to build persuasive arguments, from choosing a topic and forming a research question to finding sources and writing a compelling essay.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA (one session online via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Writing for College Readiness (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Builds high school students' college-level writing skills through frequent practice in research, argument, revision and portfolio creation.
📍 UW Seattle campus, Seattle, WA (one session online via Zoom)📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Writing for Researchers Online Seminar
Three-week online seminar on Zoom exploring how researchers in the social sciences, natural sciences and humanities plan, conduct and present their work, with practice in argument structure and use of evidence. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
📍 Online⏱ 3 weeks (July 20 - August 7, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
University of Wyoming Speech and Debate
Wyoming Forensics Institute
A summer debate camp at UW open to high school students nationwide, with policy, Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum labs for beginners through experienced debaters.
📍 Laramie, WY📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Wyoming Historical Society
Wyoming Historical Society Young Essay Awards
Annual essay awards on Wyoming history with a separate high school division (grades 9-12, 1,200-2,500 words); winning essays are published in The Wyoming Historian. First place receives $150 and runner-up $100 per age group.
📍 Wyoming (submitted online)📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Wyoming High School Activities Association
Wyoming State Speech and Debate Tournament
The WHSAA state high school speech and debate championship, held each spring in Cheyenne after a season of school contests.
📍 Cheyenne, WY📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Yale International Relations Association
Yale Model United Nations (YMUN)
One of the largest Model UN conferences held on an Ivy League campus, YMUN is a four-day international relations simulation drawing over 1,800 high school delegates from dozens of countries to debate global issues as UN ambassadors and diplomats.
📍 Yale University, New Haven, CT📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Yale University
Yale Young Global Scholars
Two-week interdisciplinary academic enrichment program.
📍 New Haven, CT⏱ 2 weeks📅 January🎓 Grades 10–11
Moderate
Yale University
Yale Young Global Scholars (Need-Based Aid)
YYGS offers full need-based scholarships covering tuition, travel, and room.
📍 CT⏱ 2 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
U.S. State Department
YES Abroad
Fully-funded year-long high school exchange to countries with significant Muslim populations.
📍 Abroad (nationwide eligibility)⏱ Academic year📅 January🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Santa Clara University
Young Scholars Program
High-school students enroll in actual Santa Clara University summer courses, earn college credit, receive academic advising and experience college-level workload and campus life.
📍 CA🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation
Youth Heritage Project (YHP)
Free overnight field school for high school students exploring the history, culture and nature of Washington's special places through hikes, museum tours and site visits, plus a real-world community project.
📍 Rotating Washington location (2026: Ellensburg)📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Chickasaw Nation
Youth Leadership Chickasaw
Week-long immersive conference in tribal government, history, professionalism and leadership.
📍 OK🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
Conner Prairie
Youth Volunteer Program
Youth ages 10–18 participate in historical interpretation, guest engagement, camps, and special events, often in period or modern roles. High-school volunteers can build substantial year-round service experience.
📍 IN🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Adler Planetarium / Zooniverse
Zooniverse Citizen Scientist Volunteer
Research and tag images for academic science projects. High schoolers can contribute to NASA or university data sets from home.
📍 Online⏱ Flexible📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective

Humanities programs for high schoolers.

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