- Grades1 to 8
- CostFree to $30
128 competitions · 15 categories · every entry linked to its official source
Find the competition
you should be entering.
Every competition a student under 18 can enter, in one place. Search by subject, grade, cost or deadline, then use the preparation guides to actually get ready for it.
Closing soon
Start here
One strong option from each of the biggest categories.
RecommendedGrades 6 to 8
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Coding
Congressional App Challenge
Build an app, compete only against students in your own congressional district, and win a display in the U.S. Capitol.
Robotics
FIRST Robotics Competition
Build a 125-pound robot in six weeks, then compete in a stadium alliance game.
Science
USA Biolympiad
An open biology exam that narrows to twenty finalists and the four-person United States team at the International Biology Olympiad.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
47 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$500 to $8,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
69 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$125 to $125
PreparationFamiliarity with a full first-year high school biology curriculum
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Business
InvestWrite
A free national essay competition on investing, judged on reasoning rather than returns.
44 days left
- Grades4 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Writing
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
The longest-running recognition programme for creative teenagers in the United States, across 29 categories.
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- Cost$15 to $40
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
83 days left
Browse by category
Every category page explains how that kind of competition actually works before it lists anything.
15
Math
Timed problem-solving exams, proof olympiads and team math leagues.
19
Coding
Algorithmic contests, app challenges, hackathons and cybersecurity events.
10
Robotics
Build-and-compete robot leagues, drone racing and autonomous vehicle events.
23
Science
Research fairs, subject olympiads and lab-based challenges.
22
Engineering
Design-and-build challenges, bridges, rockets, planes and vehicles.
20
Business
Pitch competitions, case studies, finance challenges and entrepreneurship.
19
Writing
Fiction, poetry, essays, journalism and screenwriting prizes.
6
Debate and speech
Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Model UN and oratory.
13
Art and design
Visual art, photography, film, animation and design awards.
3
Music
Performance competitions, composition prizes and ensemble festivals.
18
Academic
Quiz bowl, geography and history bees, spelling and language contests.
9
Civics and social science
Constitution, economics, law, and public policy competitions.
9
Environment
Sustainability challenges, conservation projects and climate prizes.
2
Chess and strategy
Scholastic chess championships and strategic games.
15
Scholarships and challenges
Competitions whose main prize is money for education.
Deadlines coming up
Browse by grade
Eligibility is the first thing that rules a competition out. Start with what you can actually enter.
Free to enter
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationConfident independent programming, and about a month of sustained work
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Writing
Bennington Young Writers Awards
A three-category writing prize from a college known for its writing programme, with scholarship money attached.
Business
Blue Ocean Competition
A fully online entrepreneurship pitch competition with no written business plan required.
Science
Breakthrough Junior Challenge
Explain a hard scientific idea in a three-minute video, for a $250,000 scholarship package.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
53 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades8 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationDeep understanding of one concept in physics, life sciences or mathematics
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Civics and social science
C-SPAN StudentCam
Make a short documentary on a national policy question, free, with a large cash prize pool.
6 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Scholarships and challenges
Coca-Cola Scholars Program
A $20,000 achievement-based scholarship for graduating seniors, awarded to 150 students a year.
Coding
Codeforces
Free short-format algorithmic contests several times a month, open to anyone with a rating attached.
133 days left
- Grades12 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
21 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationImplementing algorithms under time pressure in C++, Java or Python
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Coding
Congressional App Challenge
Build an app, compete only against students in your own congressional district, and win a display in the U.S. Capitol.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
47 days left
Good first competitions
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$125 to $175
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Math
AMC 8
A 40-minute, 25-question exam for middle schoolers and the natural first step into contest maths.
Check site
- Grades1 to 8
- CostFree to $30
RecommendedGrades 6 to 8
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Coding
Bebras Challenge
A short online computational thinking challenge with no programming required, from age 8 upward.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostUp to $5
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Business
Blue Ocean Competition
A fully online entrepreneurship pitch competition with no written business plan required.
Business
Business Professionals of America
Competitive events in business, IT, digital media and management, with a strong technical event list.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$20 to $1,500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Civics and social science
C-SPAN StudentCam
Make a short documentary on a national policy question, free, with a large cash prize pool.
83 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Math
CEMC Contests
Canada's national contest ladder, from grade 7 puzzles to the Canadian Computing Olympiad.
133 days left
- Grades7 to 12
- CostUp to $20
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Coding
Congressional App Challenge
Build an app, compete only against students in your own congressional district, and win a display in the U.S. Capitol.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
47 days left
Online competitions
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$125 to $175
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Writing
Adroit Prizes
A respected literary prize for secondary students, judged by working writers, with free entry available.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$15 to $15
PreparationA portfolio of poetry or prose ready for outside judging
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Coding
Battlecode
Write an AI that commands a team of virtual units against other students' AIs, with a high school bracket.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationConfident independent programming, and about a month of sustained work
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Coding
Bebras Challenge
A short online computational thinking challenge with no programming required, from age 8 upward.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostUp to $5
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Writing
Bennington Young Writers Awards
A three-category writing prize from a college known for its writing programme, with scholarship money attached.
Business
Blue Ocean Competition
A fully online entrepreneurship pitch competition with no written business plan required.
Science
Brain Bee
A neuroscience competition running from local chapters up to a world championship.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
53 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree to $400
PreparationReading Brain Facts or Neuroscience: The Science of the Brain
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth
Science
Breakthrough Junior Challenge
Explain a hard scientific idea in a three-minute video, for a $250,000 scholarship package.
Check site
- Grades8 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationDeep understanding of one concept in physics, life sciences or mathematics
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
6 days left
Recently added or re-checked
The directory is maintained. Each entry records when it was last checked against the official source.
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$125 to $125
PreparationFamiliarity with a full first-year high school biology curriculum
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Engineering
The Paradigm Challenge
Solve a real social problem however you like, from age four upward, with a large prize pool.
44 days left
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Academic
Scripps National Spelling Bee
The most watched academic competition in America, reached through school, district and regional bees.
Engineering
Odyssey of the Mind
Teams solve a long-term creative problem over months, then face a spontaneous problem they have never seen.
234 days left
- Grades1 to 8
- CostFree to $225
- FormatIndividual
- WhereIn person
142 days left
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$290 to $400
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Scholarships and challenges
National Merit Scholarship Program
The scholarship competition you enter by sitting the PSAT/NMSQT in your junior year, whether you meant to or not.
Business
Harrington Foundation Accelerator
A free eight-week virtual accelerator ending in a live pitch, with real investment for the winner.
Business
Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
A twelve-hour online startup sprint: the problem is revealed on the day and you pitch by the end of it.
Check site
- Grades11 to 12
- CostFree to $30
- FormatIndividual
- WhereIn person
52 days left
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostNot confirmed
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
Common questions
What competitions can a 16 year old enter?
A 16 year old is usually in grade 10 or 11, which makes them eligible for most of this directory: the AMC 10 and AMC 12, USACO, FIRST Robotics, Regeneron ISEF, the Congressional App Challenge, the Diamond Challenge, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and most speech and debate circuits. See everything open to grade 11.
Are there free competitions for high school students?
Plenty, including some of the most respected ones. USACO, the Congressional App Challenge, Purple Comet, the Conrad Challenge and Technovation Girls all charge students nothing. Browse competitions with no entry fee. Note that a free entry fee does not always mean a free competition: robotics leagues in particular carry materials and travel costs, which each listing states.
I have never entered anything. Where do I start?
Pick something with a low entry barrier and a published archive of past problems or past winners, so you know exactly what you are walking into. The beginner list is filtered to competitions rated 1 or 2 out of 5 for difficulty.
How current is this information?
Every listing carries a verification date and a status: checked against the official site, partly verified, or not yet re-checked. Deadlines marked estimated have not been confirmed for the current cycle. Read how the data is maintained, and report anything that looks wrong.