ExploraVision

Key facts

Eligible grades

Grades K to 12, in four categories: primary K-3, upper elementary 4-6, middle level 7-9, and high school 10-12. The oldest student on a team determines the category, and each category is judged separately.

Entrants must be full-time students enrolled in a public, private, parochial, virtual or home school.

Source, checked 2026-09-02

Official divisions

Four categories judged separately: primary K-3, upper elementary 4-6, middle level 7-9 and high school 10-12. The oldest student on a team sets the category.

Based on the organiser's own divisions.

Eligible ages

Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.

An upper age limit exists alongside the grade rule, which matters for older students still in K-12. Source note: the only reference found for this was a third-party listing or encyclopedia, not the organiser. Eligibility must come from the organiser, so this is marked unconfirmed until a first-party page confirms it.

Source, checked 2026-09-02

Individual or team

Team · Teams of 2 to 4 students with a teacher or coach, plus an optional mentor. There are no individual entries. Team members do not have to attend the same school or even live in the same state, and home-schooled students may team up with public school students.

Where it runs

Online · United States, Canada

Entry cost

FreeNSTA states plainly there is no entry fee.

Registration deadline

Projects must be submitted by the coach by 8:00 PM ET on 27 January 2027. 140 days leftThe coach submits, not the student. Note the earlier hour: an 8:00 p.m. cut-off, not midnight. A third-party scholarship site lists 3 February 2027, which matches the previous cycle's date rather than this one, so use NSTA's date.

Competition dates

Judging through spring, with the national awards weekend in Washington, D.C. in June.

Difficulty

Some preparation neededYou will want a few weeks of targeted practice. Most motivated students place respectably.

Prizes

Savings bonds for national winners plus a trip to WashingtonNational winners receive US Series EE Savings Bonds valued at $10,000 at maturity, plus Toshiba technology prizes, with additional awards for second-place teams and regional winners. Finalists are invited to an Awards Weekend in Washington, D.C. Students retain rights to all ideas and products they generate: neither NSTA nor Toshiba will attempt to patent student work.