National Ocean Sciences Bowl

Key facts

Eligible grades

Grades 9 to 12, currently enrolled in high school. Students at informal education organisations such as Girl Scouts, and home-schooled students, may also compete. not yet checked against the official source

Up to two teams per school or organisation per year at regional level. 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

Eligible ages

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

NOSB sets eligibility by school enrolment, not age.

Individual or team

Team · Four or five students plus a coach. NOSB recommends including one student alternate.

Where it runs

In person · United States

Entry cost

Regional bowls may charge a maximum of $300 per team, though many charge nothing at all. There is no cost for teams advancing to the National Finals.Ask your regional coordinator; the range from free to $300 is wide enough to matter.

Registration deadline

Set locally, not published as a single national date There is no single national deadline: each regional sets its own, typically between late autumn and mid-January, with forms and payment often due in December or early January. Contact your regional coordinator first to check whether they have an opening for a new team at all, since places are limited.

Competition dates

2027 regional dates are published per site, running through February and March: for example 6 February 2027 at Oregon State University, and 20 February 2027 at both the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and UNC Wilmington. A Virtual Sponge Bowl runs head-to-head on Zoom on 20 and 21 March 2027. National Finals are held in late April or May.

Difficulty

CompetitiveSerious preparation over a season. Advancing past the first round separates prepared students from unprepared ones.

Prizes

Trophies, research experiences and tripsScholarships through the National Ocean Scholars programme, plus summer internships, field trips and award trips for students. Amounts were not confirmed on the pages checked.