- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
Free competitions
Competitions with no entry fee for the student. Some still involve travel or materials costs, which are noted on each page.
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.
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- 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.
Art and design
Congressional Art Competition
One winner per congressional district, with the winning artwork hung in the United States Capitol for a year.
Coding
CyberStart America
A free, game-based cybersecurity challenge with scholarships attached, open to US high school students.
Scholarships and challenges
Davidson Fellows Scholarship
Scholarships of up to $50,000 for a significant piece of work in science, technology, mathematics, literature, music or philosophy.
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- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
47 days left
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationA completed piece of work at or close to college graduate level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Business
Diamond Challenge
Pitch a business or social venture concept against teams from more than a hundred countries, for a prize pool above $100,000.
Art and design
Doodle for Google
Redesign the Google logo around an annual theme, with a scholarship and a day on the homepage at stake.
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- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Engineering
eCYBERMISSION
Solve a problem in your own community using science or engineering, entirely online, for free.
Engineering
ExploraVision
Pick a technology, project it twenty years forward, and write the paper explaining how it gets there.
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- Grades6 to 9
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
168 days left
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Writing
Foyle Young Poets
A free international poetry award for 11 to 17 year olds, with a hundred winners chosen each year.
Music
From the Top Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award
A scholarship award for outstanding young classical musicians with financial need, including a national radio appearance.
140 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
325 days left
- Grades3 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationRepertoire ready for broadcast performance, plus demonstrated financial need
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth
Business
Harrington Foundation Accelerator
A free eight-week virtual accelerator ending in a live pitch, with real investment for the winner.
Math
IM²C
A team modelling challenge with national rounds worldwide feeding an international judging round.
61 days left
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationA strong result in COMAP's HiMCM or MidMCM
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Business
InvestWrite
A free national essay competition on investing, judged on reasoning rather than returns.
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- Grades4 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Scholarships and challenges
Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program
A five-year, individually advised scholarship for high-achieving students with financial need, applied for in grade 7.
Science
JSHS
Present original research to a live audience of scientists at a regional symposium, with scholarships attached.
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- Grades7 to 7
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
218 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationOriginal independent research, usually with a mentor
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Science
Junior Innovators Challenge
The premier middle school science research competition, entered by nomination from an affiliated science fair.
Math
Math Prize for Girls
The largest cash prize in pre-college mathematics, open to girls and non-binary students.
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- Grades6 to 8
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationAn AMC 10 or AMC 12 score above the year's cutoff
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge
Fourteen hours, one open-ended real-world problem, and a written mathematical model. Free, with six figures in scholarships.
Math
Modeling the Future Challenge
Analyse a real dataset, quantify a risk, and make a recommendation, mentored by a working actuary.
Academic
NACLO
Solve puzzles in languages you have never seen, with no prior linguistics knowledge required.
Coding
NASA App Development Challenge
Build software against a real NASA mission problem, free, with winning teams meeting NASA engineers.
Coding
NASEF Scholastic Esports
School-based esports leagues paired with a curriculum in production, broadcasting, analysis and game design.
Civics and social science
National Civics Bee
Write a short essay about a problem in your community, then defend it in a live civics quiz.
Business
National Economics Challenge
The only national economics competition for United States high school students, run in two divisions.
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- Grades11 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades11 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 8
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereBoth
146 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereBoth
Business
National Personal Finance Challenge
A team competition on earning, spending, saving, investing and managing credit, free to enter.
Writing
New York Times Student Editorial Contest
Write a 450-word evidence-based opinion piece on anything you care about, judged by Times editors.
Writing
NYT Student Podcast Contest
Make a five-minute podcast on any subject, free, judged by New York Times editors.
Writing
Ocean Awareness Contest
A free international contest accepting art, writing, film, music and interactive media on a yearly ocean and climate theme.
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- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Writing
Patriot's Pen
A short patriotic essay contest for middle school students, free, with national awards.
Coding
picoCTF
A free capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition designed specifically for students with no security background.
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- Grades6 to 8
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereBoth
52 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationComfort with a command line and basic scripting
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Art and design
Poetry Out Loud
Memorise and perform published poems, from a classroom contest all the way to a national final in Washington.
Writing
Profile in Courage Essay Contest
Write about an elected official who took a politically courageous stand, for a $10,000 first prize.
Scholarships and challenges
Prudential Emerging Visionaries
Awards for young people using financial or social innovation to solve a problem in their community.
Math
Purple Comet! Math Meet
A free, online, team-based maths contest open to any school or club in the world.
Check site
- Grades8 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereIn person
179 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
124 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Science
Regeneron Science Talent Search
The oldest and most prestigious science research competition for United States high school seniors.
Environment
Stockholm Junior Water Prize
An international water research prize with national competitions in over thirty countries.
187 days left
- Grades12 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereBoth
57 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationA completed water-related research paper
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Coding
Technovation Girls
A free global season where girls aged 8 to 18 build an app or AI project and pitch it as a venture.
Check site
- Grades3 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Environment
The Earth Prize
A global environmental sustainability competition for teenagers, free to enter, with a substantial prize pool.
Engineering
The Paradigm Challenge
Solve a real social problem however you like, from age four upward, with a large prize pool.
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Coding
USACO
Free, worldwide algorithmic contests on a four-division ladder, and the route to Team USA at the IOI.
234 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Art and design
Vans Custom Culture
Design and paint shoes as a school art team, competing for a large grant for your school's art programme.
Civics and social science
Voice of Democracy
Record a three-minute audio essay on a patriotic theme and compete for scholarships from local post to national level.
Business
Wharton Investment Competition
Manage a virtual portfolio for a fictional client and defend your strategy to Wharton judges.
Writing
Write the World
Free monthly writing prompts with peer review and expert feedback built into the process.
Engineering
Zero Robotics
Write code that controls a real satellite aboard the International Space Station.
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- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereBoth
52 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
2 days left
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site