- Grades1 to 12
- CostUp to $5
Coding competitions for high school students
Algorithmic contests, app challenges, cybersecurity events and AI competitions open to grades 9 to 12. The algorithmic contests reward months of practice on data structures; the project contests reward a working demo and a clear story.
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Coding
NASEF Scholastic Esports
School-based esports leagues paired with a curriculum in production, broadcasting, analysis and game design.
Coding
ACSL
A school-based league of short written and programming contests across four ability divisions.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$125 to $175
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Business
Business Professionals of America
Competitive events in business, IT, digital media and management, with a strong technical event list.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$20 to $1,500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Math
CEMC Contests
Canada's national contest ladder, from grade 7 puzzles to the Canadian Computing Olympiad.
83 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.
Coding
CyberStart America
A free, game-based cybersecurity challenge with scholarships attached, open to US high school students.
Academic
NACLO
Solve puzzles in languages you have never seen, with no prior linguistics knowledge required.
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.
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- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
47 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades3 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Coding
WAICY
A project-based global AI competition with tracks for art and video as well as technical builds.
Coding
picoCTF
A free capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition designed specifically for students with no security background.
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- Grades4 to 12
- CostFree to $100
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationComfort with a command line and basic scripting
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Coding
Battlecode
Write an AI that commands a team of virtual units against other students' AIs, with a high school bracket.
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- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationConfident independent programming, and about a month of sustained work
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Robotics
Botball
Fully autonomous robotics where all the programming is done in advance and nothing is driver-controlled.
Coding
Codeforces
Free short-format algorithmic contests several times a month, open to anyone with a rating attached.
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- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$500 to $3,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationImplementing algorithms under time pressure in C++, Java or Python
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Coding
CyberPatriot
Teams defend deliberately broken computer systems against a clock, from middle school upward.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree to $250
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Coding
NASA App Development Challenge
Build software against a real NASA mission problem, free, with winning teams meeting NASA engineers.
Coding
USACO
Free, worldwide algorithmic contests on a four-division ladder, and the route to Team USA at the IOI.
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- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Engineering
Zero Robotics
Write code that controls a real satellite aboard the International Space Station.
Coding
International Olympiad in AI
The newest international science olympiad, with a scientific round and a practical machine learning round.
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- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree to $500
PreparationProgramming plus an understanding of machine learning fundamentals
FormatTeam
WhereBoth
173 days left
Questions people ask about this
What is the best coding competition for a beginner?
Start with something rated 1 or 2 out of 5 for difficulty on this page. Those assume no prior competition experience and usually publish past problems or past winning entries so you know exactly what you are walking into.
Are there free coding competitions?
11 of the 19 listed here have no entry fee for the student. Note that a free entry fee is not the same as a free competition: team-based events can carry materials and travel costs, which each listing states separately.