- Grades1 to 8
- Cost$100 to $1,200
Team competitions for students
Competitions you enter as a team rather than alone. Team events reward a different set of skills, and they let students who are not the strongest in a subject contribute genuinely: robotics teams need writers and fundraisers, quiz teams need subject specialists, modelling teams need someone who can actually write the report.
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Engineering
Invention Convention
Invent something that solves a real problem, document the process, and pitch it like an inventor.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree to $100
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Engineering
Junior Solar Sprint
Design and race a solar-powered model car, free, for middle school teams.
Math
MOEMS
Five short contests across the school year, designed as a first taste of olympiad problem solving from grade 4.
Check site
- Grades4 to 8
- CostFree to $150
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades4 to 8
- CostNot confirmed
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Coding
NASEF Scholastic Esports
School-based esports leagues paired with a curriculum in production, broadcasting, analysis and game design.
Writing
NYT Student Podcast Contest
Make a five-minute podcast on any subject, free, judged by New York Times editors.
Robotics
SeaPerch
Build an underwater robot from PVC pipe and motors for well under a hundred dollars, then race and manoeuvre it.
Engineering
The Paradigm Challenge
Solve a real social problem however you like, from age four upward, with a large prize pool.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$50 to $300
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Business
The Stock Market Game
Manage a virtual $100,000 portfolio against other school teams over a full trading season.
Robotics
VEX IQ Robotics Competition
A snap-together robotics league for elementary and middle school, with cooperative rather than head-to-head matches.
234 days left
- Grades4 to 12
- CostFree to $30
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades3 to 8
- Cost$200 to $1,200
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
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.
Coding
ACSL
A school-based league of short written and programming contests across four ability divisions.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$125 to $175
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
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
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.
Engineering
Destination Imagination
Team creative problem solving across technical, scientific, engineering, fine arts and service challenges.
133 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
47 days left
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$165 to $5,500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Engineering
ExploraVision
Pick a technology, project it twenty years forward, and write the paper explaining how it gets there.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Business
FBLA
More than seventy competitive events in business, technology and finance, competed through a school chapter.
140 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$20 to $600
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Robotics
FIRST Tech Challenge
A smaller, cheaper robotics league with the same season structure as FRC and a far lower barrier to entry.
Engineering
Future City
Design a city a century from now, in simulation, in an essay, and as a physical model built from recycled materials.
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- Cost$300 to $3,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$25 to $25
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
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.
Science
HOSA
Over sixty competitive events across clinical skills, health knowledge and leadership, from middle school upward.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostNot confirmed
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$20 to $1,500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Math
MATHCOUNTS
The national middle school math league, from your classroom to a televised countdown round.
Debate and speech
Model United Nations
Represent a country in simulated UN committees, negotiate resolutions, and compete for awards at hundreds of conferences.
Academic
National History Bee and Bowl
Buzzer competition in history, run as both an individual bee and a team bowl, with online qualifying.
82 days left
- Grades6 to 8
- Cost$42 to $80
- FormatEither
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$25 to $1,500
- FormatEither
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades2 to 12
- Cost$10 to $800
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereBoth
Academic
National History Day
Original historical research presented as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance or website.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree to $150
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
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
Ocean Awareness Contest
A free international contest accepting art, writing, film, music and interactive media on a yearly ocean and climate theme.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline
Engineering
Odyssey of the Mind
Teams solve a long-term creative problem over months, then face a spontaneous problem they have never seen.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$290 to $400
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Math
Purple Comet! Math Meet
A free, online, team-based maths contest open to any school or club in the world.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
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.
187 days left
- 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.
Chess and strategy
US Chess Scholastic National Championships
National championships separated by grade, age and rating, so beginners are never paired against masters.
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$30 to $200
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Robotics
VEX Robotics Competition
The largest robotics competition in the world by team count, with tournaments running most weekends.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$300 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Coding
WAICY
A project-based global AI competition with tracks for art and video as well as technical builds.
Robotics
World Robot Olympiad
An international robotics competition running in over eighty countries, with categories from age six upward.
Check site
- Grades4 to 12
- CostFree to $100
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$50 to $2,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Debate and speech
World Scholar's Cup
A team academic competition combining debate, collaborative writing, a quiz bowl and a scholar's challenge, with rounds in dozens of countries.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$100 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereBoth
Engineering
eCYBERMISSION
Solve a problem in your own community using science or engineering, entirely online, for free.
Coding
picoCTF
A free capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition designed specifically for students with no security background.
Check site
- Grades6 to 9
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
168 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationComfort with a command line and basic scripting
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Academic
Academic Decathlon
Ten events on one annual theme, with teams that must include students across the full range of grade point averages.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$100 to $1,500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Art and design
All American High School Film Festival
The largest high school film festival in the world, screening student work in Times Square.
Engineering
American Rocketry Challenge
Design a rocket that carries eggs to an exact altitude and returns them intact, to the second.
Coding
Battlecode
Write an AI that commands a team of virtual units against other students' AIs, with a high school bracket.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$20 to $75
- FormatEither
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$100 to $1,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
88 days left
- 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.
Business
Conrad Challenge
A year-long innovation competition where teams build a product and a business around a real global problem.
Coding
CyberPatriot
Teams defend deliberately broken computer systems against a clock, from middle school upward.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$500 to $3,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree to $499
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree to $250
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Business
DECA
Hundreds of role-play and written business events, competed through a school chapter up to an international conference.
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.
Robotics
FIRST Robotics Competition
Build a 125-pound robot in six weeks, then compete in a stadium alliance game.
Environment
GENIUS Olympiad
An international project competition on environmental issues, spanning science, art, writing, business and robotics.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$20 to $600
- FormatEither
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$500 to $8,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
69 days left
- Grades8 to 12
- CostNot confirmed
PreparationA completed project on an environmental theme, plus funds for the finalist fee and travel
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Math
IM²C
A team modelling challenge with national rounds worldwide feeding an international judging round.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationA strong result in COMAP's HiMCM or MidMCM
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Robotics
MATE ROV Competition
Build an underwater remotely operated vehicle and run real ocean-industry missions in a pool.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$100 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
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.
Coding
NASA App Development Challenge
Build software against a real NASA mission problem, free, with winning teams meeting NASA engineers.
Environment
NCF-Envirothon
Field-based environmental science: teams are tested outdoors on soils, forestry, wildlife, water and a current issue.
Business
National Economics Challenge
The only national economics competition for United States high school students, run in two divisions.
Check site
- Grades11 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades11 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree to $1,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereBoth
Civics and social science
National High School Mock Trial Championship
Argue a full fictional case as attorneys and witnesses in a real courtroom, judged by real judges.
Science
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
A buzzer-based ocean science quiz competition for high school teams, run through regional bowls.
Science
National Science Bowl
A fast buzzer competition across all sciences and maths, run free by the Department of Energy since 1991.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$50 to $1,500
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
82 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree to $300
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree to $50
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Academic
Quiz Bowl (NAQT HSNCT)
Buzzer-based team quiz across every academic subject, with a huge published archive of past questions.
Robotics
RoboCupJunior
International robotics with three distinct leagues: robot soccer, disaster rescue, and performance.
75 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$50 to $2,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades5 to 12
- Cost$50 to $2,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Engineering
STEM Racing (formerly F1 in Schools)
Design, manufacture and race a miniature air-powered car, and run the team like a racing outfit. Rebranded from F1 in Schools to STEM Racing in 2024.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$200 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Science
Science Olympiad
A 23-event team tournament covering everything from anatomy to bridge building, run at invitational, regional, state and national level.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$50 to $500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Civics and social science
We the People
A simulated congressional hearing where your class testifies as constitutional experts before a panel of judges.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree to $1,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Business
Wharton Investment Competition
Manage a virtual portfolio for a fictional client and defend your strategy to Wharton judges.
Engineering
Zero Robotics
Write code that controls a real satellite aboard the International Space Station.
Math
ARML
Fifteen-student regional teams competing in relays and a power round over one intense weekend.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereBoth
2 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$100 to $800
PreparationComfort with olympiad-style problems, and a place on a regional team
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Debate and speech
Harvard Speech and Debate Tournament
One of the largest invitational tournaments in the country, over Presidents' Day weekend, with a full novice field.
Music
MTNA Performance Competitions
A structured national competition ladder for young performers, from state through division to national finals.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$100 to $2,000
- FormatEither
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$25 to $150
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Debate and speech
NSDA National Tournament
The largest academic competition in the world, reached by earning qualifying points on your district circuit.
Environment
Stockholm Junior Water Prize
An international water research prize with national competitions in over thirty countries.
0 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$100 to $3,000
- FormatEither
- WhereIn person
187 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationA completed water-related research paper
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Math
HMMT
One of the hardest and best-run student math tournaments in the world, held twice a year in Boston.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$20 to $100
PreparationRegular practice on olympiad-level problems
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Coding
International Olympiad in AI
The newest international science olympiad, with a scientific round and a practical machine learning round.
11 days left
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree to $500
PreparationProgramming plus an understanding of machine learning fundamentals
FormatTeam
WhereBoth
Math
PUMaC
A team math tournament at Princeton with a live power round and a strong international field.
173 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$20 to $100
PreparationExperience with proof-based problems
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Science
Regeneron ISEF
The world's largest pre-college science research competition, reached by winning your way up through affiliated fairs.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree to $50
PreparationAn ongoing research project and a win at an affiliated fair
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Debate and speech
Tournament of Champions
The championship of the national debate circuit, entered only by collecting bids at qualifying tournaments.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$200 to $6,000
PreparationBids earned at qualifying tournaments across a season
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Check site
Questions people ask about this
What if my school has no team?
Most team competitions allow a teacher, parent or community organisation to start one, and several offer rookie grants specifically to remove the cost barrier. Each listing's registration steps say who is allowed to register a new team.