- Grades1 to 12
- CostUp to $25
Preparation guides
Finding a competition is the easy half. These guides break each one into what to study, a plan that works backwards from the date, and the free practice material that already exists.
PreparationA qualifying score on AMC 10 or AMC 12
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
AMC 10 and AMC 12
The 75-minute exam that opens the door to the US math olympiad ladder.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree to $70
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
AMC 8
A 40-minute, 25-question exam for middle schoolers and the natural first step into contest maths.
36 days left
- Grades1 to 8
- CostFree to $30
RecommendedGrades 6 to 8
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Engineering
American Rocketry Challenge
Design a rocket that carries eggs to an exact altitude and returns them intact, to the second.
Math
ARML
Fifteen-student regional teams competing in relays and a power round over one intense weekend.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$100 to $1,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
88 days left
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$100 to $800
PreparationComfort with olympiad-style problems, and a place on a regional team
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Math
CEMC Contests
Canada's national contest ladder, from grade 7 puzzles to the Canadian Computing Olympiad.
Check site
- Grades7 to 12
- CostUp to $20
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Science
Chemistry Olympiad
A local exam, a national exam, then a study camp that picks the four-person United States team.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostUp to $25
PreparationFamiliarity with a full first-year high school chemistry curriculum
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.
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.
Coding
International Olympiad in AI
The newest international science olympiad, with a scientific round and a practical machine learning round.
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
47 days left
- 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
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree to $500
PreparationProgramming plus an understanding of machine learning fundamentals
FormatTeam
WhereBoth
Writing
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
A free global essay prize in seven academic subjects, judged by academics from Oxford and Princeton.
173 days left
- Grades7 to 12
- CostUp to $20
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Math
Math Kangaroo
A friendly international puzzle contest that starts in grade 1.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$21 to $30
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
Math Prize for Girls
The largest cash prize in pre-college mathematics, open to girls and non-binary students.
Check site
- Grades1 to 12
- CostFree
PreparationAn AMC 10 or AMC 12 score above the year's cutoff
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person
Math
MATHCOUNTS
The national middle school math league, from your classroom to a televised countdown round.
Math
MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge
Fourteen hours, one open-ended real-world problem, and a written mathematical model. Free, with six figures in scholarships.
Debate and speech
Model United Nations
Represent a country in simulated UN committees, negotiate resolutions, and compete for awards at hundreds of conferences.
Academic
NACLO
Solve puzzles in languages you have never seen, with no prior linguistics knowledge required.
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.
Academic
National History Day
Original historical research presented as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance or website.
Check site
- Grades6 to 8
- Cost$42 to $80
- FormatEither
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades11 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatTeam
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$25 to $1,500
- FormatEither
- WhereBoth
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatIndividual
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$50 to $1,500
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
82 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree to $150
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Scholarships and challenges
National Merit Scholarship Program
The scholarship competition you enter by sitting the PSAT/NMSQT in your junior year, whether you meant to or not.
Science
National Science Bowl
A fast buzzer competition across all sciences and maths, run free by the Department of Energy since 1991.
Check site
- Grades11 to 12
- CostFree to $30
- FormatIndividual
- WhereIn person
52 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree to $50
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Writing
New York Times Student Editorial Contest
Write a 450-word evidence-based opinion piece on anything you care about, judged by Times editors.
Debate and speech
NSDA National Tournament
The largest academic competition in the world, reached by earning qualifying points on your district circuit.
Science
Physics Olympiad (F=ma)
A 25-question mechanics exam that opens the pathway to the United States physics team.
75 days left
- Grades7 to 12
- CostFree
- FormatEither
- WhereOnline
Check site
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$100 to $3,000
- FormatEither
- WhereIn person
187 days left
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree to $50
PreparationFluency with mechanics: kinematics, forces, energy and momentum
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Coding
picoCTF
A free capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition designed specifically for students with no security background.
Check site
- 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.
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
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline
Academic
Quiz Bowl (NAQT HSNCT)
Buzzer-based team quiz across every academic subject, with a huge published archive of past questions.
Science
Regeneron ISEF
The world's largest pre-college science research competition, reached by winning your way up through affiliated fairs.
187 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$50 to $2,000
- FormatTeam
- WhereIn person
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- CostFree to $50
PreparationAn ongoing research project and a win at an affiliated fair
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Writing
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
The longest-running recognition programme for creative teenagers in the United States, across 29 categories.
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
- Grades7 to 12
- Cost$15 to $40
- FormatIndividual
- WhereOnline
83 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- Cost$50 to $500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person
Academic
Scripps National Spelling Bee
The most watched academic competition in America, reached through school, district and regional bees.
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
- Grades1 to 8
- CostFree to $225
- FormatIndividual
- WhereIn person
142 days left
- Grades1 to 12
- Cost$30 to $200
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person
Science
USA Biolympiad
An open biology exam that narrows to twenty finalists and the four-person United States team at the International Biology Olympiad.
Check site
- Grades9 to 12
- Cost$125 to $125
PreparationFamiliarity with a full first-year high school biology curriculum
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Coding
USACO
Free, worldwide algorithmic contests on a four-division ladder, and the route to Team USA at the IOI.
44 days left
- Grades6 to 12
- CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline
Check site