10 STEM Competitions for High School Students
STEM as a field is a fairly competitive one and if you’re keen on pursuing a career in it, it’s best to get started early. This means looking at ways to develop your skills and build on your knowledge. One way to do this is through STEM competitions.
Participating in competitions in high school helps you develop essential skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and teamwork. You also get to build skills in your chosen field while working on real-world challenges. Not to mention – you participating in a prestigious STEM competition in high school can only help your college applications!
So, we’ve put together a list of competitions you can participate in while in high school!
How did we select these STEM competitions?
While selecting competitions, we looked at:
1. Educational value - whether these competitions provide students with additional learning resources. We also looked for those that encourage peer interaction and have real-world impact.
2. Difficulty level - we looked for competitions that cater to students at different levels and have included competitions with varying levels of difficulty.
3. Prestige - we focused on competitions that are prestigious and well-known. Participating in these competitions can help boost college applications and show your commitment to the field.
1. International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
Hosted by the Society of Science, ISEF is the world's biggest pre-college STEM competition, inviting entries from thousands of students every year. To participate in ISEF, you first must participate in a local or regional level fair and will then be shortlisted for the ISEF program that takes place in a hybrid format each year. It has at maximum a 2-5% acceptance rate at qualifying fairs, making it extremely competitive and selective.
You participate by presenting original work that has been going on for no longer than 12 months - the more recent, the better. Some subcategories you can present your research include atomic, molecular, and optical physics, astronomy and cosmology, cellular and molecular biology, and microbiology.
Working on research projects and getting shortlisted to present at ISEF is a prestigious opportunity and a great way for you to build a network with like-minded, passionate young students such as yourself.
We’ve covered everything you need to know about ISEF in this guide!
Location: Hosted in different cities every year. ISEF 2024 will be in Los Angeles, CA.
Dates: Local and regional-level fairs have different dates. Please find the list here. ISEF 2024 will be held in May 2024 (tentatively, based on the 2023 schedule).
Eligibility: All high-school students with a strong passion for research in science, math, and engineering are encouraged to apply. Students can participate individually or in teams.
Cost: On-site registration of $25 for each participant.
Prizes: Special Awards such as tuition scholarships, summer internships, and scientific trips, as well as cash prizes of up to $75,000 are awarded to winners.
2. Congressional App Challenge
This district-wide contest is hosted by members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The aim of this competition is to encourage students (in teams of up to 3) to solve real-world challenges through coding. In this program, you will develop an app that addresses a real-world issue. Apart from commonly used programming languages, it is beneficial to brush up on different app development platforms like XCode or Kotlin.
Check out this guide on how to win the Congressional App Challenge
Location: Virtual
Dates: The application deadline is November 1, 2023.
Eligibility: Middle or high school students who are residents of a participating congressional district can participate. Teams may not have more than 4 members.
Cost: No Cost
Prizes: Winning apps are eligible to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and featured on the House of Representatives' website. Winners are also invited to attend a reception on Capitol Hill and may be awarded additional sponsor prizes.
We’ve covered a whole bunch of engineering and computer science competitions you can participate in. Take a look!
Davidson Institute hosts its annual Fellows program for high-achieving students and looks for the brightest minds in STEM to support and guide. Winning teams are awarded prizes of up to $50,000 to support future research work or academic advancement. To apply for the Fellows Program, you must submit original work that covers any of the following criteria:
- An exceptionally creative application of existing knowledge
- A new idea with high impact
- An innovative solution with broad-range implications
- An important advancement that can be replicated and built upon
- An interdisciplinary discovery
- A prodigious performance
- Another demonstration of extraordinary accomplishment
You must enter in teams of not more than 2 students, and submit work that is at, or close to, college graduate level in terms of depth, understanding of the subject, and quality of presentation. The program invites applications across various subjects, you can check out guidelines for science submissions here.
Location: Virtual
Dates: Submit your applications by February 14, 2024. Results will be announced by July 2024.
Eligibility: All high school students under the age of 18, who reside in the US can apply.
Cost: There is no cost to participate.
Prizes: Cash prizes of up to $50,000 and the title of a 'Davidson Fellow'.
4. National Science Bowl (NSB)
Being conducted since 1991, the National Science Bowl is a highly competitive competition that aims to encourage students to excel in math and science. The Bowl sees 1000+ students participate every year, and tests students on their knowledge of physics, energy, Earth science, chemistry, biology, and math.
To participate, you must participate in regional rounds, which you can look for here. In teams of 4-5 students, you must be the regional winner to be invited to the Science Bowl Finals in Washington D.C.
NSB provides a resource pool, with the rules of the competition, tips for success, and resources to prepare your team.
Location: Regional rounds are held in different cities every year. Science Bowl Finals are held in Washington, DC.
Dates: The dates for the regional rounds vary, and you must register no later than 3 weeks prior to the event. The 2024 finals will be held April 25 - 29, 2024
Eligibility: All high school students can participate.
Cost: There is no cost to participate.
Prizes: Cash prizes, scholarships are offered.
Organized by a group of undergraduates at MIT, the THINK Scholars program caters to students who have done extensive research on the background of a potential research project in a STEM field and are looking for additional guidance in the early stages of their project. Unlike most research competitions, this one does not require participants to have already completed the project.
After a semifinal round where applicants are interviewed, finalists are announced. Those whose projects are selected receive $1,000 funding and mentorship from MIT students. They also get a paid trip to MIT's campus to meet professors in their field of research, tour labs, and attend MIT's xFair.
Location: Virtual
Dates: Registrations typically close in January. Semifinalists are announced by January-end, and finalists by the beginning of February. Finalists are expected to complete their projects by June.
Eligibility: High school students living in the US are eligible to apply.
Cost: There is no cost to participate.
Prizes: $1,000 is awarded to finalists to execute their projects. Additionally, when possible, finalists will be invited to a four-day all-expenses paid trip to MIT's campus, where they tour labs, present their research to MIT students and faculty, and interact with members of the THINK team.
6. Physics Bowl
A competition for high school students from all around the world, Physics Bowl tests your knowledge of physics, its basic concepts, applications in the real world, as well as modern physics. In the competition, you will be expected to answer 40 MCQ-based questions in 45 minutes with each test being scored by the American Association of Physics Teachers. Note that it is a fairly challenging competition, with the average score being 40-50%.
To qualify for Physics Bowl on an international level, you must first participate in school-level, regional-level, and national-level rounds. The competition has two further divisions, for first-year physics students, and second-year physics students.
Physics Bowl is one of the most prestigious and competitive physics competitions in the country, and participating in the challenge is sure to enhance your knowledge and analytical thinking skills!
You can test yourself before the competition using these printable tests.
Location: Varies according to your region, most school-level rounds are held under the supervision of your teachers at your school itself.
Dates: The application deadline is typically in February, and the competition is held March-April.
Eligibility: All high school students can apply.
Cost: $5 for registration.
Prizes: Awards and certificates.
Here’s a few more you should consider:
If you’re looking for a competitive experience exclusively in the field of mathematics, the AMC 10 and AMC 12 are opportunities you must consider. We’ve curated a list of competitions specifically in the field of science that you can look through here. We’ve also detailed competitions exclusively in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology for you!
The ExploraVision challenge is hosted by Toshiba and the National Science Teaching Association. The challenge invites high school students to work on real-world problem-solving with a strong emphasis on STEM. ExploraVision has seen entries from over 450,000 students from across the US since its first edition in 1992.
In a team of 2-4 students, you will be expected to pick a current technology, conduct research on how it can be improved, and present your thoughts on how it might look in 10 years. You can draw from your knowledge of physics, tech, and AI, to name a few, and present your idea of tech in 10 years, its development steps, pros and cons, and obstacles. Here are a few examples of past projects that you can take a look at!
Location: Virtual
Dates: Applications are typically due in January. Regional winners are typically announced by April and national winners by May. The ExploraVision Awards Weekend is typically held in June.
Eligibility: All high school students studying in the US and Canada can participate.
Cost: There is no cost to participate.
Prizes: Winners will receive:
- Up to $240,000 in savings bonds ($10,000 savings bond for each first-place team member and $5,000 savings bond for each second-place team member)
- An expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, in June for the ExploraVision Awards Weekend (for the the student and one parent/guardian)
- A technology/science-related gift for each regional winning student
8. Olympiads
Olympiads are typically regional-level exams, and once you score well on those, you qualify for the national Olympiad. Based on your performance at the national level, you could also qualify for the international Olympiad!
While Olympiads are held in a wide range of subjects, here we’re covering:
- USA Physics Olympiad (USAPhO): Check out sample questions from previous years here.
- US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO): Here are a few resources to help you prep.
- USA Biolympiad (USABO): Check out these resources!
- US Math Olympiad (USAMO): Take a look at the type of questions you might face.
- USA Computing Olympiad: Here are the 10 best resources to study for USACO.
At these regional and national-level competitions, your skills and knowledge will be tested in the subject you choose to participate in. Apart from MCQ-based questions, the tests will include long-answer format questions, and you might need to support those answers with figures and diagrams (where applicable). You can find the syllabus for each of the Olympiads in the links above! Do go through them carefully before you select one. The dates for the regional and national level Olympiads do vary year on year, and by subject too. It’s best to check the respective website for updated information!
Each of these national-level Olympiads have corresponding international levels: International Physics Olympiad, International Chemistry Olympiad, International Biology Olympiad, International Math Olympiad and International Olympiad in Informatics. Note that the dates, location, and rules can vary based on the type of Olympiad.
Location:
- International Physics Olympiad - Iran (exact location TBA)
- International Chemistry Olympiad - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- International Biology Olympiad - Astana, Kazakhstan
- International Math Olympiad - University of Bath, UK
- International Olympiad in Informatics - Szeged, Hungary
Dates:
- International Physics Olympiad - February 8, 2024
- International Chemistry Olympiad - July 21-31, 2024
- International Biology Olympiad - July 07-14, 2024
- International Math Olympiad - July 10-22, 2024
- International Olympiad in Informatics - Aug 28, 2024 - Sept 4, 2024
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible to participate!
Cost: There is no cost to participate.
Prizes: Some Olympiads offer cash prizes, while some offer medals, certificates and other awards.
9. HOSA-Future Health Professionals
HOSA is an international career and technical student organization for students interested in the health industry. It is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as several federal and state agencies.
HOSA provides a variety of competitive events that are designed to improve student knowledge and skills. Through your school’s chapter, you can qualify and compete to participate in these competitions. HOSA offers hands-on competitions in the following 6 categories: health science, health professions, emergency preparedness, leadership, teamwork, and recognition. There are multiple options to choose from, so be sure to consult the event’s website to find competitions that you would be interested in and align with your goals!
Location: The location for the main competition is yet to be announced for 2024. Last year’s competition took place in Dallas, TX.
Dates: Dates vary for the regional levels. The main competition is typically held in June.
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible through membership in a HOSA-affiliated organization. Check if your school has one!
Cost: There is no cost to participate.
Prizes: Prizes vary by rank and competition.
10. Genes in Space Competition
The Genes in Space Competition invites students (in teams of up to 2) to design a DNA experiment that addresses challenges in space travel and deep space exploration. After choosing a topic of interest, you must define a hypothesis, choose a creative approach, and present your case for why the International Space Station (ISS) is a facility that could carry out this experiment.
Many awards are available for creativity and feasibility. As a finalist, you’d receive mentorship from Harvard and MIT scientists on your work! Furthermore, if you perform well in the competition, you’ll have the opportunity to present your research at the ISS Research and Development Conference in Seattle. To present your work at a conference of this caliber while in high school is an impressive feat that is sure to impress colleges.
Location: Virtual/Seattle, WA
Dates: Applications must be submitted by April 15, 2024. See the detailed timeline here!
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible to apply.
Cost: There is no cost to apply.
Prizes: Awards vary by rank. Take a look at the award details here.
For more competitions in medicine and health, you can take a look at this list!
If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI!
Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!
Image Source: International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)