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Everything in the directory with a known upcoming deadline, soonest first. Dates marked as estimated have not been confirmed against the official site for the current cycle.

38 competitions

Science Breakthrough Junior Challenge Explain a hard scientific idea in a three-minute video, for a $250,000 scholarship package.

Grades8 to 12
CostFree
PreparationDeep understanding of one concept in physics, life sciences or mathematics
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

3 days left

Math HMMT One of the hardest and best-run student math tournaments in the world, held twice a year in Boston.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$20 to $100
PreparationRegular practice on olympiad-level problems
FormatEither
WhereIn person

8 days left

Scholarships and challenges Coca-Cola Scholars Program A $20,000 achievement-based scholarship for graduating seniors, awarded to 150 students a year.

Grades12 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

18 days left

Art and design YoungArts A national arts award across ten disciplines, and the sole route to a United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts nomination.

Grades10 to 12
CostFree to $35
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth

24 days left

Business Wharton Investment Competition Manage a virtual portfolio for a fictional client and defend your strategy to Wharton judges.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

27 days left

Math AMC 10 and AMC 12 The 75-minute exam that opens the door to the US math olympiad ladder.

Grades1 to 12
CostFree to $70
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person

33 days left

Science USA Biolympiad An open biology exam that narrows to twenty finalists and the four-person United States team at the International Biology Olympiad.

Grades9 to 12
Cost$125 to $125
PreparationFamiliarity with a full first-year high school biology curriculum
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

41 days left

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.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
FormatEither
WhereOnline

44 days left

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.

Grades11 to 12
CostFree to $30
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person

49 days left

Writing Patriot's Pen A short patriotic essay contest for middle school students, free, with national awards.

Grades6 to 8
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth

49 days left

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.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth

49 days left

Writing Bennington Young Writers Awards A three-category writing prize from a college known for its writing programme, with scholarship money attached.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

50 days left

Writing The Concord Review The only journal in the world that publishes academic history papers by secondary students.

Grades9 to 12
Cost$40 to $100
PreparationA research essay with endnotes and a bibliography, at a standard close to undergraduate work
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

50 days left

Science Regeneron Science Talent Search The oldest and most prestigious science research competition for United States high school seniors.

Grades12 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth

54 days left

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.

Grades3 to 12
CostFree
PreparationRepertoire ready for broadcast performance, plus demonstrated financial need
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth

58 days left

Robotics FIRST Robotics Competition Build a 125-pound robot in six weeks, then compete in a stadium alliance game.

Grades9 to 12
Cost$500 to $8,000
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

66 days left

Science National Science Bowl A fast buzzer competition across all sciences and maths, run free by the Department of Energy since 1991.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree to $50
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

72 days left

Science HOSA Over sixty competitive events across clinical skills, health knowledge and leadership, from middle school upward.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$20 to $1,500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person

79 days left

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.

Grades9 to 12
Cost$50 to $1,500
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

79 days left

Business Business Professionals of America Competitive events in business, IT, digital media and management, with a strong technical event list.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$20 to $1,500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person

80 days left

Writing Scholastic Art and Writing Awards The longest-running recognition programme for creative teenagers in the United States, across 29 categories.

Grades7 to 12
Cost$15 to $40
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

80 days left

Music MTNA Performance Competitions A structured national competition ladder for young performers, from state through division to national finals.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$25 to $150
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person

81 days left

Engineering American Rocketry Challenge Design a rocket that carries eggs to an exact altitude and returns them intact, to the second.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$100 to $1,000
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

85 days left

Writing Profile in Courage Essay Contest Write about an elected official who took a politically courageous stand, for a $10,000 first prize.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

121 days left

Civics and social science C-SPAN StudentCam Make a short documentary on a national policy question, free, with a large cash prize pool.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline

130 days left

Engineering ExploraVision Pick a technology, project it twenty years forward, and write the paper explaining how it gets there.

Grades1 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

137 days left

Academic National Latin Exam A single low-cost exam sat at school, with medals and a very high award rate for prepared students.

Grades6 to 12
CostUp to $10
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person

139 days left

Academic Scripps National Spelling Bee The most watched academic competition in America, reached through school, district and regional bees.

Grades1 to 8
CostFree to $225
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person

139 days left

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.

Grades6 to 8
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth

143 days left

Engineering eCYBERMISSION Solve a problem in your own community using science or engineering, entirely online, for free.

Grades6 to 9
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

165 days left

Writing JEA Write-off Competitions On-site journalism contests held at national conventions across news, feature, sports, design and photojournalism.

Grades9 to 12
Cost$10 to $30
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person

169 days left

Coding International Olympiad in AI The newest international science olympiad, with a scientific round and a practical machine learning round.

Grades1 to 12
CostFree to $500
PreparationProgramming plus an understanding of machine learning fundamentals
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

170 days left

Art and design Poetry Out Loud Memorise and perform published poems, from a classroom contest all the way to a national final in Washington.

Grades8 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereIn person

176 days left

Debate and speech NSDA National Tournament The largest academic competition in the world, reached by earning qualifying points on your district circuit.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$100 to $3,000
FormatEither
WhereIn person

184 days left

Math Purple Comet! Math Meet A free, online, team-based maths contest open to any school or club in the world.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

184 days left

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.

Grades7 to 7
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

215 days left

Engineering The Paradigm Challenge Solve a real social problem however you like, from age four upward, with a large prize pool.

Grades1 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline

231 days left

Writing Foyle Young Poets A free international poetry award for 11 to 17 year olds, with a hundred winners chosen each year.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

322 days left