Engineering competitions for high school students

Design-and-build challenges open to students in grades 9 to 12, from rocketry and robotics to bridge design and invention. Most run as teams through a school club, and several are free or close to it once you account for grants.

20 competitions · 6 free · 7 online · 5 with preparation guides

Engineering Invention Convention Invent something that solves a real problem, document the process, and pitch it like an inventor.

Grades1 to 12
CostFree to $100
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person

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Robotics SeaPerch Build an underwater robot from PVC pipe and motors for well under a hundred dollars, then race and manoeuvre it.

Grades1 to 12
Cost$50 to $300
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

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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

Engineering Destination Imagination Team creative problem solving across technical, scientific, engineering, fine arts and service challenges.

Grades1 to 12
Cost$165 to $5,500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

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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

Robotics FIRST Tech Challenge A smaller, cheaper robotics league with the same season structure as FRC and a far lower barrier to entry.

Grades7 to 12
Cost$300 to $3,000
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

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Engineering Future City Design a city a century from now, in simulation, in an essay, and as a physical model built from recycled materials.

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

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Engineering Odyssey of the Mind Teams solve a long-term creative problem over months, then face a spontaneous problem they have never seen.

Grades1 to 12
Cost$290 to $400
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

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Robotics VEX Robotics Competition The largest robotics competition in the world by team count, with tournaments running most weekends.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$300 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

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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

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

Business Conrad Challenge A year-long innovation competition where teams build a product and a business around a real global problem.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree to $499
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

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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

Robotics MATE ROV Competition Build an underwater remotely operated vehicle and run real ocean-industry missions in a pool.

Grades1 to 12
Cost$100 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

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Math MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge Fourteen hours, one open-ended real-world problem, and a written mathematical model. Free, with six figures in scholarships.

Grades11 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

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Coding NASA App Development Challenge Build software against a real NASA mission problem, free, with winning teams meeting NASA engineers.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

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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.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$200 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

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Science Science Olympiad A 23-event team tournament covering everything from anatomy to bridge building, run at invitational, regional, state and national level.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$50 to $500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

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Engineering Zero Robotics Write code that controls a real satellite aboard the International Space Station.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

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Science Regeneron ISEF The world's largest pre-college science research competition, reached by winning your way up through affiliated fairs.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree to $50
PreparationAn ongoing research project and a win at an affiliated fair
FormatEither
WhereIn person

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Questions people ask about this

What is the best engineering 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 engineering competitions?

6 of the 20 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.

Engineering competitions for high school students

Questions people ask about this

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