Skip to content

Online competitions

Competitions you can enter without travelling, either fully online or with an online qualifying round.

67 competitions

Coding ACSL A school-based league of short written and programming contests across four ability divisions.

Grades1 to 12
Cost$125 to $175
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline

Check site

Writing Adroit Prizes A respected literary prize for secondary students, judged by working writers, with free entry available.

Grades9 to 12
Cost$15 to $15
PreparationA portfolio of poetry or prose ready for outside judging
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

Coding Battlecode Write an AI that commands a team of virtual units against other students' AIs, with a high school bracket.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
PreparationConfident independent programming, and about a month of sustained work
FormatEither
WhereOnline

Check site

Coding Bebras Challenge A short online computational thinking challenge with no programming required, from age 8 upward.

Grades1 to 12
CostUp to $5
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

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

Business Blue Ocean Competition A fully online entrepreneurship pitch competition with no written business plan required.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatEither
WhereOnline

Check site

Science Brain Bee A neuroscience competition running from local chapters up to a world championship.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree to $400
PreparationReading Brain Facts or Neuroscience: The Science of the Brain
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth

Check site

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

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

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

Coding Codeforces Free short-format algorithmic contests several times a month, open to anyone with a rating attached.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
PreparationImplementing algorithms under time pressure in C++, Java or Python
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

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

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

Check site

Coding CyberPatriot Teams defend deliberately broken computer systems against a clock, from middle school upward.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree to $250
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site

Coding CyberStart America A free, game-based cybersecurity challenge with scholarships attached, open to US high school students.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

Scholarships and challenges Davidson Fellows Scholarship Scholarships of up to $50,000 for a significant piece of work in science, technology, mathematics, literature, music or philosophy.

Grades1 to 12
CostFree
PreparationA completed piece of work at or close to college graduate level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

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.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

Check site

Art and design Doodle for Google Redesign the Google logo around an annual theme, with a scholarship and a day on the homepage at stake.

Grades1 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

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 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

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

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

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.

Grades9 to 12
CostNot confirmed
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site

Business Harrington Foundation Accelerator A free eight-week virtual accelerator ending in a live pitch, with real investment for the winner.

Grades7 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

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.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$100 to $2,000
FormatEither
WhereBoth

Check site

Math IM²C A team modelling challenge with national rounds worldwide feeding an international judging round.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
PreparationA strong result in COMAP's HiMCM or MidMCM
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site

Academic International Geography Bee A buzzer geography competition with online qualifying, filling the gap left by the discontinued National Geographic Bee.

Grades3 to 12
Cost$10 to $500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth

Check site

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

Business InvestWrite A free national essay competition on investing, judged on reasoning rather than returns.

Grades4 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

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

Writing John Locke Institute Essay Competition A free global essay prize in seven academic subjects, judged by academics from Oxford and Princeton.

Grades7 to 12
CostUp to $20
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

Science Junior Innovators Challenge The premier middle school science research competition, entered by nomination from an affiliated science fair.

Grades6 to 8
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereBoth

Check site

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

Check site

Debate and speech Model United Nations Represent a country in simulated UN committees, negotiate resolutions, and compete for awards at hundreds of conferences.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$25 to $1,500
FormatEither
WhereBoth

Check site

Math Modeling the Future Challenge Analyse a real dataset, quantify a risk, and make a recommendation, mentored by a working actuary.

Grades11 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site

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

Check site

Coding NASEF Scholastic Esports School-based esports leagues paired with a curriculum in production, broadcasting, analysis and game design.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site

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

Business National Economics Challenge The only national economics competition for United States high school students, run in two divisions.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

Check site

Academic National History Bee and Bowl Buzzer competition in history, run as both an individual bee and a team bowl, with online qualifying.

Grades2 to 12
Cost$10 to $800
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereBoth

Check site

Business National Personal Finance Challenge A team competition on earning, spending, saving, investing and managing credit, free to enter.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

Check site

Writing New York Times Student Editorial Contest Write a 450-word evidence-based opinion piece on anything you care about, judged by Times editors.

Grades7 to 12
CostFree
FormatEither
WhereOnline

Check site

Writing NYT Student Podcast Contest Make a five-minute podcast on any subject, free, judged by New York Times editors.

Grades7 to 12
CostFree
FormatEither
WhereOnline

Check site

Writing Ocean Awareness Contest A free international contest accepting art, writing, film, music and interactive media on a yearly ocean and climate theme.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline

Check site

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

Science Physics Olympiad (F=ma) A 25-question mechanics exam that opens the pathway to the United States physics team.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree to $50
PreparationFluency with mechanics: kinematics, forces, energy and momentum
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

Coding picoCTF A free capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition designed specifically for students with no security background.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
PreparationComfort with a command line and basic scripting
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site

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

Scholarships and challenges Prudential Emerging Visionaries Awards for young people using financial or social innovation to solve a problem in their community.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

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

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

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

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.

Grades3 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site

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

Environment The Earth Prize A global environmental sustainability competition for teenagers, free to enter, with a substantial prize pool.

Grades7 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site

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

Business The Stock Market Game Manage a virtual $100,000 portfolio against other school teams over a full trading season.

Grades4 to 12
CostFree to $30
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site

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 USACO Free, worldwide algorithmic contests on a four-division ladder, and the route to Team USA at the IOI.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

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.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

Check site

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

Coding WAICY A project-based global AI competition with tracks for art and video as well as technical builds.

Grades4 to 12
CostFree to $100
FormatEither
WhereOnline

Check site

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

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.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$100 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

Check site

Writing Write the World Free monthly writing prompts with peer review and expert feedback built into the process.

Grades7 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

Check site

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

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

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

Check site