Get Competitive
High school students who seek the thrill of rapid-fire questioning in front of a huge audience or composing a nearly perfect essay in the comfort of your own home can all take advantage of the numerous competitive academic opportunities available. Some competitions are individual while others are team-based. They will prepare you for real-life high-pressure situations, and are a lot of fun.
Visual & performing arts
- All National Honor Ensembles
- ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards
- BMI Student Composer Awards
- The Congressional Art Competition
- The Contemporary a capella Society High School Competition
- Cooper International Piano, Violin Competition
- Davidson Fellows
- Destination ImagiNation
- Digital Arts Festival
- Donna Reed Foundation Performing Arts Scholarships
- International Arts Olympiad
- International Graphics Art Education Gutenberg Awards
- MIT INSPIRE
- Music Teachers National Association Competitions
- National Association for Music Education Competitions
- National Federation of Music Clubs Awards
- National High School Honors Orchestra
- National High School Musical Theater Awards
- National STEM Video Game Challenge
- Ocean Awareness Student Contest
- Poetry Out Loud Drama Competition
- Reflections Program
- River of Words Art and Poetry Contest
- Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
- SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Competitions
- Smithsonian Teen Portrait Competition
- Student Electronic Music Composition Competition
- Technology Student Association High School Competition
- Thespian Playworks
- Toshiba ExploraVision Awards
- The White House Student Film Festival
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition
- youngARTS Recognition and Talent Search
- Young Playwrights Festival National Competition
Journalism
- The Claremont Review Annual Writing Contest
- Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Awards
- David S. Barr Journalism Award
- Davidson Fellows
- The Emerson Prize
- National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest
- National Scholastic Press Association Competitions
- NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing
- Quill and Scroll International Writing & Photo Contest, and Blogging Competition
- Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
creative writing
- The Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose
- The Bennington Young Writers Awards
- Chapman Holocaust Art and Writing Contest
- The Claremont Review Annual Writing Contest
- Elizabeth Bishop Prizes in Verse and Fiction
- Davidson Fellows Awards
- Funny Ha Ha: The High School Humor Challenge
- Imagine's Creative Minds Writing Contests
- Letters About Literature
- Manningham Student Poetry Awards
- Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest
- National Council of Teachers of English
- Ocean Awareness Student Contest
- OdysseyCon Flash Fiction/Prose Poetry Contest
- The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
- Princeton University Writing Contests
- Reflections Program
- River of Words Poetry and Art Contest
- Santa Fe University Glazner Creative Writing Contest
- Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
- Thespian Playworks
- Torrance Legacy Creative Writing Awards
- VSA Playwright Discovery Competition
- Writopia Lab Worldwide Plays Festival
- Young Authors Writing Competition
- Young Playwrights National Playwriting Competition
- youngARTS Program
- The Atlantic and College Board Writing Prize
- DuPont Challenge Science Essay Contest
- The Emerson Prize
- Goi Peace Foundation International Essay Contest for Young People
- Letters About Literature
- NCTE Norman Mailer High School Writing Awards
- National Peace Essay Contest
- Patriot's Pen Essay Contest
- Profile in Courage Essay Contest
- We the Students Essay Contest
- Young Naturalist Awards
Essay Contests
Where to Submit Your Writing
History
Language
Social Sciences
Speech and Debate
- Advantage Testing Foundation Math Prize for Girls
- American Mathematics Competitions (AMC 8, AMC 10, AMC 12, AIME, USAMO)
- American Regions Mathematics League (ARML)
- Continental Mathematics League
- Harvard-MIT Math Tournament (HMMT)
- High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM)
- Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF)
- Intel Science Talent Search (STS)
- International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO)
- Math League Contests
- Math Olympiads for Elementary & Middle School (MOEMS)
- MATHCOUNTS
- Moody's Mega Math (M³) Challenge
- USA Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS)
Math
- ACM High School Programming Contests
- ACSL Computer Science Contest
- Botball Educational Robotics Program
- Davidson Fellows Awards
- ExploraVision Awards Program
- FIRST LEGO League; FIRST Robotics Competition; FIRST Tech Challenge
- Google Code-In
- Google Code Jam
- Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
- International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI)
- Internet Science and Technology Fair (ISTF)
- MIT THINK (Technology for Humanity Guided by Innovation, Networking, and Knowledge)
- National Robotics Challenge
- NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Awards
- RoboCup
- Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology
- SIGGRAPH International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques
- TEAMS
- Technology Student Association High School Competition
- USA Computing Olympiad
Computer Science
- Global Game Jam
- Imagine Cup
- Independent Games Festival
- International Graphic Arts Education Association Gutenberg Award
- Microsoft's Dream-Build-Play Challenge
- Microsoft ImagineCup
- National School Scrabble Championship
- National STEM Video Game Challenge
- North American Bridge Championships
- Pokémon World Championships
- Redmond Arts Festival
- Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
- Scholastic Chess Championships
- SIGGRAPH International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Technology
- World Youth Go Championship
Games
Quiz Bowls/Multidisciplinary challenges
- AAN Neuroscience Prizes
- BioGENEius Challenge
- Broadcom MASTERS
- CTY Cogito Research Awards
- Davidson Fellows
- Destination ImagiNation
- Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge
- DuPont Challenge Science Essay Contest
- eCYBERMISSION!
- ExploraVision Awards Program
- Future Problem Solving Program
- Google Science Fair
- High School Physics Photo Contest
- Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF)
- Intel International Science Talent Search
- International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)
- Junior Science & Humanities Symposium
- MIT THINK Scholars Program
- National Science Bowl
- Odyssey of the Mind
- Science Olympiad
- Siemens Competition
- USA Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO)
- You Be The Chemist Challenge
Science
Biology & Marine Science
- AAN Neuroscience Prizes
- AFA Teens for Alzheimer's Awareness College Scholarship
- American Sleep Medicine Foundation High School Video Contest
- American Society of Human Genetics DNA Day Contest
- BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge
- BioGENEius Challenge
- Brain Awareness Video Contest
- Coleopterists Society Youth Incentive Award
- Davidson Fellows Awards
- Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge
- DuPont Challenge: Science Essay Competition
- eCybermission
- Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
- Intel Science Talent Search
- International Biology Olympiad
- International Brain Bee
- International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM)
- Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
- National Ocean Sciences Bowl
- Neuroscience for Kids Poetry Writing Contest
- Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge
- Siemens Competition
- USA Biology Olympiad
Environmental Science
- 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program
- Action for Nature International Young Eco-Hero Awards
- Broadcom MASTERS
- Brower Youth Awards
- The DuPont Challenge: Science Essay Competition
- Earthwatch Student Challenge Awards
- Envirothon
- The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
- National Junior Horticultural Association Environmental Awareness Project
- National Ocean Sciences Bowl
- Our World Underwater Competition
- President's Environmental Youth Awards
- River of Words Art and Poetry Contest
- SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards
- Shell Eco-marathon
- Stockholm Junior Water Prize
- Thacher Environmental Research Contest
Biological & Environmental Science
- B.E.S.T. Robot Design Contest
- Botball Educational Robotics Program
- BotsIQ
- DARPA Robots4Us
- Design Squad
- Design TASC Challenge
- Destination ImagiNation
- eCYBERMISSION
- Engineering Encounters Bridge Design Contest
- ExploraVision
- FIRST LEGO League
- FIRST Robotics Competition
- FIRST Tech Challenge
- Future City Competition
- Future Problem Solving Program
- Google Science Fair
- Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF)
- International High School Bridge Building Contest
- Internet Science and Technology Fair
- Junior Science and Humanities Symposia
- Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams
- Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) ROV Competition
- MIT THINK Scholars Program
- NASA Goddard Optimus Prime Spinoff Challenge
- NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge
- National Robotics Challenge
- National Robotics League
- Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards
- RoboCup
- RoboFest
- Rube Goldberg Machine Contest
- SeaPerch National Challenge
- Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology
- The Solar Car Challenge
- SourceAmerica Design Challenge
- Team America Rocketry Challenge
- TEAMS Competition
- Technology Student Association High School Competition
- Trinity College International Robot Contest
- TSA VEX Robotics
- Zero Robotics
Engineering & Robotics
Physics & Astronomy
- Davidson Fellows Awards
- Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge
- Dropping in a Microgravity Environment (DIME)
- Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
- Intel Science Talent Search
- International Physics Olympiad
- Junior Science and Humanities Symposia
- NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge
- NASA RealWorld In-World Engineering Design Challenge
- National Young Astronomer Award
- Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards
- Physics Bowl
- Physics Photo Contest
- Siemens Westinghouse Competition
- Space Settlement Design Contest
- Team America Rocketry Challenge