Programs, visits & competitions

National PTA Reflections

Competition · National PTA

Long-running arts competition judging student work in six categories from local to national level.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

National Russian Essay Contest (NREC)

Competition · American Councils / American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR)

Timed Russian-language essay contest for middle and high schoolers, written each November on a same-day topic.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

National Science Bowl

Competition · U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science

A fast-paced science and math quiz-bowl competition; form a school team and compete your way to the DOE's National Finals in D.C.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

National Spanish Exam (NSE)

Competition · American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP)

Annual Spanish-proficiency exam by level, taken through your school, with medals and scholarships for top scorers.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

NCF-Envirothon

Competition · National Conservation Foundation (NCF)

A 5-student team competition testing environmental science knowledge at outdoor stations, from states up to a North American final.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO)

Competition · NACLO (university linguistics departments consortium)

Free puzzle-based linguistics contest for high schoolers, with top scorers advancing toward an Olympiad team.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Ocean Awareness Contest (Bow Seat)

Competition · Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs

Free national contest on ocean and climate themes for ages 11-18: visual art, creative writing, poetry, film, music, and more, with cash prizes.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Paradigm Challenge (Project Paradigm)

Competition · Project Paradigm

Free global innovation contest for ages 4-18; propose a solution to problems like home fires, food security or waste.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers (The Kenyon Review)

Competition · The Kenyon Review

Free national poetry contest for high school sophomores and juniors only, from The Kenyon Review.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Poetry Out Loud

Competition · National Endowment for the Arts & Poetry Foundation

Free national poetry recitation competition for grades 9-12, from the classroom up to a $20,000 national final.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC)

Competition · Princeton University Math Club

In-person Princeton math contest for high school teams; $12.50/student on campus, or $5 for a remote-only Power Round.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Purple Comet! Math Meet

Competition · Purple Comet! Math Meet (in partnership with Art of Problem Solving)

Free online team math contest with a high school division; solve 30 problems together during a 10-day April window.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)

Competition · Society for Science

The world's largest pre-college science research fair; qualify through an affiliated local or state fair, then compete for over $7M in awards.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

River of Words International Poetry & Art Contest

Competition · River of Words, Center for Environmental Literacy at Saint Mary's College of California

Free youth poetry and art contest on watersheds and the environment, open through grade 12.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

RoboCupJunior USA

Competition · RoboCupJunior USA (US committee of the international RoboCup Federation)

Student teams build and code autonomous robots for Soccer, Rescue, or OnStage leagues.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Science Olympiad National Tournament

Competition · Science Olympiad, Inc.

A team science tournament with 23 events per division; win your way to the National Tournament for medals and scholarships.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Stanford Math Tournament (SMT)

Competition · Stanford University (SUMO, student-run)

Student-run Stanford tournament for US high schoolers; teams of 5-6 apply for a lottery-allocated spot each spring.

NotesFinancial aid

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Stock Market Game (SIFMA Foundation)

Competition · SIFMA Foundation

Free or low-cost virtual $100,000 portfolio-trading simulation for grades 4-12, competitive at the high school level.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Stockholm Junior Water Prize (U.S. National Competition)

Competition · Water Environment Federation (WEF)

A water-related science research competition for individuals or pairs, from state contests to the international Stockholm final.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

TEAMS (Technology Student Association)

Competition · Technology Student Association (TSA)

A team engineering competition combining a research essay, a build challenge, and two timed exams.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

Ten-Minute Play Contest (Princeton University)

Competition · Princeton University, Lewis Center for the Arts

Princeton's annual playwriting contest for 11th graders: submit one ten-page play; a guest playwright judges for $500, $250, and $100 prizes.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

The Concord Review (Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize)

Competition · The Concord Review, Inc.

National journal for high schoolers' history research papers; paid submission, with cash prizes for top published essays.

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Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision

Competition · Toshiba America / National Science Teaching Association (NSTA)

A team competition imagining a future technology; free to enter, with national prizes up to a $10,000 savings bond per student.

ApplyOfficial site ↗

U.S. Physics Olympiad (USAPhO / U.S. Physics Team)

Competition · American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)

A physics exam series (F=ma, then USAPhO) that can lead to a spot on the five-student U.S. Physics Team at IPhO.

ApplyOfficial site ↗