10 Academic Competitions for Middle School Students in 2024-2025
Every school year, you appear for exams to test your knowledge. Academic competitions are a similar platform to challenge yourself while competing with students from across the state, country, or even the world. Academic competitions can be held in various formats, and you can participate individually or in teams. Winning such competitions is a great addition to your academic profile and can prepare you for high school academics. These competitions can sharpen your research skills while building your confidence. Middle school academic competitions are a good way to enhance your learning and meet peers who share your interests.
If these opportunities sound exciting, here is a list of 10 academic competitions you can participate in as a middle school student in 2024-2025.
Location: Students can register in the district they reside or attend school in
Cost: No cost mentioned
Deadline: October 24, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Competition Dates: Winners are announced in December
Eligibility:
Middle or high school students may participate individually or in teams of no more than 4
Participants compete in the district they live or go to school in
For a team, at least half the members must be eligible to participate in the district they compete in
Students must be U.S. residents at the time of submissionThe Congressional App Challenge blends creativity with science. Using any programming language, such as C/C++, Objective, C, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, Swift, and “block code,” you will create an application of your choice. There is no strict theme or topic that you need to adhere to. As long as the app is functional and appropriate for a school setting, you can submit it to the competition. Be sure to make an original app that resonates with your interests and skills.
Your submission will be judged based on creativity and originality, how well you implement the idea in terms of user experience and design, and your coding and programming skills. The winners are invited to #HouseOfCode and receive a copyright fee waiver through the ARTS Act. Moreover, the winning app in each district is featured on the House.gov website and the CongressionalAppChallenge.us website and displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for a year. There may be additional prizes depending on your district. For tips on how to win the Congressional App Challenge, check out our blog post here.
Location: Locations for regionals vary. Nationals will be held in Washington D.C.
Cost: None
Deadline: November 24, 2024 for team registration. Registration for regional events should be completed no later than 3 weeks before the event
Competition Dates:
Regionals will be held from January to March 2025
The national event will be held on April 24 – 28, 2025
Eligibility:
Middle school students in grades 6–8 can participate in teams of 4 or 5
Students must be born between September 1, 2009, and April 24, 2015, inclusive
A student may not participate more than 3 times in the middle school competitionThe National Science Bowl is a competition for students interested in science and math. Organized as regional and national championships, this contest allows middle and high school students to participate in teams of four in a verbal format. You will be expected to solve technical problems in all branches of science and math. Winners of the regional science bowl championships are invited to an all-expenses paid national championship in Washington D.C. The nationals include more than just the competition; you will get the opportunity to participate in science-based activities, attend seminars, and go sightseeing. To learn more, check out our guide to the National Science Bowl here.
Location: Regional tournaments vary depending on the event. The National Championship is at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, Orlando, FL
Cost:
$49 per bee subject (both in-person and online tournaments)
$20 per exam (in-person and online)
$149 for the national championships
Deadline: Registrations for regionals usually close on the 2nd Monday before the tournament
Competition Dates:
Regional tournaments vary according to location
The national championships will be held on May 22 – 26, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando
Eligibility: Students in grade 8 or below participating individually
If you are looking for solo participant competitions, this may be the one for you. After completing the free Online Regional Qualifying Exam in the fall, the top 60% of students participate in the regionals that are held online and in-person from October to May. Then, the top 50 students in each division at the regionals go on to the National Championships.
Students who qualify for the nationals or finish in the top 50% in their age division at the regionals also qualify for the International Environmental Science Olympiad in Puerto Rico. Other than the qualifying exam, which is a multiple-choice exam with 50 questions, the regionals and nationals are conducted in a buzzer-style format. For the regionals, students can compete at 3 sites in the academic year. To learn more about this competition, check out our guide here.
Location: The first round is held online. The finals will be held at the 3M global headquarters in St. Paul, MN
Cost: None
Deadline: Registrations are expected to open in January 2025
Competition Dates:
The first round is held from January 4 – May 2, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous year)
The final event is held in October (tentative, based on the previous year)
Eligibility: Students studying in grades 5–8 in any U.S. state
This competition is for students who are innovators. You will develop an innovative solution to address a real-world problem. Once you send in a 1–2-minute video describing your solution, it will be judged on creativity, scientific knowledge, the effectiveness of the communication and overall presentation. The top 10 finalists will work alongside a 3M scientist during the summer to build a prototype of their idea. At the final event, the students will present their work from the summer assignment and participate in scored challenges to test their scientific knowledge. The finalists will receive a prize of $1,000, and the competition winner will receive $25,000. For tips on how to do well in this competition, check out our blog here.
Location: Regional tournaments vary depending on the event. The National Championship is at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, Orlando, FL
Cost: Depends on the competition. The cost for nationals depends on team size ($225 for solo, $395 for duo and $495 for teams)
Deadline: Depends on the tournament
Competition Dates:
Regionals take place from late October to early April
National Championships take place on May 22 – 26, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando
Eligibility: Students in 8th grade and younger participate individually or in teams
The National History Bowl has three routes for you to reach the national championships. You can take the national qualifying exam, which is in a multiple-choice format. If you perform well, you will be invited to the national championships. You can also compete in a history bee individually or in the history bowl as a team.
After qualifying from the regionals, which are held online or in person from late October to early April, history bowl teams go on to the nationals. The teams need not necessarily compete at regionals as long as one of the team members qualifies for the National History Bee National Championship. The competition format depends on the specific round but generally involves buzzer rounds, bonus questions, and 60-second rounds. Check out our full guide to the National History Bowl here.
Location: Finals week is held in Washington D.C.
Cost: None
Deadline: June 12, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Competition Dates: Finals are from October 24 – 30, 2025 (tentative, based on the previous year)
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8 nominated by a science or engineering fair affiliated with the Society for Science
Students interested in participating in the Thermo Fisher Scientific JIC must first complete a science fair project and participate in a fair affiliated with the Society for Science. Most of these fairs are held between January and April. The top 10% of students are then nominated by the fairs to compete in the JIC. Once nominated, you will have to submit an online application wherein you will answer essay questions about your science fair project and about your understanding of science and engineering in day-to-day life.
The top 300 students receive a $135 award, and the top 30 finalists are invited to Washington D.C. with their parent or guardian on a fully funded trip. The finalists receive $500 and the chance to win other awards at the finals. All nominees and winners can expect to receive additional prizes as well.
Location: The national competition will be held in Washington D.C.
Cost: $40 – $700 depending on whether you’re registering as an individual or a group. See specifics here
Deadline: December 16, 2024
Competition Dates:
Chapter competitions in February 2025
State competitions in March 2025
National Competition on May 11 – 12, 2025
Eligibility: Full-time students in grades 6–8
MATHCOUNTS competitions are held at the school, chapter, state and national levels. Each level has 4 rounds of competitions: Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown. The competitions usually run from winter till spring, and participants receive resources from MATHCOUNTS to prepare for the competitions. Competitors progress through the 4 levels based on the qualification criteria. The national championship, held in Washington D.C., consists of all 4 rounds and takes approximately 3 hours. The cost of traveling to the finals for the competing students and coach is covered by MATHCOUNTS. Winning teams and individuals usually receive medals, trophies, and college scholarships. Check out our in-depth guide to this contest here.
Location: Online
Cost: None
Deadline: Registration closes on February 26, 2025. Mission folder submission deadline is on March 5, 2025
Competition Dates: National judging and educational event will be held from June 23 – 27, 2025
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–9 participating in teams of 2–4As a STEM competition, eCybermission calls upon students to analyze and solve a community problem using science and engineering. Teams that register will have access to a network of volunteer STEM professionals who will provide guidance via Mission Mentor Live Chats and the Message Board.
The competition emphasizes originality and requires all team members to contribute to the project. The virtual judging round will consider three criteria: team collaboration, community benefit, and the application of scientific inquiry or engineering design. The top 3 teams from each grade in each region move to the regional round. Here, they will give a 4-minute presentation on Zoom and answer questions for 4 minutes in a Q&A session. The finalists will travel to the National Judging & Educational Event, paid for by eCybermission where they will deliver a 5-minute presentation and answer questions in a 10-minute Q&A session. They may also be allowed to showcase their prototypes. First-place winners at the state level will receive $1,000 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds (matured value), and the national first-place winners will receive an additional $5,000 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds (matured value). Check out our full guide to the competition here.
Location: Online. The final round will take place at Space Center Houston, Houston, TX
Cost: No cost mentioned
Deadline: November 1, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Competition Dates: The competition is held in stages from November 2024 to April 2025. The Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit will be held from April 22 – 25, 2025
Eligibility: Students aged 13–18 can participate in groups of 2–5
The Conrad Challenge blends entrepreneurship and innovation in this competition organized in 4 stages. The Conrad Challenege asks students to solve a global problem using science, technology, and innovation. Students register in the activation stage and brainstorm and finalize their ideas in the Lean Canvas State. The Innovation Stage has participants developing their brief, making a video, and building a website that showcases their innovation. Finalists from the previous stage attend the Power Pitch Stage at the 2025 Conrad Challenge Innovation Summit and pitch their projects. At the summit, they will also attend workshops and tours and listen to speakers. Among other prizes, winners may receive scholarships. For tips on how to succeed in the Conrad Challenge, check out our blog post here.
Location: Various locations
Cost: $53 (early bird), $73 (regular registration), and $113 (late registration)
Deadline: October 30, 2024 (early bird); December 23, 2024 (regular registration), and January 15, 2025 (late registration)
Competition Dates: January 22 – 28, 2025
Eligibility: Middle school students in grades 6–8. Younger students may also apply
Tests organized by the American Mathematics Competitions have three groups: AMC 8, AMC 10, and AMC 12. Of these, the AMC 8 is meant for middle school students. The 40-minute, 25-question competition aims to develop students’ problem-solving skills. The AMC is held at various schools, so you can participate at one that suits you. However, you will be responsible for contacting the school and checking whether they will allow you to participate at their location. The questions will focus on counting and probability, estimation, proportional reasoning, elementary geometry (including the Pythagorean Theorem), spatial visualization, and interpreting graphs and tables.
One more option - The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a program for middle school students to work one-on-one with a mentor to explore their academic interests and build a project they are passionate about. Our mentors are scholars from top research universities such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and LSE.
The program was founded by a Harvard & Oxford PhD who met as undergraduates at Harvard. The program is rigorous and fully virtual. We offer need-based financial aid for students who qualify. You can find the application in the brochure!
To learn more, you can reach out to our Head of Partnerships, Maya, at maya.novak-herzog@lumiere.education or go to our website.
Multiple rolling deadlines for JEP cohorts across the year, you can apply using this application link! If you'd like to take a look at the cohorts + deadlines for 2024, you can refer to this page!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.