Participating in high school STEM competitions is not only an impressive extracurricular experience but also an important step toward your field of interest. These competitions help you hone your discipline and quick thinking and can also help qualify you for college scholarships. The rigorous preparation in these competitions helps you become a competitive college or internship candidate and imparts hands-on experience in STEM. Even if you don’t win, participation ensures you learn key aspects of your chosen STEM discipline. 

In this blog, we’ve compiled a list of 10 prestigious STEM competitions for high school students! We’ve shortlisted these competitions on the basis of selectivity, whether they’re backed by prestigious institutions (such as NASA or ISEF), and the overall rigor of the judging criteria. Note that the following information is based on the most recent program, with dates subject to change but generally similar from year to year. You can also take a look at our blog on prestigious internships in STEM here. 

1. Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)

This multi-stage fair requires months of preparation preceding its week-long final event and attracts students from 80 countries worldwide. Over 600 individual and team awards are presented each year, with cash prizes for category awards ranging from $500 to $3,000. First-place winners in each category qualify for twelve ISEF Top Awards, whose winner receives an award of $75,000, with two runner-ups receiving $50,000 each. The 22 categories offered include Biochemistry, Systems Software, Technology Enhances the Arts, Physics and Astronomy, Materials Science, Robotics and Intelligent Machines, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, and Environmental Engineering. For competition tips from a past winner, check out our blog here.

Eligibility: All high school students who have not reached the age of 20 on or before May 1 preceding ISEF.

Application Deadline: Varies from state to state.

Dates: May 11-17.

Costs & Prizes: On-site registration of $25 for each participant. Special Awards such as tuition scholarships, summer internships, scientific trips, and cash prizes of up to $75,000 are awarded to winners. 

Location: Los Angeles, California

2. MIT THINK Scholars Program

The THINK program is unique because, unlike most research competitions, it does not require your project to be completed beforehand. With only background research in place, your ten-page project proposal in any field of science, technology, or engineering can make you one of six finalists, which gets you the funding and mentorship to see your project through to completion. Finalists get a paid trip to MIT’s campus, personalized tours of its research labs, and access to MIT professors in their area of interest. To learn more about this competition, check out our complete guide here.  

Eligibility:  High school students with permanent residence in the United States. You can access their complete guidelines here.

Application Deadline: January 1, 11:59 pm ET

Dates: Finalists will be announced by February 5 and are expected to complete their projects by June.

Cost & Prizes: Winners receive up to $1000 seed funding and continued mentorship from the MIT THINK team.

Location: Virtual and on MIT’s campus

3. ExploraVision

Hosted by Toshiba/National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), ExploraVision encourages high schoolers to focus on real-world problem-solving in STEM. Over 450,000 students have participated since its inception. The competition challenges you to envision and communicate new technology 10 or more years into the future based on contemporary scientific methods. As a competitor, you are expected to form a team of 2-4 and conduct research on how current technology can be improved. This is what sample projects generally look like, and here are some winning projects! To learn more about this competition, check out our complete guide here.

Eligibility: High school students studying in the United States or Canada

Application Deadline: January 31.

Dates: ExploraVision Awards Weekend on June 14-15.

Cost & Prizes: No cost. Prizes include an expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, in June for ExpxloraVision Awards Weekend, up to $10,000 (at maturity) in Savings Bond, Chromebooks, banners, and plaques, along with other gifts and certificates.

Location: Virtual

4. Davidson Fellows

The Davidson Institute hosts its annual Fellows program to support the brightest minds in multiple subjects, including STEM. Considered one of the most prestigious scholarships, Davidson Fellows are considered scholars on par with college graduates. You must apply individually or in teams of not more than 2 students. You must ensure that your work is considered meaningful by experts in your field. To learn more about this scholarship, check out our complete guide here.

Eligibility: High school students who are 18 or younger at the time of the application deadline and reside in the US.

Application Deadline: February 14, 11:59 pm PST

Dates: Applicants will be notified on or before July 15

Cost & Prizes: No cost. Davidson Fellows are awarded a scholarship of $10,000, $25,000, or $50,000.

Location: Online submission followed by an awards reception in September in Washington, DC.

5. International Bridge Building Competition 

If you’re a budding mechanical engineer, this is a competition for you! The International Bridge Building Competition challenges you to build a sturdy, efficient bridge that’s as lightweight as possible. The construction and testing of your proposed model focuses on the application of fundamental physics principles. You will get to be a part of an academically oriented extracurricular activity that is recognized school-wide. To be eligible, you must first qualify for the regional rounds held annually in Chicago.  

Eligibility: All high school students in teams of up to 4 can apply.

Application Deadline: You will be notified when you qualify for regionals.

Dates: The International Contest will be held on April 27.

Cost & Prizes: No cost. No information regarding prizes is available.

Location: New Philadelphia, Ohio

6. FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)

The FIRST Robotics Competition combines sports with science and tech to solve problems using robotics. Each year, a new challenge with specific game objectives is announced, which participants must solve by constructing a unique robot. Applicants start with a six-week build season, during which teams collaborate to create their robots. They are required to clear regional, local, and national events to qualify for the final championship. FRC is known for its inclusivity and emphasis on collaborative learning.

Eligibility: All high school students can participate after clearing their respective regional, local, and national rounds.

Application Deadline: April 5.

Dates: April 17-20

Cost & Prizes: Registration fee varies from round to round. It is $5,750 for the FIRST Championship. Scholarships and grants are available. Many prestigious awards are offered throughout the multiple rounds, details of which are available here.

Location: George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, for the final championship.

7. USA Biolympiad (USABO)

Open to every school in the United States, the USABO is a highly competitive olympiad with over ten thousand participants every year. As a Biolympiad participant, you must first clear two rounds, including timed online exams that cover biology topics from cell biology to bioinformatics. Twenty finalists are shortlisted for training at Marymount University, and four special USABO finalists receive training to represent the United States at the International Biology Olympiad held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from July 7 to 14. For tips on preparing for this competition, check out our guide here.

Eligibility: High schoolers not yet enrolled formally in an undergraduate program who are permanent residents of the United States.

Application Deadline: Registration is now closed, but you may participate if your school is registered. 

Dates: February 1 for the online open exam and April 4 for the semifinal exam. May 24 is the tentative date for the National Finals at Marymount University. 

Cost & Prizes: Medals and awards. A $95 registration fee for the school or authorized USABO Test Center.

Location: Virtual, with National Finals held at Marymount University.

8. U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO)

The USNCO is one of the most prestigious chemistry competitions in the US. Sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS) since 1984, the National Chemistry Olympiad consists of Local Exams, National Exams, a Study Camp, and finally, the International Olympiad. Study Camp is a particularly helpful feature, where 20 finalists are prepared and tested before four students are chosen to represent the USA internationally. For tips on preparing for this competition, check out our guide here.

Eligibility: High school students under 20 years of age as of July 1 who are US citizens or permanent residents.

Application Deadline: January 19

Dates: March 1 to 24 for the Local Exam, April 13 to 21 for the National Exam, June 2 to 14 for Study Camp, and July 22 to 31 for the International Chemistry Olympiad.

Cost & Prizes: No cost. Recognition, awards, and cash prizes of up to $300.

Location: Varies according to local events

9. International Physics Olympiad (IPhO)

Held in a different country each year, the International Physics Olympiad attracts thousands of students annually. Established in 1967, the Olympiad has been testing young minds on their knowledge of physics concepts such as Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Electromagnetism. This competition is preceded by qualifying rounds of regional and national level physics tests, after which you get to represent your country at the IPhO. You can find sample questions and solutions from past years here! For tips on preparing for this competition, check out our complete guide here.

Eligibility: All high school students can compete

Application Deadline: Registration upon arrival at the venue

Dates: July 21 to 28

Cost & Prizes: No cost. Medals and certificates awarded

Location: Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran

10. Harvard/MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT)

As the name suggests, the Harvard/MIT Mathematics Tournament is held in two competitions every year, in November and February, once at Harvard and once at MIT. The tournament is prestigious, and it attracts winners from other math competitions, including top scorers from international olympiads! To get a better idea of how the February and November sessions differ, take a look at their structures here. For past year’s problems and results, refer to this page. Note that applicants must register online. After the deadline has passed, an additional acceptance lottery will be conducted. For tips on how to win this competition, check out our complete guide here.

Eligibility: High school students from around the globe. Rare exceptions have been made for middle schoolers in the past.

Application Deadline: To be announced. Typically, around 3 weeks in September/ October

Dates: November and February

Cost & Prizes: $10 for individual registration and $80 for team registrations. Prizes will be awarded to the ten highest-scoring individuals overall, the top ten scorers on each of the individual tests, the five highest-scoring teams on the Team Round, and the five highest-scoring teams on the Guts Round. The top ten teams overall will be named the Sweepstakes winners.

Location: Harvard or MIT campuses, depending on the tournament season you participate in.

One other option - Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you are interested in doing university-level research in STEM, then you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 2100 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD 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.

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