# Entrepreneurship Programs & Competitions for High School Students

Entrepreneurship programs — pitch competitions, incubators like LaunchX, and university business intensives — reward students who build something real and defend it in front of judges.

A venture with actual users or revenue, however small, out-signals almost any club membership.

66 verified programs match this page; 21 of the featured listings are free; 10 can be done online.

## Programs (66 total, first 30 shown — full list on the canonical page)

| Program | Organization | Cost | Format | Grades | Deadline |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Yale Entrepreneurial Society High School Fellowship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/yale-entrepreneurship-institute) | Yale Entrepreneurial Society | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/mit-entrepreneurship-competition) | MIT | $100 | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2026-11-08 |
| [The Knowledge Society](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/tks) | TKS | $4,500 | virtual | Grades 9–11 | 2026-07-31 |
| [Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/blue-ocean-competition) | Blue Ocean Global Network | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-02-21 |
| [Conrad Challenge: Innovation Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/conrad-challenge-innovation-competition) | Conrad Foundation | Free | hybrid | Grades 6–12 | 2026-10-30 |
| [Nonprofit Founder (501(c)(3))](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/founder-nonprofit-501c3) | IRS / State Government | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Beta Bowl Entrepreneurship Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/beta-bowl-entrepreneurship-competition) | Beta Bowl | $50 | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/global-student-entrepreneur-awards-gsea) | Entrepreneurs' Organization | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-12-01 |
| [Synbiobeta Design Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/synthetic-biology-competition) | SynBioBeta | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-05-01 |
| [Startup UCLA Summer High School Accelerator](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/startup-ucla-summer-high-school-accelerator) | UCLA | $4,000 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | Rolling |
| [Thiel Fellowship (Under 20)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/thiel-fellowship-under-20-program) | Thiel Foundation | Free | virtual | Grades 11–12 | Rolling |
| [Haas School of Business Summer Entrepreneurship Program](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/haas-school-of-business-summer-entrepreneurship-program) | UC Berkeley Haas | $4,500 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-02-01 |
| [Tim Draper Utah Entrepreneur Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/tim-draper-utah-entrepreneur-challenge) | Lassonde Institute | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-01-14 |
| [Future Founders Launchpad](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/future-founders-launchpad) | Future Founders | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Harvard Summit for Young Leaders in Business](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/harvard-summit-young-leaders) | Harvard Student Agencies | $4,000 | in_person | Grades 10–12 | 2027-02-15 |
| [NFTE Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/entrepreneurial-spirit-award) | Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-01 |
| [Diamond Challenge for High School Entrepreneurs](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/diamond-challenge-for-high-school-entrepreneurs) | University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-01-14 |
| [Diamond Challenge National Finalist](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/diamond-challenge-national-finalist) | University of Delaware | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-01-14 |
| [1517 Fund Fellowship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/1517-fund) | 1517 Fund | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) National Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/young-entrepreneurs-academy-yea-national-competition) | YEA! | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2026-08-16 |
| [LeanGap Teen Entrepreneurship](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/leangap-teen-entrepreneurship) | LeanGap | $2,500 | hybrid | Grades 10–12 | Rolling |
| [Published App Developer](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/app-store-published-developer) | Apple / Google | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |
| [Lemonade Day National Competition](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/lemonade-day-competition) | Lemonade Day | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2026-08-17 |
| [Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) World Cup](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/students-for-the-advancement-of-global-entrepreneurship-sage-world-cup) | SAGE Global | Free | in_person | Grades 9–12 | 2027-05-02 |
| [Thiel Fellowship Under 20](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/thiel-fellowship-under-20) | Thiel Foundation | Free | hybrid | Grade 12 | Rolling |
| [Junior Achievement Company of the Year](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/ja-company-of-year) | Junior Achievement | $100 | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | 2027-03-15 |
| [National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship Expo](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/invention-convention) | USPTO | Free | in_person | Grades 4–12 | 2027-05-07 |
| [Harvard Social Innovation Collaborative Challenge](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/social-innovation-challenge) | Harvard University | Free | virtual | Grades 9–12 | 2027-01-31 |
| [Berkeley Changemaker Design Lab](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/jacobs-institute-design-innovation) | UC Berkeley Jacobs Institute | $2,500 | in_person | Grades 10–11 | 2027-03-15 |
| [New Venture Championship (High School Track)](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/new-venture-championship) | University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business | Free | hybrid | Grades 9–12 | Rolling |

## Frequently asked questions

### How many entrepreneurship programs are listed for high school students?

ExtracurricularHub currently lists 66 verified entrepreneurship opportunities for high school students, each with cost, eligibility, deadline, and an official application link.

### Are any of these entrepreneurship programs free?

Yes — 21 of the programs featured on this page charge no participation fee. Free programs are often funded and can be more selective, so apply early.

### Which deadlines are coming up soonest?

The next deadlines: The Knowledge Society (July 31, 2026); Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) National Competition (August 16, 2026); Lemonade Day National Competition (August 17, 2026). Deadlines change every cycle — always confirm on the program's official site.

### Do entrepreneurship extracurriculars help with college admissions?

Yes — sustained, escalating involvement in entrepreneurship (participation → awards or leadership → independent work) reads far stronger than scattered one-off activities. Pick one or two programs from this page and go deep.

## Related pages

- [Business for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/business)
- [Leadership for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/leadership)
- [Extracurriculars for Entrepreneur Majors](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/entrepreneur-majors)
- [Competitions for High School Students](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/competitions)
- [Browse all extracurriculars](https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars)
- [Find My Fit — 3-minute matching quiz](https://extracurricularhub.com/find-my-fit)

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Canonical page: https://extracurricularhub.com/extracurriculars/entrepreneurship
Source: ExtracurricularHub (https://extracurricularhub.com) — a free directory of 1,826 verified extracurricular programs for high school students. Cite the canonical page above; always confirm binding details on each program's official site.