Free Competitions Programs for High School Students

Every program on this page costs $0 to attend — cost should never be the reason a strong student skips competitions opportunities.

Many free programs are more selective than paid ones precisely because they are funded; treat their deadlines seriously.

166 verified programs match this page; 30 of the featured listings are completely free; 10 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Presidential AI Challenge — White House Office of Science and Technology Policy: National K-12 AI competition where students build real-world AI solutions for community challenges, with finals at the White House.
• Mandelbrot Competition — Mandelbrot Competition: Join a dynamic online math competition for grades 6-12 featuring individual and team rounds. Build problem-solving skills, enhance teamwork, and boost
• Putnam Competition — MAA: Compete in the elite Putnam Competition, the toughest undergrad math challenge. High school juniors and seniors sharpen problem-solving skills and boo
• Kaggle Data Science Competitions — Kaggle/Google: Join exciting online data science competitions for high school students! Build Python coding skills, explore AI, and strengthen your college applicati
• Tournament of Champions Debate — Various: Compete in the elite Tournament of Champions Debate, the most prestigious high school competition. Build critical thinking skills and strengthen colle
• Knowledge Matters Virtual Business Challenge — Knowledge Matters: Join this free virtual business competition for high schoolers to manage retail, sports, or restaurant simulations. Build entrepreneurial skills and b
• PennApps Hackathon — University of Pennsylvania: Compete in the nation’s largest student-run hackathon for high schoolers. Build coding skills, innovate in tech, and boost your college applications.
• World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY) — Ready AI: Join a global AI competition for grades 6-12 to solve real-world problems using artificial intelligence. Build STEM skills, boost college applications
• National High School Musical Theatre Awards (Jimmy Awards) — Broadway League: Compete in a prestigious national musical theatre competition in NYC! Showcase your talent, gain performance skills, and boost your college applicatio
• International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) — IOAI Foundation: Compete in the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence to enhance AI and machine learning skills, boost college applications, and gain hands
• USA Physics Olympiad — AAPT: Compete in the elite USA Physics Olympiad to sharpen problem-solving skills, enhance college applications, and aim for the International Physics Olymp
• International Youth Math Challenge — IYMC: Join a global math competition for high schoolers to enhance problem-solving skills, boost college applications, and compete for $40k+ in prizes. Free
• Davidson Fellows — Davidson Institute: Win $50k, $25k, or $10k scholarships in this elite STEM competition for high-achieving high school students. Boost college applications with hands-on
• Wharton Investment Competition — Wharton/UPenn: Compete in a global investing competition for high school students. Manage a $100k portfolio, gain real-world finance skills, and boost your college a
• Young Playwrights Festival — Young Playwrights Inc.: Showcase your talent in this free playwriting competition for high schoolers (Grades 10-12). Develop creative skills, gain theater experience, and boo
• CSAW High School Forensics Competition — NYU Tandon: Compete in a free high school cybersecurity competition! Analyze digital evidence, develop forensic skills, and boost your college application. Hybrid
• Meta Hacker Cup — Meta: Global programming competition for high school students to master algorithms and coding. Build problem-solving skills and boost college applications.
• Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) — Entrepreneurs' Organization: World's premier competition for student entrepreneurs. Regional, national, and global rounds. Cash prizes and mentorship. Validates real business achi
• Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Design Competition — North Carolina State: Students design nanotechnology solutions to real-world problems.
• CodeCombat Championship — CodeCombat: Compete in a free online coding competition for grades 6-12. Build game AI, enhance programming skills, and boost your college applications with hands
• Materials Science & Engineering Olympiad — ASM Materials Education Foundation: Test your materials science and engineering skills in this free high school competition. Top students join a hybrid camp, gaining hands-on experience
• USA Biolympiad (USABO) National Camp — Center for Excellence in Education: Training camp for top 20 USABO finalists. Participants compete for spots on USA team for International Biology Olympiad.
• E-Yantra Robotics Competition — IIT Bombay (e-Yantra Project, CSE Dept.): A major educational robotics competition by IIT Bombay that teaches embedded systems and robotics through themed challenges.
• Mahaquizzer All-India Solo Quiz — Karnataka Quiz Association (KQA): Mahaquizzer is an annual all-India solo written quiz competition held across multiple cities by the Karnataka Quiz Association.
• UNA-USA Global Classrooms Model UN — United Nations Association of the USA: The United Nations Association's official Model UN program bringing authentic UN perspectives into classrooms. Free curriculum resources and city-wide
• USA Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) National Finalist — American Chemical Society: Top 20 attend study camp. 4 represent USA at IChO. Extremely prestigious.
• Lockheed Martin Code Quest — Lockheed Martin Corporation: Programming competition hosted by major defense contractor. Teams solve coding challenges. Exposure to aerospace industry and STEM careers.
• International BioGENEius Challenge — Biotechnology Institute: Compete in the International BioGENEius Challenge, a free high school biotechnology competition offering hands-on research experience and a boost for
• Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Bel Canto Award — Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation: An Australian operatic singing competition for emerging classical vocalists, focused on bel canto repertoire and performance.
• National Cyber Scholarship Competition — Cyber Scholarship Foundation: Master cybersecurity skills in a free online competition for high school students. Gain hands-on experience and boost college applications with schola

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