Philosophy & Ethics Programs & Competitions for High School Students

Ethics bowls, essay prizes, and university philosophy institutes reward exactly what selective colleges say they want: rigorous argument, close reading, and intellectual risk-taking.

Philosophy is a rare-signal activity — far fewer applicants bring a national ethics bowl run or a philosophy summer seminar than another coding camp, and humanities readers notice.

18 verified programs match this page; 14 of the featured listings are completely free; 7 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 18+ curated programs for high school students:

• Atlas Fellowship — High School Philosophy & Economics — Atlas Society / Atlas Fellowship: Free competitive fellowship for high school students interested in philosophy, economics, and Ayn Rand's ideas, offering $100,000 in scholarships, sum
• Princeton AI4ALL — Princeton University: Transform your summer with a free AI program for high schoolers. Build Python, machine learning, and ethics skills while boosting college applications
• Ayn Rand Institute Anthem Essay Contest — Ayn Rand Institute: Essay contest on Ayn Rand's Anthem. $2,000 first prize for 9th-10th graders.
• Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy — City of Hope: Gain hands-on lab experience in biomedical research, genomics, and ethics through this free summer program for high school juniors and seniors. Boost
• Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics Essay Contest — Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: Join a national ethics essay competition for high school seniors to showcase your writing and critical thinking skills. Boost college applications and
• John Locke Institute Essay Competition — John Locke Institute: International essay competition in philosophy, politics, economics, history, and psychology for high school students, offering Oxford prizes and recog
• USMA Summer Leaders Experience (SLE) — United States Military Academy: Transform your leadership skills at this prestigious summer program combining hands-on engineering, ethics, and fitness training. Perfect for college
• Stanford Summer Humanities Institute (SHI) — Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies: Explore philosophy, history, and literature in this immersive summer program for high schoolers. Build critical thinking and writing skills to boost c
• USAF Academy Summer Seminar — United States Air Force Academy: Transform your summer with a hands-on leadership program at USAFA. Perfect for rising seniors passionate about aerospace, ethics, and cyber. Boost col
• National High School Ethics Bowl — University of North Carolina Parr Center for Ethics: Enhance ethical reasoning and debate skills in the National High School Ethics Bowl. Free competition for grades 9-12, perfect for college application
• School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) — School for Ethics and Global Leadership: Semester-long program in Washington D.C. where students study ethics, leadership, and global affairs while earning transferable high school credits. O
• Poynter High School Journalism Workshops — Poynter Institute: Training from premier journalism institute. Learn ethics, fact-checking, and multimedia storytelling. Industry connections.
• Fountainhead Essay Contest — Ayn Rand Institute: Win up to $10k in this essay competition for high school juniors and seniors. Sharpen writing and analytical skills while boosting your college applic
• Ayn Rand Institute Fountainhead Essay Contest — Ayn Rand Institute: Compete in a national essay competition for high school juniors and seniors. Develop writing skills, explore philosophy, and win up to $10,000 for col
• National Ethics Bowl Champion — Parr Center for Ethics: Teams analyze and discuss ethical cases. Regional and national competition.
• St. John's College Summer Academy — St. John's College: Week-long great books seminars for students ages 15-18 on St. John's College's Annapolis and Santa Fe campuses; discussion classes of 20 or fewer led
• Kids Philosophy Slam National Winner — Kids Philosophy Slam: Philosophy essay and creative competition for K-12 students. Explore philosophical questions through writing and art.
• CMU AI Scholars (AI4ALL) — Carnegie Mellon University: Selective AI summer exploring ML concepts, ethics, and projects with CMU mentors.

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