Explore student competitions.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, A year-round technology and innovation programme in which students develop original ideas, digital skills or research projects with access to mentors and structured guidance. Open to UK and Ireland students aged 11–19, working individually or in teams of up to three; international entry requires prior arrangement. Projects need sustained development, clear evidence and category-specific judging alignment, with older students expected to show stronger sector awareness and ethical reasoning.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, This school-invigilated astronomy and physics paper combines multiple-choice, short-response and longer analytical questions in a one-hour format. It is for Year 13 students and younger who are studying physics or an equivalent A-level course, with teachers arranging entry and marking. The main challenge is applying familiar physics and data analysis to celestial mechanics, stars, cosmology and observational astronomy in unfamiliar contexts.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, A free online UK codebreaking competition built around a serial mystery and ten progressively harder weekly chapters. Anyone may participate individually or in a team, while prizes are reserved for eligible UK and Channel Islands school-level entrants. Success requires sustained cryptanalysis, careful checking, self-written tools and increasingly sophisticated reasoning across the full season.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK team mathematics competition where students solve collaborative problems across group, crossnumber and shuttle rounds. Open to teams of four Year 12–13 students, or equivalent, through participating UK schools and colleges. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from non-routine problem-solving, time pressure, teamwork and selective progression to the national final.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK computational thinking competition where students solve interactive logic and problem-solving tasks online. Open to young people aged 6–19 through schools, clubs or home-education coordinators. Rated Beginner Level, with difficulty mainly coming from unfamiliar puzzles, logical reasoning and working accurately within the 45-minute limit.

QUICK SUMMARY

Difficulty varies by division from Beginner to Advanced, A free school linguistics olympiad built around decoding unfamiliar-language patterns rather than recalling vocabulary. Four divisions cover ages 7 to 18; the younger divisions allow teams, while the oldest division uses an individual paper. Challenge rises by age group, from accessible pattern spotting to multi-step analysis and a pathway toward international team selection.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, this UKMT follow-on challenge is for senior students who qualify through the Senior Mathematical Challenge or receive discretionary entry through a UK school. The 60-minute paper contains 20 integer-answer problems. Success depends on choosing efficient methods, maintaining accuracy across unfamiliar topics and checking three-digit answers without relying on multiple-choice options.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK mathematical olympiad where students solve six demanding proof-based problems. Open to eligible secondary-school students who qualify through the Senior Mathematical Challenge or are entered at their school’s discretion. Rated Expert Level, with difficulty mainly coming from advanced problem-solving, rigorous written proofs and selective progression to BMO Round 2.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Expert, This two-hour national astrophysics paper combines many short problems with a choice of extended questions and begins the UK astronomy team-selection route. It is open through schools to Year 13 students and younger, but it best suits confident A-level physicists prepared to study additional astronomy material. The main challenge is sustaining rigorous mathematical reasoning across celestial mechanics, stellar physics, optics and cosmology while selecting longer problems strategically.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Expert, A post-16 biology challenge built around two 45-minute online papers taken under school invigilation. Recognised schools register eligible upper-secondary students; individuals cannot enter directly. Questions move beyond recall, asking students to apply core principles, logic and biological intuition to unfamiliar material, with the strongest eligible UK performers considered for IBO team selection.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK physics olympiad where top students solve exceptionally challenging theoretical physics problems requiring advanced mathematical reasoning. Open by invitation to leading BPhO Round 1 performers who are eligible for UK team selection. Rated Expert Level, with difficulty mainly coming from advanced physics, complex multi-step problems and highly selective progression to national training.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Expert, This invitation-only three-hour astrophysics paper is the final written competition stage before the Oxford training and UK-team selection camp. Entry is limited to eligible top performers from Astro Round 1 or students invited to BPhO Round 2, and schools supervise the sitting. The main challenge is solving sustained, near-international-level astrophysics problems that demand high-level mathematical physics, specialist preparation and careful explanation.