Explore student competitions.

QUICK SUMMARY

UK Schools Music Festival offers primary and secondary pupils video-submission categories alongside selected live competition routes. Entrants use the school or individual process attached to their chosen instrument or category and must check its performance requirements. The main challenge is preparing a musically convincing interpretation, recording or performing it reliably, and responding confidently to formal adjudication.

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A UK-based mathematics competition where students solve 25 multiple-choice problems requiring logical reasoning and non-routine problem-solving. Open to students in Year 11 or below, or equivalent, through participating UK and overseas schools. Rated Intermediate Level, with difficulty mainly coming from increasingly challenging questions, time pressure and negative marking on later problems.

QUICK SUMMARY

A UK team mathematics competition where students solve collaborative problems across group, crossnumber, shuttle and relay rounds. Open to teams of four from eligible UK schools, mainly covering Years 8–9 or equivalent. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from non-routine problem-solving, time pressure, teamwork and selective progression to the national final.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Expert, this economics competition is for secondary students who enter individually and progress from regional qualification towards a UK national final and possible international pathway. It suits students with substantial subject knowledge. The main challenge is applying economic theory, quantitative reasoning and evidence to unfamiliar problems while making precise decisions under competitive conditions.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, this free online coding challenge is entered through schools for teams of students up to Year 11 or S4. Teams begin with a first round, while the strongest certificate performers are encouraged towards the second. The main challenge is coordinating algorithmic problem solving, writing correct code quickly and checking solutions together under timed conditions.

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A British programming olympiad where students solve challenging algorithmic problems under timed conditions. Open to full-time pre-university students under 19 in mainland Britain through their school or college. Rated Expert Level, with difficulty mainly coming from advanced algorithms, coding efficiency, complex problem-solving and highly selective progression to the national final.

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A global biology olympiad where national team members complete demanding theoretical and practical examinations across major areas of biology. Open to secondary-school students selected through their country’s national biology olympiad, with up to four competitors representing each participating country. Rated Expert Level, with difficulty mainly coming from highly selective national qualification, advanced biological reasoning and complex laboratory tasks.

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Rated Advanced, this online psychology competition is open internationally to secondary students in UK Years 9–12 or equivalent, although the paper is designed mainly for Year 12. Entrants can register through a school or individually. The main challenge is applying psychological understanding to demanding questions while reasoning carefully beyond routine classroom recall.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Expert, this two-round in-person olympiad is for eligible final-year secondary students in Ireland who meet the published age rule. Students first sit a regional written examination, with selected participants progressing to a second round in Dublin. The main challenge is solving unfamiliar chemistry problems through rigorous quantitative reasoning and deep conceptual understanding.

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Rated Advanced, this annual programming olympiad is open to second-level students in Ireland who are under 20. Entrants solve preliminary algorithmic problems online before leading performers reach an in-person final at University College Cork. The main challenge is designing correct, efficient programs under competition constraints, with the strongest participants considered for Irish international informatics panels.

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A UK mathematical olympiad where students solve six challenging proof-based problems in the Cayley, Hamilton or Maclaurin paper for their year group. Open to top performers in the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, including eligible overseas students. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from non-routine problem-solving, rigorous written proofs and selective qualification.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Intermediate, this island-of-Ireland competition is for post-primary students aged 19 or under, entering individually or in teams of up to three through a teacher. Students investigate a question and present their analysis on a statistical poster. The main challenge is using data responsibly and turning methods, findings and limitations into a clear visual argument.