Explore student competitions.

QUICK SUMMARY

A global STEAM project competition where students develop and present original research, innovation or creative projects across science, technology and the arts. Open to students aged 10–19, entering individually or in teams of up to three. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from project development, originality, live presentation and judges’ questions.

QUICK SUMMARY

An all-Ireland STEM competition where students develop and present original science, technology, engineering or mathematics projects. Open to second-level students across Ireland through schools and regional SciFest events. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from project development, scientific investigation, presentation skills and competitive progression to the national final.

QUICK SUMMARY

UK Chess Challenge is a nationwide junior chess pathway for UK players aged 18 or under, welcoming a wide range of playing experience through schools, clubs and individual routes. Participants can progress from local activity towards regional and national honours. The main challenge is making accurate decisions under time pressure and adapting across repeated games against unfamiliar opponents.

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

A Great Britain and Ireland art competition where young people create original two-dimensional artwork responding to an annual theme. Open to young people aged 17 or under living within Rotary GB&I districts, with Junior, Intermediate and Senior age groups. Rated Intermediate Level, with difficulty mainly coming from artistic originality, interpretation of the theme and progression through local, district and national judging.

QUICK SUMMARY

A Great Britain and Ireland photography competition where young people submit original photographs responding to an annual theme. Open to young people aged 17 or under living within Rotary GB&I districts, with Junior, Intermediate and Senior age groups. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from originality, composition, interpretation of the theme and progression through local, district and national judging.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Expert, A team robotics competition in which students design, build and program a robot for an annual game, matches and judged awards. For ages 12-18 (grades 7-12) through a registered team with adult coaches or mentors; costs and events vary by region. Teams integrate mechanics, electronics, programming, testing, strategy and judge communication across a long season; reliability is the main challenge.

QUICK SUMMARY

An Irish mathematics competition where students solve creative, non-routine problems to qualify for the national olympiad round. Open mainly to 3rd–5th Year secondary-school students through participating schools across Ireland. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from unfamiliar problem-solving, logical reasoning and selective progression to the Irish Mathematical Olympiad final.

QUICK SUMMARY

An all-Ireland debating competition where secondary-school teams research and debate major global and social issues. Open to post-primary schools across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from research, argument construction, rebuttal and competitive multi-round debating.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, This one-hour, non-calculator physics paper uses multiple-choice problems as the entry stage for the main British Physics Olympiad pathway. It is intended for strong pre-university physics students and is entered through a registered teacher, with successful candidates invited to Round 1. The main challenge is moving quickly from standard A-level knowledge into harder calculations, elimination and unfamiliar problem solving without a calculator.

QUICK SUMMARY

An all-island maths activity programme where students take part in games, puzzles and competitions designed to build numeracy and problem-solving skills. Open to learners of different ages across Ireland and Northern Ireland, with activities available through schools and at home. Rated Beginner Level, with difficulty mainly coming from age-appropriate puzzles, logical thinking and applying maths in engaging contexts.

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.