Explore student competitions.

QUICK SUMMARY

An all-Ireland environmental action competition where young people develop projects addressing local or global sustainability issues. Open to young people aged 10–18 across Ireland, entering individually or in groups through schools, youth organisations or independently. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from project planning, environmental impact, teamwork and presenting evidence of action.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, A free international photography competition asking young entrants to tell a story about food through an original image. Photographers aged 17 or under enter directly online in either the 12 & under or 13-17 age group, with up to five entries. A competitive image needs technical control, a clear visual point of view and a food story that remains memorable without explanatory text.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, A national Federal Reserve research-and-writing competition in which school teams turn an annual economics theme into an academically grounded podcast script. Grade 9–12 teams enter through an eligible high school or qualifying homeschool route with a faculty or adult advisor and principal acknowledgement. The work demands sustained source research, data interpretation and collaborative writing that makes economics rigorous without losing clarity or an engaging spoken voice.

QUICK SUMMARY

A global entrepreneurship competition where students develop an innovative business idea and present it through a recorded pitch. Open to high-school students aged 14–18 worldwide, competing individually or in teams of up to five. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from business innovation, market thinking, persuasive pitching and highly competitive international judging.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, this international Astro Pi challenge is for teams of two to six young people aged 19 or under with a mentor. Teams write and test Python code that uses space-station sensor or camera data to calculate orbital speed. The main challenge is building a reliable scientific method, validating calculations and meeting strict program constraints.

QUICK SUMMARY

Difficulty varies by division from Intermediate to Advanced, A team STEM project competition in which students investigate or solve a problem in their own community through scientific inquiry or engineering design. Students in grades six to nine work with an adult advisor and meet the programme’s eligibility rules. The main challenge is documenting credible evidence and explaining the team’s decisions, with presentations at later stages.

QUICK SUMMARY

An all-Ireland art competition where young artists submit original artwork for judging across age-based categories. Open to residents of the island of Ireland under 19, entering individually through school, art school or home entry. Rated Intermediate Level, with difficulty mainly coming from artistic originality, technical quality and competitive national judging.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Intermediate, A worldwide sustainability competition inviting students to answer the 2027 El Niño brief through writing, art, music, video or another original medium. Students ages 7–18 enter through a Teacher Champion in primary or secondary categories; schools, homeschools and individual students may use this route. Strong responses combine a distinctive point of view with real topic understanding and disciplined communication within a short written, visual or time-based format.

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

Rated Intermediate, An international student art contest linking original hand-made artwork with ocean science and conservation; the 2027 theme is Navigate with Care. School or homeschool students worldwide in two age groups, 11–14 and 15–19, enter individually online with a teacher sponsor. Students must combine a researched interpretation of marine navigation with a convincing original two-dimensional artwork and document their process.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Advanced, An international student video contest about population growth and current global challenges. Students in grades 6 through 12 create an original short video and submit it online. Entrants combine accurate research, a clear solution, concise scripting and careful production within a strict time limit.

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.