Explore student competitions.

QUICK SUMMARY

Rated Expert, A national-team physics tournament built around months of theoretical and experimental research on 17 open-ended problems. Secondary students enter through their country’s selection and nomination route in teams of three to five. Competitors must produce defensible research, present it concisely, challenge another team’s work and respond live to opponents and an international jury across repeated Physics Fights.

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Rated Intermediate, A worldwide literary-analysis essay contest centred on Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem. Enrolled middle- and high-school students aged 13 or older apply and submit an original response online. A strong entry must interpret a precise prompt, use the novel accurately and turn philosophical ideas into a coherent, well-supported argument.

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Rated Advanced, A team mathematics meet built around four sharply different contest formats. Students join a coach-led school or regional team and satisfy the official age and graduation rules. Success requires deep problem solving, proof-style collaboration, individual consistency and precise relay communication without calculators.

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A UK short story competition where young writers submit an original work of fiction of up to 1,000 words. Open to young people aged 14–18 living in the UK. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from originality, narrative craft and highly competitive national judging.

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An Ireland-based computational thinking competition where students solve online logic and problem-solving tasks inspired by computer science. Open to primary and secondary-school students across Ireland through participating schools, with age-based categories. Rated Beginner Level, with difficulty mainly coming from unfamiliar puzzles, logical reasoning and age-appropriate problem-solving.

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An Ireland-based space engineering competition where student teams design, build and launch a miniature satellite inside a drinks-can-sized structure. Open to Transition Year and senior-cycle students through participating schools. Rated Advanced Level, with difficulty mainly coming from electronics, programming, engineering design, teamwork and mission testing.

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Rated Advanced, A team agriculture competition combining a research proposal with interviews, presentation and finalist calf-rearing. For groups of two to four Transition Year students from one Republic of Ireland school. The main challenge is the long finalist commitment combining animal care, original research, evidence gathering and formal presentation over 18 months.

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An international STEM award where students complete a hands-on research or engineering project over around 10 hours. Typically aimed at students aged 11–14, working individually or in groups. Rated Intermediate Level, with difficulty mainly coming from planning an investigation, carrying out practical work and explaining results clearly.

QUICK SUMMARY

An international STEM award where students complete a short, team-based project focused on investigation, problem-solving and communication. Typically aimed at students aged 10–14 and completed over one day or around five hours. Rated Beginner Level, with difficulty mainly coming from teamwork, practical problem-solving and presenting a clear project outcome.

QUICK SUMMARY

A global STEM award framework where students complete practical activities or independent research and engineering projects at different levels. Open to young people worldwide, with award levels ranging from Star to Gold. Rated Beginner to Expert Level, with difficulty depending on the chosen award level, project depth and degree of independent work.

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An international STEM award where students complete an extended research or engineering project over around 30 hours. Typically aimed at students aged 14–16, working individually or in groups. Rated Intermediate Level, with difficulty mainly coming from independent project planning, sustained investigation and evaluating results against clear scientific or engineering goals.

QUICK SUMMARY

An international introductory STEM award where young children complete a series of hands-on science and problem-solving activities. Typically aimed at ages 3–7 and available through schools, organisations or at home. Rated Beginner Level, with difficulty mainly coming from completing six practical challenges and explaining simple observations.