Competitions · Season calendar

US Academic Competitions Guide for Irvine Students:
Math, Physics, Business, Writing & Debate

67 competitions in 14 categories, each in school-year order with dates verified from official sites. Competition courses count toward the two academic core slots.

US Academic Competitions Guide for Irvine Students: Math, Physics, Business, Writing & Debate

Math (15)

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  1. Nov4–172026High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM)HiMCM is a fundamentally different animal from the AMC family: it does not test speed but the ability to decompose an open real-world problem into a model, support conclusions with data, and write a persuasive English paper. That maps directly onto the research potential U.S. universities look for, and the paper is a tangible artifact a student can cite on an application and explain in an interview. For students with strong logic and writing who do not thrive under a stopwatch, HiMCM is often a better fit than the AMC track.HighMiddleHiMCM is open to all students in high school grades or below; the concurrent MidMCM is for middle school students no older than 14.5 on the start date (for 2026, born on or after May 1, 2012). Teams have up to four students and must have a faculty advisor from their school, institution, or program. 2026 marks the 29th HiMCM and the 6th MidMCM.Register by Nov 4
  2. Nov5–132026American Mathematics Competitions AMC 10 / AMC 12AMC 10/12 is the most widely recognized high-school mathematics benchmark in the United States and the one admissions officers actually know. For STEM-leaning applicants in Irvine it is close to a default: an AIME qualification goes straight into the honors section of an application, and Distinguished Honor Roll is one of the few credentials that credibly says national top 1%. It is also the only official gateway to AIME, USAMO, and eventually MOP, so every year of delay is one fewer attempt.MiddleHighAMC 10: students in grade 10 or below who are under 17.5 on contest day. AMC 12: students in grade 12 or below who are under 19.5 on contest day. A student may sit both the A and the B administration, but may not take AMC 10 and AMC 12 on the same day. Registration is through a school or institution's Competition Manager.Register by Oct 15
  3. Nov72026Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT)HMMT is widely regarded as one of the hardest and most prestigious student-run high school tournaments in the United States, and its February problems are treated as the practice ground between AIME and USAMO. For an Irvine student the value is demonstrating that you can hold your own against the strongest peers in the country — a dimension GPA and AP scores cannot show — while the team experience yields concrete, specific material for applications.HighOpen to high school students worldwide who are under 21 at the time of participation and were enrolled full-time in primary or secondary education when registration opened. Team members must attend the same in-person school or live within 150 miles of one another. A competitor may not do both the November and February tournaments in the same season. Because of space limits, admission is by uniformly random lottery, with the top 30 teams from the previous February guaranteed a place if they reapply.Register by Sep 20
  4. Nov72026Duke Math Meet (DMM)Duke Math Meet is mid-sized with a complete format — team, proof, relay, and Guts rounds all present — and a competitive intensity between state-level events and HMMT or PUMaC, which makes it a good proving ground for a school team just entering university-level team competition. For students already at AIME level who have never done a large team meet, it offers a lower-pressure start with a fairly complete experience.HighOpen to high school students competing in teams of six (which split into two groups of three for the relay round). A coach registers the team, and the organizers note that registration may close early if team capacity is reached.Register by Oct 25
  5. Nov142026Berkeley Math Tournament (BMT)BMT bills itself as the largest student-run math competition in the world, with over 4,000 annual participants — and it is in California, making it one of the few high-level university tournaments an Irvine family can reach without a cross-country flight. Combined with the December online edition and the spring BmMT for middle schoolers, a family can give a student the full experience of team rounds, proof writing, and a Guts round at very low cost.HighMiddleOpen to students in grade 12 or below, with no lower age limit; the organizers state explicitly that students need not be from the Bay Area, California, or the United States. Teams may have up to six students. The online edition requires that the student did not compete in the same year's in-person BMT. A separate middle-school event, BmMT, is also run.Register by Nov 1

Physics (6)

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  1. Oct12026British Physics Olympiad (BPhO)BPhO is the most authoritative physics competition in the UK system, built around problem solving rather than recall, and its certificates are well recognised by UK universities and international schools. For Irvine students applying to both UK (G5) and U.S. universities, a BPhO Gold serves both applications at once — and even as pure training, the Round 1 long questions are excellent practice in physics writing and derivation.HighRound 0 and Round 1 are open to students in Year 13 and below (U.S. grade 12 and below), entered by a registered teacher on the official competition platform — students cannot enter themselves. International schools may sit Round 0 and Round 1 on slightly later dates; schools outside the UK and Europe register through the official partner ASEEDER/ASDAN. Round 2 is by invitation and restricted to students eligible for the UK team: attending a UK school and either a UK citizen or educated in the UK since Year 8 or earlier.
  2. Nov42023Princeton University Physics Competition (PUPC)DiscontinuedPUPC is known for a small number of hard, fully-written problems, so it showcases modeling and explanation rather than speed, and students can enter individually without a school team. For a student who has outgrown AP Physics C but is not yet at USAPhO level it is a useful intermediate step. One caution for families: the official site has not posted a new cycle for two years, so confirm with the organizers that the current edition is running before planning around it.HighOpen worldwide to students who have not yet graduated from high school, competing individually. Physics Unlimited runs the exam through partner sites: some countries (China, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Germany among them) register through local partner organizations with their own sessions, while everyone else competes in a virtual proctored session by default.Register by Nov 1
  3. Nov232026British Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad (BAAO)BAAO is one of the few international-level competitions themed on astronomy and astrophysics that is built entirely on high school physics, which suits students drawn to space who have never taken a formal astronomy course. It shares BPhO's entry platform and calendar, so one preparation effort can yield results on two tracks — a distinctive differentiator for applicants to physics, astronomy or aerospace programs.HighAimed mainly at Years 12 and 13 (U.S. grades 11–12), though younger students may attempt it. Astro Round 1 is open to Year 13 and below, entered by a registered teacher on the official platform, and international schools may sit it at the same time as UK schools. Astro Round 2 is invitation-only (Top Gold in Astro Round 1 who are eligible for the UK team, or those already invited to BPhO Round 2), and the organisers state there is no paid entry route. The competition is syllabus-independent and assumes no specialist astronomy modules.
  4. Jan302027International Young Physicists' Tournament (IYPT), with the U.S. qualification routeIYPT is the most research-like physics competition there is: no answer key, students design their own experiments, handle real data and defend conclusions in English before international juries. For applicants to top STEM programs who want to demonstrate research capability and teamwork, that narrative is worth far more than a single exam score. Families should note that the U.S. route differs from the Chinese or British systems — it requires a school-based team and about a year of lead time.HighA team is three to five secondary school students and cannot be changed during the tournament; students graduating that year may compete, but anyone already enrolled at university may not. Entry is national: students must go through their country's recognised member organisation rather than registering directly. The United States is represented by US IYPT (IOC member Elia Eschenazi, recognition valid through 2029). The related domestic event, USIYPT, is run by USAYPT and requires teams of three to four students from the same high school with at least one faculty member from that school.
  5. Feb122026F=ma Exam and U.S. Physics Olympiad (USAPhO)F=ma and USAPhO form the only official pathway to the U.S. national team and the IPhO, which makes them the most respected physics credential a U.S. high schooler can earn. Simply qualifying for USAPhO (about 400 students nationwide), let alone medaling, is a hard, verifiable signal for engineering, physics and EECS applications — far more distinctive than a strong AP score alone.HighF=ma: U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or students attending a U.S. school, who must be physically inside the United States on exam day (most U.S. territories other than Puerto Rico do not qualify because of time zones). USAPhO and the training camp additionally require U.S. citizenship or a green card, and students must be under 20 as of June 30 of the competition year. Both exams must be proctored; parents, relatives, and for-profit test-prep centers are not acceptable proctors.Register by Jan 21

Chemistry (2)

  1. Jan212027UK Chemistry OlympiadUKChO rewards a different skill set from U.S. contests: instead of testing recall, it drops students into an unfamiliar research scenario and asks them to transfer A Level/AP-level principles into it. For Irvine students targeting selective U.S. STEM programs or the UK's G5, it is an efficient addition — low friction to enter (sat at school, two hours), a generous certificate rate of roughly two-thirds, yet a gold that still discriminates meaningfully, and it evidences exactly the literature-reading and reasoning skills that read well in essays and in a chemistry-focused activity list. One caveat: overseas entrants can only sit Round 1 and cannot progress to UK team selection, so treat it as an academic credential rather than a route to a national team.HighOpen to secondary schools and colleges across the British Isles. The RSC advises entrants be at least 16; the paper suits Year 12-13 students, and GCSE-level students will find it hard. Entry is by school, and the supervising teacher needs an active RSC Teach Chemistry membership. Overseas schools can take part in Round 1: schools in mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, the UAE and Vietnam register via the RSC's designated partner ASEEDER China; British international schools elsewhere that teach in English following iGCSE/A Level or the IB may apply directly to the RSC for a fee. Only UK-based students progress to Round 2 and UK team selection.Register by Jan 11

Dates to be announced

  1. TBAU.S. National Chemistry OlympiadUSNCO is the most credible chemistry competition in the U.S. pipeline, run directly by the American Chemical Society rather than by a commercial organiser, and admissions readers recognise what it signals. Simply qualifying for the National Exam demonstrates top-tier chemistry ability against national peers, while Honors, High Honors or a Study Camp invitation becomes a powerful academic marker for applications to selective STEM programs in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering and pre-med. For families in Irvine there is a practical advantage too: Southern California's ACS local sections are well established and many local high schools already participate, so the first two rounds can be completed close to home.HighOpen to students in grades 9-12 who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (green-card holders), have been enrolled in an American school for at least one year, and are under 20 years old. Students cannot sign up individually; entry is arranged through the school's chemistry teacher and the regional ACS Local Section.

Biology & Medicine (5)

  1. Nov6–112026International Brain Bee (with USA national and local chapter competitions)Brain Bee is one of the few neuroscience-specific competitions with a clean local-to-national-to-world ladder, which makes it easy for admissions readers to interpret: a county-level title followed by a spot at the national championship reads as genuine selectivity, not participation. For Irvine families it is unusually accessible — the Irvine Brain Bee is run by UC Irvine's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, so preparing for it puts students in contact with UCI faculty and graduate mentors, relationships that often turn into summer research or recommendation letters. Because the content is real neuroanatomy and clinical reasoning rather than general biology trivia, it is strong evidence of pre-med or neuroscience commitment and usually belongs at the top of an activities list.HighOpen to teenagers. For the US pathway: competitors must be 13–19 years old at the time of competition and currently or formerly enrolled in an accredited U.S. high school. Students must first win a local chapter Brain Bee to be eligible for the USA National Championship, and may compete in the USA Championship only once in a lifetime. Each local chapter sets its own grade and catchment rules (the Irvine Brain Bee targets Orange County high school students). Only national champions advance to the IBB World Championship.
  2. Nov13–162026iGEM High School CompetitioniGEM is the recognized global competition in synthetic biology, and its high school teams present alongside university teams under the same judging framework — a platform with essentially no equivalent at the secondary level. For students targeting pre-med, bioengineering or computational biology, iGEM produces a real research project with a public, verifiable record: the team wiki, Registry part contributions and Jamboree presentation stay online permanently, so an admissions reader can open them directly. It is also one of the few activities that demonstrates wet-lab ability, engineering thinking, safety and ethics awareness through Human Practices, and team leadership at the same time, which makes it a strong central spike rather than a line item.HighTeams are school-based and made up of students enrolled at high schools or other secondary education institutions; iGEM runs a separate High School Competition and Collegiate Competition. Every team must be formally affiliated with at least one institution and must have a Primary PI who registers the team and serves as the point of contact with iGEM HQ. For secondary education teams the Primary PI must be a principal, teacher or academic coach employed by a school where team members are enrolled — students may not submit the application on the PI's behalf. The team roster freezes on the published deadline (16 September in the 2026 season).Register by Jun 4
  3. Jan15–222027British Biology OlympiadBBO's value is that it delivers an internationally recognised biology credential at very low cost of entry: two 45-minute online papers sat at school, minimal time commitment, and a graded certificate backed by the Royal Society of Biology's competition body. For Irvine students aiming at U.S. biology or pre-med tracks, or at UK medicine and life sciences, it complements USABO well — USABO rewards depth and progression, BBO rewards fast reasoning in unfamiliar contexts, and together they show an activity list with both depth and range. Over 15,000 students from more than 900 schools competed last cycle, which speaks to its standing, and a Gold certificate remains genuinely selective.HighFor post-16 students: Year 12/13 in England and Wales, Year 13/14 in Northern Ireland, S5/S6 in Scotland, and equivalent year groups in other countries. Questions assume A Level biology. Only recognised educational institutions may register students — state-funded or independent schools, further education colleges, and international schools recognised by their national education authority. Private tutoring companies, online-only tuition providers and individuals operating outside a school may not register candidates or act as exam centres.Opens Oct 1
  4. Feb32027USA Biology OlympiadUSABO, run by the Center for Excellence in Education, is the most substantial official biology competition in the U.S. and the sole pathway to the International Biology Olympiad. For applicants to biology, neuroscience, biochemistry, environmental science or BS/MD and pre-med tracks, it is among the clearest academic signals available: advancing from the Open Exam to the Semifinal (roughly the top 10%) already says something, while reaching the national top 50 or becoming a National Finalist places a student in the elite tier — persuasive across UC campuses, the Ivies and top liberal arts colleges. Participation is strong around Irvine and most schools are already registered; the real pitfall for local families is simply that entry must go through the school and close in November.HighAny student in grades 9-12 may sit the Open Exam. Students cannot self-register: a school (or a USABO-authorised test centre) must first register and pay, then enrol its students. Registering schools must be non-profit, led by a state-certified teacher or someone with a life-sciences degree, charge students no service fee, and have no commercial conflict of interest. Progression to the Semifinal and beyond requires U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency. Seniors formally enrolled in an undergraduate program are ineligible. Homeschooled students may take part by arranging with USABO before registration closes, sitting the exam at a local high school, and possibly covering the $125 fee themselves.Register by Nov 22
  5. Apr12027HOSA – Future Health Professionals Competitive EventsHOSA is the mainstream career and technical student organization for health professions in the United States, and admissions readers and interviewers generally recognize it and understand what advancing from a California state conference to the international level means. California is one of the largest HOSA states, with more than 4,000 people at its state conference, so the competition itself carries weight. Practically, HOSA events map directly onto what medical schools later value — clinical exposure, terminology fluency, patient-facing skill, biomedical argument — and paired with service recognitions like the Barbara James Service Award they turn a stated interest in medicine into a documented multi-year trajectory.MiddleHighUnivStudents must be HOSA members, which means joining through a school chapter; a chapter needs at least five students, a qualified advisor and school administration support. In California the advisor first completes the Cal-HOSA Affiliation Survey and receives state advisor approval, then completes national affiliation and payment at hosa.org. Competitive events are divided into Middle School, Secondary and Postsecondary/Collegiate divisions, and individual events carry their own grade, coursework and certification requirements set out in that year's Competitive Event Guidelines.

Computer Science (3)

  1. Oct192026American Computer Science LeagueFounded in 1978, ACSL is one of the oldest K-12 computer science competitions in the United States, and its value lies in being low-barrier, season-long and cumulative: four contests spread across the school year let a student build up number systems, Boolean algebra, recursion, graph theory and bit strings through real competition rather than one make-or-break sitting. For Irvine families it is the most sensible first formal CS competition for elementary and middle schoolers, producing concrete results such as state-level certificates and a Finals invitation while acting as a smooth on-ramp to USACO.ElemMiddleHighOpen to K-12 students, sorted by ability and grade into five divisions: Senior (high schoolers with programming experience), Intermediate (high schoolers with little programming background plus advanced junior high students), Junior (junior high and grade 9 or below), Classroom (all grades, suited to AP CSP courses) and Elementary (grades 3-6). Entry is by team, registered by an adult advisor who may be a teacher, a parent or any adult with some CS experience. Students in afterschool or weekend programs may compete, though full-time school students must compete with their own school's team. An unlimited number of students may sit each contest.Register by Dec 31
  2. Nov9–202026Bebras Computing Challenge (USA)Bebras is one of the most widely taken computational thinking activities in the world: free, requiring no preparation, and open from age six, which makes it the ideal zero-cost first look at CS competition for Irvine elementary and middle school families. It will not by itself be a highlight on a college application, but it reveals very early whether a child genuinely enjoys and has aptitude for logic and algorithms, informing whether to commit to the multi-year ACSL and USACO track rather than discovering a mismatch in high school.ElemMiddleHighOpen to students aged 6 to 18, split into six age categories: Kits (6-8), Castors (8-10), Benjamins (10-12), Cadets (12-14), Juniors (14-16) and Seniors (16-18). No programming background or advance preparation is required. Students take part through a teacher acting as coordinator, who registers them and schedules the session during the challenge window.Register by Nov 20

Dates to be announced

  1. TBAUSA Computing OlympiadUSACO is the programming credential that US STEM admissions officers know best and that is hardest to fake: divisions are public, judging is automatic, entry is free and open, so the result speaks entirely for itself. In an applicant pool as crowded as Irvine's, simply saying a student "can code" carries no weight, while a Gold or Platinum division instantly places them among the few thousand strongest pre-college algorithmists in the country. For students targeting top CS programs (MIT, CMU, Stanford, UC Berkeley EECS, or UCI's ICS honors track), the USACO division is effectively a line reviewers look for by default.MiddleHighThe online contests and training pages are open to anyone worldwide, of any age, who registers an account. However, only pre-college (K-12) students studying in the USA can qualify as finalists, be invited to the spring training camp, and compete for a place on the US IOI/EGOI teams. There is no minimum grade level, so middle schoolers can start in the Bronze division.

AI (1)

  1. Feb192027USA Artificial Intelligence Olympiad (USAAIO)AI is the newest and most differentiating track in US admissions right now. Huge numbers of applicants already chase USACO Gold, whereas the AI olympiad is only a few years old with far fewer entrants, so even an Honor Roll clearly separates a student from the generic claim of having built a few machine learning projects. More importantly, the United States is a founding country of IOAI and USAAIO is the official and only route to the US national AI team, which gives results on this path institutional credibility with admissions readers, especially for Irvine students targeting strong CS and AI programs.MiddleHighUSAAIO runs the USA-North America AI Olympiad for K-12 students in the United States and Canada. Round 1 is open to everyone with no grade restriction, but to attend the USAAIO camp and compete for a Team USA place a student must be a US citizen, a permanent resident, or an international student attending a US secondary school. Every round must be taken onsite and proctored, at the student's school or at a USAAIO-authorized test site such as a university, library or testing center.Register by Jan 31

Mathematical Modeling (1)

  1. Feb12027International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IMMC)IM²C sits at the top of the global secondary-school modeling ladder, and with only two teams per country advancing to the international round, the scarcity far exceeds that of typical math contests. It tests the ability to turn a vague real-world problem into a computable model and argue it clearly — exactly what engineering, data science and economics programs value. For Irvine students it also opens a differentiated track alongside AMC/AIME, showcasing collaboration, technical writing and modeling judgment rather than raw solving speed.MiddleHighOpen to secondary-school (and younger) students worldwide. Teams have one to four students who must be enrolled at the same school, with one teacher serving as faculty advisor. Each country or region may send up to two teams to the international round. The USA Regional IM²C is by invitation: teams that perform well in the fall HiMCM (high school) or MidMCM (middle school) contests receive an invitation from COMAP, and advisors are typically contacted in February with instructions.

Research & Science Fairs (2)

  1. Mar11–172027Regeneron Science Talent SearchSTS is widely regarded as the most prestigious pre-college research honor in the United States, running since 1942 with multiple Nobel laureates among its alumni. Because it is limited to seniors and accepts only independent individual research, the signal is exceptionally strong — even reaching the Top 300 Scholars is a decisive line on an application. For Irvine families the timing sits right around early applications, making it the moment when two or three years of research work finally converts into a credential.HighOpen to students living in and attending their final year of secondary school (typically grade 12) in the US and its territories, regardless of citizenship; US citizens living abroad may also apply, but non-citizens attending American schools overseas are not eligible. The research must be independent, individual work — team research is not accepted, and splitting an experiment between two students still counts as team research. Work done alongside adult researchers at an institution is allowed, but the application must clearly delineate the student's independent contribution from the lab's collective work.Register by Nov 5
  2. Mar122027Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (with the Orange County Science & Engineering Fair qualifying path)ISEF is the largest pre-college research competition in the world, and admissions readers treat it as hard evidence that a student can carry an independent research project end to end — far more weight than a school science fair. For Irvine families the path is unusually legible: place well at the local OCSEF, pass the selection interview, and your child represents Orange County internationally. That single credential strengthens essays, recommendation letters and demonstrated fit at once, which matters most for applicants targeting top STEM programs.HighISEF finalists must be in grades 9–12 (or equivalent) and must not have turned 20 on or before May 1 of the competition year. Each student may enter only one project; team projects are limited to three students. Continuous experimentation/data collection may not exceed 12 months and may not start before the officially specified month. Students must first win the right to advance at a Society-affiliated fair. For Irvine families that affiliated fair is OCSEF, which serves grades 6–12 at Orange County public and private schools; only grade 9–12 winners are eligible for the ISEF selection interviews.Register by Feb 1

Robotics & Engineering (3)

  1. Sep122026FIRST Robotics Programs (FIRST LEGO League / FIRST Tech Challenge / FIRST Robotics Competition)FRC and FTC are highly legible to U.S. engineering admissions readers - many of whom were team members or mentors themselves - and FIRST maintains a scholarship catalogue with hundreds of partner institutions. For Irvine families the real value is that FIRST does not only judge the robot: its highest honours, the Impact Award and the Inspire Award, assess how a team does outreach, fundraising and mentoring. Those are exactly the leadership and impact dimensions that are hardest to evidence in an application. A student who moves from FLL in elementary school to FRC in high school also ends up with a coherent eight-year narrative.ElemMiddleHighFIRST LEGO League (FLL) serves ages 5-16 / grades K-8: Explore for ages 6-10, Challenge for ages 9-14, and the Future Edition split into K-2, 3-5 and 6-8 bands. FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) serves ages 12-18 / grades 7-12. FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) serves ages 14-18 / grades 9-12. Teams register through the FIRST Dashboard as schools, out-of-school programs or community groups and receive an official team number.Register by Nov 17
  2. Feb62027Science Olympiad (Division B & Division C)Science Olympiad is one of the most recognised team academic competitions in the United States and is read by STEM admissions officers as reliable evidence of both breadth and depth: placing consistently across 23 events requires self-directed study, real lab skill and disciplined teamwork at once. For Irvine families it also has a practical advantage - the path is clear and close to home. The Orange County regional is held at UC Irvine, the state tournament runs in April, and the 2027 National Tournament is at The Ohio State University on 14-15 May 2027, so a student can follow one continuous six-year track from middle school through high school.MiddleHighTeams are school-based with a maximum of 15 students. Division B is the middle school division covering grades 6-9, with at most five 9th graders per team; Division C is the high school division covering grades 9-12, with at most seven 12th graders per team. A Division A elementary division (grades 4-6) exists but does not feed the state series. In Southern California every team must register with Southern California Science Olympiad and pay membership dues, and for 2026-27 each school is limited to three teams at the regional tournament.Register by Dec 2

Dates to be announced

  1. TBAVEX Robotics Competition (VEX IQ & VEX V5)VEX is one of the largest pre-college robotics ecosystems in the world, and its VEX IQ to VEX V5 ladder lets an Irvine family plan a six-to-eight-year activity arc. Admissions readers care less about the trophy than about what the engineering notebook shows: iteration, failure analysis, and a clear role such as team captain, drive coach or programming lead. Because VEX combines mechanical design, autonomous coding, data-driven scouting and teamwork in one project, it produces unusually concrete material for engineering and computer science essays. Orange County hosts many local events across a fall-to-spring season, so students can build a deep, sustained record in grades 9-11.ElemMiddleHighThe VEX IQ Robotics Competition (VIQRC) is for elementary and middle school students, split into Elementary and Middle School divisions. The VEX V5 Robotics Competition (V5RC) is for middle and high school students. Teams register on events.vex.com as schools, after-school programs, homeschool groups, community clubs or independent teams, and must pay the annual team registration fee before entering events. University students compete separately in VEX U.

Business & Economics (10)

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  1. Sep282026Wharton Global High School Investment CompetitionThis is an investment competition branded by an Ivy League business school, open worldwide, and judged on the quality of reasoning rather than returns - which makes it unusually credible on a business or economics application. Reaching the top ten means presenting in person at Wharton in Philadelphia, an experience that supports both essays and a teacher recommendation with concrete detail. For Irvine families the practical appeal is that it is entirely free and runs online; all it takes is a teacher willing to serve as Advisor.HighHigh school students in grades 9-12 worldwide. Teams have four to six members from the same high school and must keep at least four members throughout; each student may join only one team. A teacher or educator at the school must register as the Advisor - students cannot sign themselves up - and the designated student team leader must be at least 16 on the first day of competition.Register by Sep 11
  2. Oct302026The Conrad ChallengeWhat distinguishes Conrad is that it does not merely judge the idea - it makes students walk the whole venture process: lean canvas, customer validation, business model, financial projections, and finally a live pitch at Space Center Houston to real investors and engineers. For technically strong Irvine students who want to show commercial thinking, it is the best available container for turning a STEM project into a narrative. With five categories spanning water, health, energy, cybersecurity and aerospace, almost any research interest finds a home.MiddleHighStudents aged 13-18 worldwide, in teams of two to five, with one adult coach aged 18 or over as supervisor. Team members may come from different institutions - siblings, classmates and cross-school teams are all allowed - and past competitors may return provided they still meet the age and other criteria. No new members may be added after the Activation Stage submission, though members may be removed.Register by Oct 29
  3. Jan82027DECA High School Competitive Events (District CDC, State CDC and ICDC)DECA is the mainstream route through the American high school business-club system, with well over two hundred thousand members, and admissions readers understand its tiers: a district placement says you are strong locally, a state placement says you can compete in California, and an ICDC top ten is a national signal. Just as valuable are the transferable skills - reading a case against the clock, structuring an argument, and pitching to an unfamiliar judge - which are exactly what business interviews and university case clubs demand. The 2027 ICDC is in Anaheim, a home-field advantage for Irvine students.HighStudents must be dues-paid members of a chartered school DECA chapter and entered in the national membership portal before the posted deadlines. Members are typically high schoolers enrolled in marketing, business management, finance or hospitality CTE coursework. In California students compete first at a District CDC, then at the State CDC, and state placement determines the ICDC delegation.Register by Nov 15
  4. Feb102027Diamond ChallengeDiamond Challenge is one of the few global high school entrepreneurship competitions run directly by a research university's entrepreneurship center with a prize pool in the six figures, and it judges commercial logic rather than polish. Its practical value is threefold: it forces students to turn an idea into a business narrative that survives scrutiny; the two tracks give social-impact projects a legitimate home rather than forcing them into a profit frame; and reaching the Summit at the University of Delaware is verifiable third-party validation.HighHigh school students worldwide, aged 14-18 on the submission deadline. Teams have two to four students and must include one adult advisor aged 21 or older; multiple advisors are allowed but only one may be listed on the official submission. Each student may join only one team and submit one concept per year, concepts that previously reached the Summit may not be resubmitted, and a concept must not have generated more than $100,000 in total revenue.Register by Jan 14
  5. Mar13–272027International Economics Olympiad (IEO), with the US selection route USAEBOThe IEO is the international olympiad for economics, part of the same national-team system as the mathematics and physics olympiads, which makes it far scarcer than an ordinary business competition - the United States sends only five students a year. For Irvine students targeting top economics programs, even a Round 2 medal in USAEBO is a nationally comparable credential. And because USAEBO Round 1 is open to everyone and taken online, the cost of trying is minimal for any student who has done AP Economics.MiddleHighIEO contestants must be under 20 on 30 June of the Olympiad year, and each country sends at most five students with one or two team leaders. The U.S. route, USAEBO, is open to entrants of any citizenship, but to be named to Team USA a student must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident (green card holder), or a full-time middle or high school student studying in the U.S., and be 20 or under on the first day of the IEO.Register by Feb 27

Writing (8)

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  1. Sep162026The New York Times Learning Network Student ContestsThis is the highest-value entry point in student writing: free, open worldwide, with six or seven chances a year, and winning pieces are published under a New York Times domain - about the easiest verifiable publication a teenager can earn. For Irvine middle-schoolers and ninth graders it is the natural bridge from classroom essays to writing for a real audience.MiddleHighOpen worldwide to students aged 13-19 who are enrolled in middle or high school. Entry is free. Children of New York Times employees are excluded. Most contests allow individual or small-group entries; each contest posts its own rules.Opens Sep 16
  2. May312026John Locke Institute Global Essay PrizeIt is one of the few humanities and social-science writing prizes that US admissions readers actually recognise: questions are set by Oxford-affiliated academics, the judging criteria are public, and winner lists are published openly. For an Irvine high-schooler it does double duty - a 2,000-word argument that demonstrates independent thinking, plus a genuine academic story to draw on in essays, recommendations and major selection.MiddleHighOpen to secondary-school students worldwide with no nationality or school restriction. Entrants must be under 19 on the regular submission deadline (31 May in the 2026 cycle). Two divisions: Junior (under 15 on the deadline) and Senior (15-18).Register by Mar 31
  3. Aug302026Marshall Society Essay CompetitionRun by Cambridge's official economics society, free to enter, open worldwide, and with an end-of-August deadline that lands squarely in the US summer - no clash with fall coursework or applications. For students applying in economics (UK UCAS, or economics and PPE tracks in the US) it is the most direct evidence of subject interest, and selection for the annual magazine amounts to a public publication credit.HighOpen to students worldwide who have not yet begun university study - US high schoolers, UK sixth-formers, IB students and equivalents. Students already at university are not eligible. No entry fee.Register by Aug 30
  4. Aug312026IEA Student Essay Competitions (Monetary Policy Essay Prize / Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize)The IEA is one of Britain's oldest free-market think tanks, and its student essay prizes pay unusually well for this level (GBP 1,500 for the Sixth Form winner). Shortlisted entrants also face semi-final and final rounds, so the contest tests written argument plus oral defence - a structure rarely found in high-school essay competitions.HighUnivThe current Monetary Policy Essay Prize runs two separate competitions: a Sixth Form division (students in the final two years of secondary school, including A-Level and IB students internationally) and an Undergraduate division. The historic Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize was for A-Level and IB students who had not entered tertiary education, but that page has not been updated since the 2022 edition. The IEA also runs The Budget Challenge for school teams.Register by Aug 31

Dates to be announced

  1. TBAScholastic Art & Writing Awards (Writing categories)This is the oldest and most widely recognised creative writing competition for US secondary students, familiar to admissions officers and summer writing programmes alike. Its value is verifiability - regional Gold Keys and National Medals appear on published lists you can cite directly. Because each category is judged separately, a student who is strong in only poetry or only journalism can still win.MiddleHighStudents in grades 7-12, age 13 or older, residing in the United States, US territories or military bases, or Canada (excluding Quebec). Homeschooled students are eligible. The Writing Portfolio is open only to current graduating seniors.Register by Jan 4

Speech & Debate (5)

  1. Oct242026National High School Debate League of China (NHSDLC)For students studying in China who plan to apply to U.S. colleges, NHSDLC is the most accessible entry point into American-style Public Forum: resolutions, formats and judging standards mirror the U.S. circuit, the calendar is dense, and novice divisions give beginners a real place to start. For families already in Irvine it works best as a supplementary experience during summers in China, or as foundational training before moving onto the U.S. circuit.ElemMiddleHighOpen to school students in mainland China and other parts of Asia, entered by division: Public Forum offers Open, Junior and Novice Junior divisions; Junior World School Debate is for students aged 13 and under in teams of three to five; public speaking has separate high school, junior high and elementary original speech divisions plus an elementary recitation category. Students may register individually and request partner matching rather than entering through a school team.
  2. Nov12–182026World Scholar's Cup (WSC)WSC is not a pure debate tournament but a combined debate, writing and quiz platform, which makes it unusually friendly to students whose English delivery is still developing but whose curiosity and reading range are strong. For Irvine middle school families it is a low-barrier bridge from classroom English to public performance, with a clear multi-year arc from a regional round to a Global Round and potentially Yale.ElemMiddleHighOpen from upper elementary through the final year of pre-university schooling, split into Junior (roughly age 13 and under) and Senior (14 and older) divisions; for the 2026 season, any student turning 14 by January 1, 2026 competes as a senior. Standard teams have three members, two-person teams are allowed with reduced scoring potential, and teams may mix students from different schools or countries, with individual registrants placed onto teams. Students attending the Tournament of Champions at Yale must be at least 11.
  3. Mar5–202027Model United Nations (NHSMUN and major California conferences)Model UN trains something debate does not: making your position clear among strangers and then building consensus around it. For Irvine students BMUN is the lowest-cost high-quality entry point, held in early March within California, while NHSMUN offers the experience of committee sessions in New York and at UN Headquarters - particularly persuasive for students aiming at international relations, political science or public policy.MiddleHighOpen to secondary school students, most often ages 13-18. NHSMUN registers school delegations of up to 50 students and requires a faculty or administrator advisor; BMUN likewise requires an adult advisor and registers through huxley.bmun.org, assigning countries on a first-come, first-served basis. Students without a school club typically join a delegation organized by a local MUN club or program.Register by Oct 31
  4. Jun13–182027NSDA National Speech & Debate TournamentNSDA is the credential that U.S. admissions officers recognize instantly: qualifying out of a California district and competing at Nationals signals that a student ranks near the top of thousands of peers. For Irvine families it also builds three durable skills at once - English delivery, current-events research and thinking on your feet - that keep paying off in essays, interviews and college seminars, with a clear four-year progression from novice to national qualifier.MiddleHighOpen to enrolled students at NSDA member schools (grades 9-12; a separate Middle School Nationals serves grades 6-8). Students must be NSDA honor society members with at least 25 points (Degree of Merit) and an email on file before competing at districts. Nearly all slots are earned at the student's assigned District qualifying tournament; students who miss out may enter the online Last-Chance Qualifier if their school sent at least one entry to districts.

Dates to be announced

  1. TBATournament of Champions (TOC), University of KentuckyThe TOC is the genuine top tier of U.S. high school debate, carrying more weight than almost any school or state-level result. Southern California hosts several bid tournaments, so Irvine students face lower travel costs than most of the country - and even if the bids do not come together, the research depth and training intensity required to chase them visibly raise a student's ceiling at NSDA districts and the state series.HighEntry is by bid only. During the season students compete at TOC-sanctioned bid tournaments (over one hundred nationwide) and earn a bid by reaching the designated elimination round, with the required round scaled to each tournament's size and strength. Gold divisions in Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum generally require two gold bids, while the Public Forum Silver division accepts one gold bid or two silver bids; World Schools entries come through season bid allocations.

History (4)

  1. Nov12026The Concord Review (history research paper publication) and the Emerson PrizeOn an application, an essay accepted by The Concord Review carries far more weight than a generic "research experience": it is editorially selected, publicly published work with roughly a 5% acceptance rate, and its length and citation standards approach an upper-level undergraduate research paper. For students aiming at history, political science, pre-law, or any humanities and social science field, it is one of the clearest single proofs of independent research ability, and the Emerson Prize adds a quantifiable honor on top.HighOpen to secondary school students worldwide. The paper must be completed before the author finishes secondary school and must be the original work of a single author; co-authored submissions are not accepted.Register by Nov 1
  2. Feb132027International History Bee & Bowl / US National History Bee & BowlHistory Bee & Bowl is one of the few history events that turns knowledge into live competition, rewarding both breadth and recall speed, which suits students who genuinely read history widely. The on-ramp is friendly: the online qualifying exam is available on demand, about 60% of test-takers qualify for a regional, and students can play several tournaments a year to build experience. For applications, a national placement or an International History Olympiad invitation is a clean, comparable credential that reinforces classroom history, debate, and Model UN.ElemMiddleHighOpen to K-12 students. The high school side splits into Varsity (grades 11-12) and Junior Varsity (grade 10 and below); younger students compete in separate 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th, and 3rd-grade-and-younger divisions. High schoolers entering only the individual History Bee must first qualify on the Online Regional Qualifying Exam (ORQE), unless they are also playing in the History Bowl.
  3. Feb18–212027Harvard Model Congress (HMC Boston)For Irvine students, HMC is an efficient way to turn an interest in politics, history, or law into a demonstrable experience: the conference is large, the committee list is broad, and roles range from congressional lawmaking to the courts and intelligence, so students practice reading policy material, drafting bills, speaking publicly, and negotiating under real pressure. It does not produce a submittable artifact the way NHD or The Concord Review does, but it is valuable for recommendation-letter material, interview substance, and the coherence of a long-term activity line running through Model UN, debate, student government, and legal internships.HighOpen to high school students. Students may attend as part of a school delegation registered by a faculty advisor, or register individually as unaffiliated/independent delegates. A scholarship application track is also available.Register by Nov 30
  4. Mar132027National History Day (NHD)NHD is the largest and most widely recognized history research program in American K-12 education, running from school contests all the way to the national finals at the University of Maryland. What a student walks away with is an original piece of research, not just a score. For Irvine families the Orange County Department of Education runs the official local contest, so entry is easy and the path upward is clear, and advancing to the state or national level is concrete evidence of research skill, sustained effort, and communication ability for humanities, social science, and pre-law applicants.ElemMiddleHighJunior Division is grades 6-8 and Senior Division is grades 9-12; some affiliates, including California, also run an elementary division (California serves grades 4-12). A student may compete across the Junior and Senior Divisions for a maximum of seven years.Register by Jan 26

Linguistics & Philosophy (2)

  1. Jan282027North American Computational Linguistics Open (NACLO), the route to IOLNACLO is the official US and Canadian gateway to the International Linguistics Olympiad, one of roughly twelve international science olympiads. Reaching the Invitational Round is a genuine national-level distinction for a college application, and making the US IOL team is rarer still. The contest is free and requires no prior coursework, yet it demonstrates exactly the analytical reasoning and pattern-finding that linguistics, cognitive science, computer science and AI programs look for. For Irvine families it is one of the few high-value competitions where preparation is about thinking, not credentials or expensive access.MiddleHighOpen to pre-university students in the US and Canada. You must never have been enrolled as a full-time college or university student, must be under 20 on the first day of the IOL, and must be a US or Canadian citizen or enrolled in a US or Canadian secondary school. NACLO states the contest is aimed primarily at ages 13-18; students under 13 may take part with parental permission. Participation must be in person at a registered university or high school site (homeschoolers with no nearby site may request virtual proctoring). At registration each student must declare whether they are competing for the US or the Canada Anglophone IOL team, and may attempt to qualify for only one national team per year.Opens Oct 5

Dates to be announced

  1. TBAInternational Philosophy Olympiad (IPO), with the US qualifier APOThe IPO is the only humanities olympiad in the international science olympiad family, and the United States sends just two students a year, making it far scarcer than most STEM competitions. Even without reaching the international stage, competing in the APO is persuasive evidence on an application: writing an original three-hour philosophical essay in a foreign language demonstrates both abstract reasoning and genuine second-language command - exactly what admissions readers for liberal arts colleges and philosophy, political science or pre-law tracks value. For Irvine students taking AP French or Spanish who also love the humanities, it is a differentiated track with very little crowding.HighFor the US qualifier (APO), entrants must be US citizens or permanent residents and current high school students, hold a valid passport expiring no sooner than December 2027, and be highly proficient in French or Spanish (APO plans to accept German essays again from 2027). Under the IPO Statute, competitors must be enrolled high school students or recent graduates, with a maximum age of 20 by the end of the calendar year in which the IPO takes place. Each country sends one or two students; the host country may send up to ten.

EDUBUS Competition Training

Turn competitions into a record: EDUBUS training

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Math Competitions

This math competition path for Irvine students runs from grade 3 to high school — Elite Math Track, AMC Accelerator, AIME Pathway — in small in-person EDUBUS classes.

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Speech & Debate Comp.

This public speaking and debate program for Irvine students spans three tracks (elementary, middle, high) with at least four tournaments a year.

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Writing Competitions

Middle and high school writing competition classes in Irvine that turn writing skill into entries for major contests, with competition opportunities throughout the year.

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VEX IQ Competition

A VEX IQ competition team led by coaches in small Irvine classes: 30 sessions plus 4 tournaments building problem solving, teamwork, and leadership through robotics.

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Rocketry Competition

This preparation system for Irvine students covers the national model rocketry championship and FAI world cups, grades 7 to 12, in small in-person classes.

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Business Competitions

NEC intensives led by a gold-medal coach at EDUBUS's Irvine campus, plus Wharton Investment, FBLA, and DECA prep; several teams have reached the California finals.

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AI Olympiad Sprint

Advanced prep for USAAIO and other top AI competitions, grades 9 to 11, taught in small in-person classes based in Irvine alongside regular coursework.

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Chrono League

This history course for Irvine students in small in-person classes prepares for National History Bee & Bowl, World Scholar's Cup, and National History Day.

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Sigma Circle

A high school math club meeting every other week in Irvine: HMMT, BMT, DMM, SMT problem sessions, proof writing and LaTeX, and preparation for top math camp applications.

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