15 Free STEM Competitions for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- May 19
- 10 min read
Free STEM competitions for middle school students offer unparalleled opportunities to develop advanced academic knowledge, practical problem-solving skills, and early industry connections that traditional classroom settings rarely provide. These competitions challenge you to apply scientific concepts to real-world problems, often under the guidance of industry professionals. Middle school students who participate gain significant advantages when building competitive high school profiles, as these experiences demonstrate initiative, specialized knowledge, and collaborative abilities that stand out in academic portfolios.
We've carefully evaluated dozens of options to identify the top free STEM competitions for middle school students based on rigorous selection criteria. This includes academic challenge level, networking opportunities with STEM professionals, substantial cash prizes or scholarships, low acceptance rates, and sponsorship by prestigious organizations like NASA, and the Department of Energy.
Our comprehensive list features competitions across various disciplines, from robotics and computer science to mathematics and engineering, ensuring you can find free STEM competitions that align with your specific interests.
Eligibility: 6th to 8th grade students, individual or up to 3-person teams
Dates: Sep to Oct
Submission deadline: Feb 1 to Jun 11
Cost/Prizes: Free/Over $100,000 in total awards
Application Process: Must first rank in the top 10% at a society-affiliated fair
The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge is one of the top free STEM competitions for middle school students. Organized by the Society for Science, this competition identifies exceptional science and engineering projects from across the country.
Students must first compete and place in the top 10% at a Society-affiliated fair to qualify. Participants enter with the same project that earned their nomination at the affiliated fair. The competition accepts both individual entries and teams of up to three middle school students.
Out of all the entries, only 300 projects advance to the semi-finals. The top 30 projects are then selected for the finals in Washington, DC. Finalists compete for prizes totaling more than $100,000. The final week includes visits to STEM innovation centers, creating networking opportunities for the participants. Finalists present their projects at the Science & Engineering Project Showcase before expert judges and distinguished guests.
Eligibility: Students in Grades 5 to 8
Dates: Jun to Oct
Application Deadline: May 1
Cost/Prizes: Free/prizes up to $25,000
Location: 3M Innovation Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
The 3M Young Scientist Challenge ranks among the top STEM competitions for middle school students in the US. Participants submit a 1-2 minute video describing their invention or innovative solution to an everyday problem. The competition selects ten finalists to advance to the final event, where students compete for prizes up to $25,000.
Finalists participate in a summer mentorship program paired with 3M scientists who guide them in developing their projects. This mentorship provides valuable industry connections and expert feedback before the final competition.
The challenge maintains a low acceptance rate, making it highly competitive and prestigious. Throughout the process, students develop problem-solving skills through practical training and expert guidance. The year-long experience offers significant industry exposure and helps students build professional connections in STEM fields.
Eligibility: Middle school and high school students
Dates: May to Dec
Registration Deadline: Oct 30
Cost: Free
Location: Virtual
The Congressional App Challenge invites middle school students to create original apps addressing problems in their communities. Students work individually or in teams of up to four, using any programming language and platform they choose. The district-specific competition encourages participants to design solutions through coding, providing a practical introduction to computer science. Participants submit their completed app along with a demonstration video explaining its functionality and purpose.
This free STEM competition for middle school students offers unique visibility opportunities, with winning apps displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and potentially featured on house.gov. The challenge welcomes beginners with no previous coding experience, making it accessible to students just starting their programming journey.
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 9
Dates: Mar to Jun
Registration Deadline: Feb 26
Cost: Free
Location: Virtual, finalists attend national event in person
eCYBERMISSION gives middle school students the opportunity to solve real problems in their communities using their STEM skills. Teams of 2 to 4 students, guided by an adult advisor, choose a community issue to investigate and solve it using science. Throughout the competition, participants constantly engage in teamwork and interact with STEM professionals while competing for state, regional, and national awards. Projects fall under mission areas like health and safety, environment, education, or technology. Students document their work in a "Mission Folder" that includes their problem statement, research methods, and proposed solutions.
Dates: Sep to Feb
Application deadline: Oct
Eligibility: Grades 6 to 8
Cost: Free
Location: In-person and virtual options
Future City challenges middle school students to imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future. Students work in teams and develop critical skills as they apply math and science concepts to real-world problems while building scale models using recycled materials.
Much like real engineers, STEM forward students engage in the engineering design process, from identifying problems, brainstorming solutions, testing ideas, to sharing results. Each year focuses on a different challenge, with teams designing cities that exist 100 years in the future. Regional competitions take place in January, with winning teams advancing to the finals in Washington, DC, in February.
Dates: March, various dates
Registration Deadline: Feb 24 (in person), Mar 20 (online)
Eligibility: Grades 6 to 8
Cost: Free (when offered through schools), $25 for individuals at testing centers
Location: Online/in-person at testing centers nationwide
The Pi Math Contest is a 40-minute test featuring 25 multiple-choice math problems in algebra, counting, geometry, and number theory. Students compete individually, earning points for correct answers. Students can participate either online or in-person at test centers across the country, with top performers receiving recognition through medals, certificates, and academic coupons. The contest aims to stimulate interest in mathematics among young students while providing recognition for outstanding achievement. Schools and learning centers can offer this free STEM competition to their students, making it widely accessible to middle schoolers across the US.
7. Mathcounts
Date: Sep to May
Application deadline: School registrations typically due in early December
Eligibility: Grades 6 to 8
Cost/Prize: Free to participate at school level, scholarships at national level
Location: School, chapter, state, and national competitions
MATHCOUNTS is a nationwide math competition that engages middle school students through problem-solving activities. Students compete individually and in teams at school, chapter, state, and national levels. The competition includes sprint, target, team, and countdown rounds that test mathematical concepts and critical thinking skills.
MATHCOUNTS provides comprehensive preparation materials and resources to help students build confidence in mathematics. The national competition brings together top mathletes from across the country to compete for scholarships, making it one of the most prestigious free STEM competitions for middle school students.
Date: Feb
Application deadline: Jan 31
Eligibility: Teams of 2-4 middle school students with a teacher coach
Cost/Prize: Free, prizes include Chromebooks for regional winners and savings bonds up to $10,000 for national winners
Location: Open to students across the United States and Canada
ExploraVision is a national science competition that pushes students to envision future technology through collaborative research. Teams of 2-4 middle school students work with a teacher coach to select current technology, research it, and imagine how it might evolve over the next decade. The hands-on program encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork as students develop their innovative ideas.
Students create visual representations of their inventions and prepare project websites to showcase their work. Projects are judged on creativity, scientific accuracy, communication skills, and feasibility of vision by experts from organizations like NASA and NIH. Regional winners receive chromebooks and certificates, while national finalists earn a trip to Washington DC and savings bonds worth up to $10,000 at maturity.
Date: Jan 22 to 28
Application deadline: Jan
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8 (younger students may participate if under 14.5 years)
Cost/Prize: Free
Location: Participating schools nationwide
The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC 8) is a 25-question, 40-minute multiple-choice examination that encourages middle school students to develop analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. This free STEM competition for middle school students covers topics from arithmetic and logic to probability and geometry, with problems that increase in difficulty.
As the first step in a series of competitions, the AMC 8 can lead talented students toward more advanced contests like the AMC 10 and AMC 12, potentially opening pathways to the International Mathematical Olympiad. The competition has over 300,000 students from more than 4,000 schools taking part each year. Numerous resources are available to help students prepare, including practice tests, video tutorials, and specialized problem-solving books.
Date: Regional competitions Jan to March 2025, national finals Apr 24 to 28
Application Deadline: 3 weeks before regional event, Team 1 registration due Nov 24
Eligibility: Middle school students in teams of 4 to 5 with a teacher coach
Cost: Free
Location: Regional events nationwide, finals in Washington, D.C.
The National Science Bowl (NSB) challenges middle school students in a fast-paced quiz competition focused on science and math knowledge. Teams of four students plus one alternate face off in buzzer-style rounds testing biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, energy, and math skills. Created by the Department of Energy in 1991, this competition helps students develop quick thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities while exploring STEM subjects in depth. Regional winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. for the national finals, where they participate in science seminars, hands-on activities, and compete for prizes for their schools.
Date: Jul 11 to 20
Application deadline: Jun 22
Eligibility: K-12 students
Cost: $30 per student (scholarships available)
Location: Virtual
The National Innovator Challenge (NIC) is a virtual innovation competition where students develop solutions to real-world problems. Participants identify issues, design creative solutions, and build prototypes or apps to address these challenges. Students receive valuable feedback from industry experts while developing essential skills in problem-solving and teamwork. The competition encourages participants to document their innovation journey in a logbook, create a presentation, and develop a 60-second pitch video showcasing their idea. NIC connects projects to core STEM standards through unstructured problem-solving activities. Finalists advance to a live virtual event where they present their work and compete for recognition and awards. The National Innovator Challenge offers scholarship opportunities to ensure all students can participate regardless of financial circumstances.
12. Zero Robotics
Date: Jun to Aug
Application deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Middle school students
Cost: Free
Location: Virtual with in-person field days at regional locations
Zero Robotics is a programming competition where middle school students write code to control NASA's Astrobee robots aboard the International Space Station. Participants develop programs to solve space-related challenges through a five-week curriculum that connects STEM concepts to real space applications. The competition begins online, where teams create and test their code in a virtual environment before finalists see their programs run on actual robots in space. Students learn programming fundamentals while working with mentors and peers to develop strategies for navigating obstacles and completing mission tasks. The program culminates in a championship where astronauts conduct the competition in microgravity with a live broadcast back to Earth. Through this hands-on experience, students build skills in computer science, robotics, and collaborative problem-solving.
Date: Apr to May
Application deadline: Registration typically closes one week before the competition
Eligibility: Grades 6 to 8
Cost/Prize: Free
Location: Online
The Purple Comet Math Meet is a free online team mathematics competition for middle and high school students worldwide. Teams solve challenging math problems collaboratively during a 90-minute contest window. Students develop problem-solving skills, mathematical reasoning, and teamwork through participation. The competition offers separate divisions for middle school students, allowing appropriate challenge levels for different age groups. Teams can participate from their own schools, making this accessible to students regardless of location.
Date: Various competitions throughout the year
Application deadline: Different for each competition
Eligibility: Middle school students (grades 6-8)
Cost/Prize: Free to enter, prizes vary by competition
Location: Nationwide, with some finals held at research facilities
ORISE (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education) offers several free STEM competitions for middle school students across the US. Students can enter contests that test their knowledge in science, mathematics, and engineering through research projects or problem-solving challenges. Participants develop critical thinking skills while working on real-world problems under the guidance of STEM professionals. ORISE competitions connect students with national laboratories and research facilities, providing access to advanced scientific resources not typically available in school settings. Winners often receive recognition at regional and national levels, boosting their academic profiles for future educational opportunities.
Date: Nov to Mar
Application deadline: Mar 31
Eligibility: Middle school students
Cost: Free
Prize: Awards for top-scoring individuals and schools
Location: At your school
The Rocket City Math League is a free international math competition for middle school students in grades 6 to 8. Students tackle challenging math problems across five skill levels from pre-algebra to advanced mathematics. Participants complete three 30-minute individual tests in the spring, each with 10 questions designed to build critical thinking skills. The fall team competition allows students to collaborate on a 15-question test with an intention to foster teamwork and communication skills.
Middle schoolers compete in the Junior Division. Through the competition, they develop problem-solving techniques that will help them as they pursue careers in STEM. Schools can enter multiple students, with team scores calculated from the top five individual results. The competition runs from November through March with specific testing windows for each round.
One more option—The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a program for middle school students to work one-on-one with a mentor to explore their academic interests and build a project they are passionate about. Our mentors are scholars from top research universities such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and LSE.
The program was founded by a Harvard & Oxford PhD who met as undergraduates at Harvard. The program is rigorous and fully virtual. We offer need-based financial aid for students who qualify. You can find the application in the brochure! To learn more, you can reach out to our Head of Partnerships, Maya, at maya.novak-herzog@lumiere.education or go to our website.
Multiple rolling deadlines for JEP cohorts across the year, you can apply using this application link! If you'd like to take a look at the upcoming cohorts + deadlines, you can refer to this page!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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