12 Machine Learning Competitions for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 22 hours ago
- 10 min read
If you’re a high school student interested in machine learning, competitions are a practical way to apply what you’ve learned and improve your skills. You’ll work with real datasets, solve problems using code, and practice building models—similar to what professionals do in research and industry.
If you’re applying to college soon, these competitions can demonstrate initiative, creativity, and technical ability. Winning or even qualifying for selective competitions hosted by major tech firms, academic institutions, or national organizations signals strong potential to admissions committees.
In this post, we’re providing a list of 12 machine learning competitions for high school students. Each competition was chosen based on factors such as its selectivity, rigor, opportunities for mentorship and presentation, cash prizes, and association with prestigious organizations.
If you’re a high school senior (age 18+) with a startup mindset and a passion for AI, the Microsoft Imagine Cup is a high-stakes opportunity to bring your idea to life. This global technology competition challenges student founders to build a market-ready solution using Microsoft Cloud and AI services.
You’ll work as a team (up to 4 students) to submit a pitch deck, demo video, and recorded presentation judged on innovation, viability, and inclusive design. Along the way, you can join Microsoft’s Founders Hub for AI resources, receive mentorship from industry experts, and access a supportive Discord community. Finalists gain global recognition and the chance to pitch in front of Microsoft leadership, including CEO Satya Nadella.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; only top teams advance to Semifinals and World Finals
Dates: Various competition stages, with finalists presenting at Microsoft Build (typically May–June)
Submission Deadline: Round-based deadlines posted on your Imagine Cup account page (usually November–March)
Eligibility: Students aged 18+ enrolled at a high school or college between October 1 and May 31; teams of 1–4
Cost/Prizes: Free to enter; prizes include up to $100,000 USD, global recognition, and mentorship from Microsoft CEO
Location: Online, with finalists invited to present at Microsoft Build (location varies)
WAICY is one of the largest global AI competitions for students aged 6–18, designed to encourage youth to tackle real-world challenges using machine learning and artificial intelligence. You can participate individually or in a team, and choose from diverse tracks like AI-generated art, large language model applications, AI-powered videos, or coding-based solutions to real-world problems. The competition emphasizes creativity, problem-solving, and the application of AI tools such as ChatGPT, DALL·E 2, or custom-coded projects. While mentorship isn’t a formal component, students are encouraged to collaborate and explore freely across disciplines.
WAICY hosts multiple regional and global events, with finalist presentations held at Carnegie Mellon University, offering a rare platform for global recognition in youth AI innovation.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open access, but highly competitive (over 30,000 participants in 2024)
Dates: Final presentations held July 18 at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Submission Deadline: Rolling registration (official deadline TBD, generally mid-June)
Eligibility: Open to students worldwide, ages 6–18; no prerequisites required
Cost/Prizes: Free to enter; top teams receive certificates, awards, and recognition at global showcase
Location: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (also accessible remotely)
The International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) is one of the most prestigious global science olympiads focused exclusively on AI for high school students. Teams of four students, selected through national competitions or country coordinators, compete in two rigorous rounds: a Scientific Round covering machine learning, computer vision, and NLP concepts, and a Practical Round involving hands-on AI problem-solving.
You’ll represent your country and work under the guidance of a team leader, collaborating with some of the brightest young minds in AI. Participants also benefit from webinars, training materials, and an international forum that fosters technical and ethical discourse in AI. With its emphasis on excellence, research, and international collaboration, IOAI is a prime opportunity to deepen your machine learning expertise while gaining global recognition.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Nationally selected; 41 teams from 32 countries in 2024
Dates: August 2 – 9 in Beijing, China
Submission Deadline: National selection deadlines vary; international registration deadlines range from November to June
Eligibility: High school students under 20 years old; must be selected through national competitions or coordinator nomination
Cost/Prizes: Registration fees (~€1500 – 2100 per team); includes lodging and participation; medals and certificates awarded
Location: Beijing, China (host location changes annually)
The AI Song Contest is an international competition that challenges teams to explore human–AI collaboration in music creation. You and your team, usually consisting of musicians, programmers, and AI enthusiasts, will collaborate with artificial intelligence to co-create a song.
Your entry must include the final audio track, imagery, and a detailed write-up explaining your AI tools, models, training data, and creative process. Judges evaluate submissions based not only on the final product but also on originality, ethical AI use, and artistic intent.
With past participation from AI researchers and musicians across the globe, and a jury of experts from MIT, Sony Music, and Berklee, the contest offers a unique chance to showcase both technical and artistic talent on an international stage.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open submission; selection for semifinals and award show is competitive
Dates: Award Show in Amsterdam – November 16; submission window: April–July
Submission Deadline: July 31
Eligibility: Open globally; students may participate as part of a team; no formal prerequisites, but AI and music knowledge helpful
Cost/Prizes: Free to enter; winners receive international recognition and feature at the Award Show
Location: Online submission; Award Show held in Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Horizon Academic Essay Prize challenges high school students to think critically about major issues shaping the future, including the influence of AI on society. While not a coding competition, it’s a rigorous platform for exploring machine learning’s ethical, social, and philosophical dimensions. You’ll write a 1,000-word essay responding to one of three prompts, including: “In an increasingly AI-driven world, how is our ability to think for ourselves changing?”
Submissions are judged by a panel of professors from Yale, Cambridge, and other global institutions, and winners receive cash prizes and scholarships toward the Horizon Academic Research Program. This contest is ideal for students who want to explore AI through an interdisciplinary lens and showcase analytical thinking in their college applications.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; ~3 prize winners and 10 honorable mentions
Dates: Finalists notified August 1; winners announced August 26
Submission Deadline: July 13
Eligibility: High school students worldwide enrolled as of July 13; essays must be in English
Cost/Prizes: Free to enter; $1,000 cash prize for 1st place and scholarships up to $6,000 toward Horizon Academic programs
Location: Online submission only
BirdCLEF+ is a high-impact machine learning competition hosted on Kaggle in partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and other leading ecological organizations. Your challenge is to build a model that identifies bird, amphibian, mammal, and insect species based on five-second audio clips recorded in Colombia’s El Silencio Natural Reserve.
The real-world application is compelling — your model could help conservationists monitor biodiversity with passive acoustic data. This competition focuses on low-resource learning, meaning you'll have to design algorithms that can classify species accurately with limited labeled data.
A strong emphasis is placed on macro-averaged ROC-AUC performance and ecological relevance. A separate prize is also offered for the best scientific write-up submitted to CLEF.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open; 1,554 teams last year
Dates: March 10 – June 5
Submission Deadline: May 29 (register & finalize team); June 5 (final code submission)
Eligibility: Open to anyone with a Kaggle account; high school students encouraged to join with a mentor
Cost/Prizes: Free to enter; $15,000 for 1st place, $50,000 total prize pool; $2,500 working note awards
Location: Online via Kaggle
7. Data Crunch
DataCrunch is a grassroots ML competition platform built by students from 42-Paris and a former ESSEC Paris finance professor. Unlike traditional competitions, DataCrunch runs weekly sprints — short, high-frequency forecasting challenges based on proprietary financial datasets.
The task? Build predictive models and submit your outputs online each weekend. Top models from each round enter “DataCrunch’s Arena,” where they compete for €200 monthly stipends for as long as they remain top-performing. This format encourages iterative improvement and real-time leaderboard competition. You’ll also get exposure to finance-focused modeling and join a vibrant Discord community with AMAs and support.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open and ongoing; new rounds weekly
Dates: Weekly sprints; AMA every Friday at 6PM GMT+1
Submission Deadline: Weekly (check Discord or DataCrunch site)
Eligibility: Anyone with basic Python and ML knowledge; high schoolers welcome
Cost/Prizes: Free to enter; €200/month per top-performing model
Location: Online (with required Discord participation)
Bitgrit is an AI competition platform based in Japan and the UAE that offers ongoing machine learning challenges for a global community of over 30,000 data scientists. These challenges range from salary prediction and weather forecasting to species classification, allowing participants to test their ML skills on real-world datasets.
Every competition features its own prize pool of up to $3,000 and includes a leaderboard to monitor your progress. While not exclusive to students, bitgrit competitions are open to all and can be a valuable experience for high school students eager to break into applied AI, especially those interested in finance, bioacoustics, or climate analytics.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open to all; several hundred participants per challenge
Dates: Competitions are live throughout the year
Submission Deadline: Varies by competition
Eligibility: Open to all; ideal for high school students with basic ML knowledge
Cost/Prizes: Free to join; prize pools of up to $3,000
Location: Online
The MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge (M3 Challenge) is a prestigious, internet-based competition organized by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and sponsored by MathWorks. It invites high school juniors and seniors in the U.S. and sixth form students in England and Wales to form teams of 3–5 and tackle an open-ended real-world problem using mathematical modeling, data analysis, and technical computing. The specific problem is revealed only during Challenge Weekend, and teams have 14 continuous hours to develop and submit their solution online.
Although the competition does not concentrate exclusively on ML, it still offers an opportunity for collaborative problem-solving, practical math applications, and the enhancement of research and presentation skills. There are also Technical Computing Awards for teams using programming platforms other than spreadsheets. Finalist teams are invited to New York City for the confirmation round and live presentations.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 3–5 students plus one coach
Dates: February registration deadline; late February to early March (14-hour flexible window)
Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors/seniors, sixth form students (UK), homeschoolers, and cyber school students aged 16–18
Cost/Prizes: Free to enter; $20,000 for the Champion team, plus multiple other team scholarships
Location: Online; finalist presentations in New York City, NY
10. Regeneron ISEF – Robotics and Intelligent Machines
The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the largest international STEM research competition for high school students, and its Robotics and Intelligent Machines category is one of the most competitive. To participate, students must qualify through a local, regional, or national science fair that is affiliated with the Society for Science.
Projects in this category typically focus on autonomous systems, robotic control, machine learning, or the development of intelligent algorithms and prototypes. Finalists present their research to expert judges and compete for substantial scholarships, with top prizes reaching $100,000. Projects are evaluated not only for their technical merit but also for innovation, real-world impact, and presentation clarity.
This program is best suited for students with advanced research experience and a strong interest in AI, robotics, or applied computer science. Participants also gain access to a global network of student researchers and professionals across STEM disciplines.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~1,600 global finalists across all categories
Dates: May 10 – 16
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12 who qualify through a Society-affiliated fair
Cost/Prizes: Free to attend; up to $100,000 in awards and scholarships
Location: Columbus, OH
The VEX AI Robotics Competition (VAIRC) offers one of the most advanced platforms for high school and college students to explore robotics, programming, and engineering at a competitive level. Unlike other VEX competitions, VAIRC requires teams to build and program two autonomous robots that work together using technologies like VEX GPS, VEX LINK, AI vision, and sensor fusion.
You can 3D print parts, use custom electronics, and are not limited by the motor count, making this a uniquely open-ended and technically intensive experience. Teams compete in a custom game format distinct from V5RC or VURC, where strategic coordination between autonomous robots is key to success. The season includes local qualifiers, and top-ranked teams earn invitations to the annual VEX AI Championship. You can apply real-world skills across mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and AI-driven programming, making VAIRC ideal for those aiming to push the boundaries of STEM learning.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies; teams qualify via local VAIRC events or skills rankings
Dates: Season opens August 1; registration closes December 13; events run through spring
Eligibility: High school and college students; teams of 2 robots per entry
Cost/Prizes: $200/team registration, plus optional $1,499 AI hardware kit; prizes awarded at championship
Location: Local events + annual championship (e.g., Houston, TX in previous year)
Sponsored by the University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, the SECME High School AI Contest challenges teams of two students to use Python and machine learning to address real-world energy problems in artificial intelligence data centers. You will begin by completing five structured modules covering topics like time series data, forecasting, and AI system design, all culminating in a national competition. The final task involves analyzing sector-based U.S. energy consumption datasets and presenting findings using Jupyter notebooks.
This virtual competition is designed to enhance students’ coding, data analysis, and presentation skills while grounding them in timely issues at the intersection of AI and sustainability. You must complete all modules to qualify for the final challenge. Strong emphasis is placed on original programming and data-driven solutions, supported by educators and industry partners through the SECME alliance.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open to registered teams; 2 students per team
Dates: Modules due by April 19; national contest follows
Eligibility: U.S. high school students affiliated with a registered SECME school
Cost/Prizes: Free; recognition through the national competition
Location: Virtual, hosted by the University of Florida
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD 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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