15 STEM Competitions for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 12 min read
For those of you looking to pique your interest in STEM subjects, participating in STEM competitions is a good first step in the right direction. In addition to broadening your knowledge base about the subjects, these events also serve as opportunities to meet students having similar interests. Moreover, the best organisers understand that problem-solving in the real world also requires teamwork & practical skills, and so, the competitions are designed to help you get a taste of what the entire process feels like. Importantly, they are also indicators of excellence in the eyes of top colleges and universities.Â
If you’re currently a middle school student interested in STEM, you can consider exploring STEM competitions to level up your STEM knowledge and skills before opting for a more rigorous STEM program in high school. In this post, we have listed our 15 best picks to help you in your decision-making process. Â
Dates: January 22 - January 28
Registration Deadline:Â
October 30 (Early Bird Registration)
December 23 (Regular Registration)
January 15 (Late Registration)
Eligibility: Students studying 8th grade or below, who are less than 14.5 years old on the day of the competition.Â
Cost:Â
$53 (Early Bird Registration)
$73 (Regular Registration)
$113 (Late Registration)
Location: Multiple locations, detailed on the competition website.Â
The AMC-8, an initiative by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), is a prominent math competition founded in 1950. Each year, thousands of students participate in the competition from different states and countries.Â
You will be expected to correctly answer as many of the total 25 questions in 40 minutes. Participating in the AMC-8 is a good starting point for students who aim to participate in the AMC-10 and AMC-12 competitions in upcoming years.Â
Dates: June - OctoberÂ
Registration Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Students in Grades 5-8
Cost: Free
Location: The Final Event shall be conducted at 3M Innovation Centre, St. Paul, Minnesota.
The 3M Young Scientist Challenge is one of the most eminent STEM contests for middle school students. To participate in the event, you will be required to record a 1-2 minute video, describing how your invention or innovative solution can redress an everyday problem in the world.. If your idea is good enough, you will advance further to compete with nine finalists at the final event of the annual contest, where you stand to win prizes up to $25,000! The final event shall be preceded by a summer internship program, where all the finalists are mentored by a 3M Scientist in the run-up to the event.
While the acceptance rate is low, it is what makes the challenge a much sought-after contest. The year-long process will expose you to problem-solving skills and practical training through expert guidance and a fair amount of industry exposure. Â
Dates: May - December
Registration Deadline: October 30
Eligibility: Middle School & High School Students
Cost: Free
Location: Virtual
The Congressional App Challenge involves competitions hosted by the United States House of Representatives at the district level to help middle school and high school students start their computer science journeys early. You can participate in the contest as an individual or as a part of a team consisting of no more than four people. The competition is district-specific, and thus, the individual participants, or at least half of the team, must be residents of the particular district that they seek to compete in.Â
As a participant, you or your team will be expected to program an application to solve a prevalent problem affecting your community. Your app will be judged on its functionality, content suitability, originality, AI usage, and other parameters. In addition to writing code and building the app, you will also be expected to record and upload a demonstration video to a public website, along with a succinct summary of the purpose, functionality, programming language & other technical aspects of your app.
Dates: Finals Week: October 24 - October 29
Registration Deadline: June 11
Eligibility: Students in Grades 6 - 8
Cost: Free
Location: The final event will be conducted in Washington DC.Â
The Thermo Fisher JIC (Junior Innovators Challenge) is an illustrious STEM competition organised by Society for Science for students studying in 6th, 7th or 8th grades. Participants are required to first compete and rank among the top 10% of the teams at an affiliated fair to advance further to the Thermo Fisher JIC. If eligible, you will be required to enter the competition with the same project that earned you a nomination at the Society-affiliated fair. You can participate as an individual or as a team consisting of not more than 3 middle school students.Â
Out of all the entrants, 300 projects are shortlisted, and the best 30 participants are picked to compete at the final event in Washington DC for prizes worth more than $100,000. The final week involves site visits to STEM innovation hubs, a process that also fosters networking and industry exposure. Furthermore, if selected, you will present your project at the Science & Engineering Project Showcase to a distinguished audience.Â
Dates: Four contests are conducted in a regular season, typically between November and May.Â
Registration Deadline: December
Eligibility:
Middle School Students in or below Grade 9 (For Junior Division)Â
Students of all grades, including Middle School Students (For Classroom Division)
Cost: $150 (however, different fees may apply in select scenarios), in addition to a $30 fee to participate in the final event.Â
Location: Online
The ACSL (American Computer Science League), founded over 45 years ago, is one of the oldest computer science contests not just in the United States, but all over the world. Registered students are provided with the option of purchasing downloadable study material related to previous years’ contests. As a participant, you will be expected to participate in all four regular-season contests of the ACSL, and your performance will be evaluated based on the cumulative scores of all the contests. Each test spans two months and is conducted virtually on the HackerRank platform. The initial phase of the contest, or the Short Problems Test, aims to test your knowledge base through multiple-choice questions. Later, you will be presented with a Programming Program - this part requires you to have prior experience of coding using Python 3, Java, or C++.Â
If your score fits the criteria, you will be invited to compete in a day-long final event with other top competitors. Since the final event is also live-streamed to the public, being invited provides you with a platform to gain early-stage recognition in the field.Â
Dates: March 8 - March 16 (In-Person Competition)
March 17 - March 23 (Online Competition)
Registration Deadline:Â
February 24 (In-Person Competition)
March 20 (Online Competition)
Eligibility: Students in Grades 6-8
Cost: Free (a registration fee of $15-$25 may be applicable)
Location: Online / In-PersonThe In-Person tests will be conducted at test centres spread across different regions.Â
The PiMC (Pi Math Contest) Fermet is an online math competition tailored to engage with middle school students in the United States. The 40-minute test requires you to answer 25 math questions in algebra, counting, geometry, and number theory. The highest scorers are awarded with coupons (valued based on your score) that may be used for other programs hosted by AlphaStar Academy.Â
Dates: Typically spans 14 Months between April and the month of June in the following year.
Registration Deadline: February 26
Eligibility: Students in Grades 6-9
Cost: Free
Location: Online
eCYBERMISSION is a well-known virtual STEM competition for middle school students that encourages teamwork and scientific research. To participate in this event, you are required to register as groups consisting of two, three or four members. Additionally, each group must also be accompanied by a team advisor who fulfills the required eligibility requirements.Â
As a participant, you will be expected to narrow down on a community problem that you aim to mitigate through one of the two paths - science or engineering. Science aims at understanding and answering complex questions through the method of scientific inquiry. Engineering stresses on the engineering design process, which aims at solving existing problems with the help of alternative models or prototypes. You can read through this document for more details.Â
Winners of the competition at the state, regional, or national levels win various prizes.Â
Dates: April 12 - March 13
Registration Deadline: Different dates depending on the regional / affiliated fair, as detailed here.Â
Eligibility:Â
Junior Division: Students in Grades 6-8.
Participants must be a part of an educational institution validated by the State of California and must have obtained the requisite score at the affiliated fair.Â
Cost: Unspecified.Â
Location: California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, California
The CSEF (California Science & Engineering Fair) is an annual STEM fair for middle school students who performed well at the regional fairs affiliated with CSEF. More than 70 years in the running, it is an established contest where competing projects are informed by one of the six broad project types, viz. life science categories, physical science categories, mathematical/computational categories, environmental categories, behavioural/cognitive categories and product testing. As a participant, you will be expected to undergo a rigorous process to meet the project requirements, depending on your project type.Â
Finally, in the two-day event conducted in California, you will get a chance to showcase your project while also networking with other participants. Winners of the competition stand the chance to win prizes totalling up to $40,000!
Dates: Exact dates are yet to be announced, however, the competition typically spans the period between November and March.Â
Registration Deadline: November 1 (Interested Participants may note that registering early involves a lower registration fee)
Eligibility:Â
Students in Grades 4-6 (Division E)
Students in Grades 6-8 (Division M)Â
Cost: Different fees depending on the registration cycles and region/country of the participating team, as detailed here.Â
Location: In-Person / Online
The contests are held at multiple locations, as detailed here.Â
The MOEMS (Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle School Students) is a well-known international math competition that sees participation from 120,000 students belonging to over 35 countries in each competition cycle that spans across five months. As a middle school student, you can participate in the Division M contest as an individual or as part of a team that may consist of a maximum of 35 students.Â
The contest aims at furthering mathematical skills related to flexibility, intuition, and creativity. The event consists of 5 monthly programs, typically spanning the period from November to March.
Dates: May 17 (National Finals)
Registration Deadline: December 1
Eligibility: Students in Grades 6-12Â
Cost: $350 per team for the National Finals, plus a registration fee of $165 for every team.Â
Location: The National Finals will be held at The Plains, Virginia.
The American Rocketry Challenge is one of the most prominent team-based STEM competitions for middle school and high school students. To participate in the event, you must register as part of a team consisting of 3 to 10 students. Your team will be expected to build a model rocket that functions in the manner specified in the official rules.Â
To achieve a qualification score, your team must be able to fly your rocket three times for a specified period in front of a designated observer. Teams with the best 100 scores qualify for the National Fly-off, wherein they are presented with the opportunity to take home $100,000 worth of prizes.Â
11. Future City
Dates: September to February
Registration Deadline: OctoberÂ
Eligibility: Students in Grades 6-8
Cost: Free (a registration fee of $25 may be applicable)
Location:Â
Washington DC (National Competition)
More details about the locations of State and Regional Competitions will be available here.
Future City is an award-winning cross-curricular STEM competition where you will find yourself and your team competing with other groups to bring about innovative solutions to citywide sustainability issues. The event requires each team to engage in teamwork, research, and engineering design activities in four months to curate their city essays and build 3D models of their cities based on the specified theme for the competition cycle.Â
Importantly, you have the opportunity to present your results at regional competitions. Teams that win the regional competitions advance to the national competition held in Washington, DC. If you qualify, your team’s trip and accommodation will be fully sponsored by the organisers.Â
12. Junior Solar SprintÂ
Dates: October - July
Registration Deadline: AprilÂ
Eligibility: Students in Grades 5-8 who are affiliated with a TSA middle school chapter or a United States Army base that hosts one or more JSS events
Cost: Free
Location: Across states in the United States.Â
The National TSA Conference will be held in Nashville.
The JSS (Junior Solar Sprint) is a STEM competition hosted by the Technology Student Association (TSA), wherein middle school students work in groups to build cars powered by solar energy. As a participant, you will be expected to design and build solar-powered cars. In the process, the competition will also test your problem-solving abilities and your capacity to consider environmental concerns while curating your project.Â
The registered teams also have the chance to present their work and compete at the National TSA Conference in Nashville - a great opportunity to network with like-minded students!
Dates: May 24
Registration Deadline: May 16
Eligibility: Middle School StudentsÂ
Cost: $125 Registration Fee
Location: Virtual
Commenced in 2019, the National Biology Bowl has steadily climbed up the ranks to become one of the top competitions in biology and life science for middle school students in the United States. The online contest follows a quiz bowl format with fixed rules, involving questions in biology, including subtopics like cell biology & genetics, human physiology, animals, plants, evolution, behaviour, and ecology. Â
To participate in the contest, you have to form a team of 4 to 5 members. The day-long final event will be conducted via Zoom, featuring multiple round-robin contests followed by a single-elimination playoff tournament. More details about the same can be found here.
Dates: March 10 - March 22
Registration Deadline: Before January (Sponsors must register on behalf of the participants)
Eligibility: Students in Grades 6-8 from San Francisco, Marin & Sonoma counties
Cost: Free
Location: Randall Museum, San Francisco
The annual San Francisco Middle School Science Fair is a well-known science competition held at the Randall Museum, San Francisco. You can participate in the event as an individual or as a member of a team. In either case, an adult sponsor must undertake your registration process.Â
As a participant, you will be expected to design a science project that is centered on biological sciences, physical sciences, behavioral, social & health sciences, or environmental science. The judging criteria are based on methodologies used, creative inputs, and communication of the project idea. The top performers at the fair are allowed to directly enter the California Science & Engineering Fair.Â
Dates: June 23 - June 26
Registration Deadline: Varies according to the schedule of state competitions. However, eligible teams are required to complete their team profiles before June 2.
Eligibility: Middle School & High School students who are part of an affiliated MESA program
Cost: Unspecified
Location: Different locations for state competitions, detailed on the competition website.Â
The final event is held at San Diego, California.Â
The NEDC (National Engineering Design Competition) is a team-based STEM competition hosted by MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement) USA. To enroll as a participant in the national competition, you will first have to form a team of 2 to 4 members and compete in state competitions.Â
For the national competition, your team must narrow down on issues prevalent in the real world and resolve them using a STEM-based approach. Qualifying for the national event also allows you to participate in the national event held in San Diego, wherein you will be judged based on your design proposal, academic poster, and technical pitch.
2 more STEM programs to consider:
Dates: June 2 Onwards (Cohort I)July 14 Onwards (Cohort II)
Registration Deadline: Varies according to the cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
Fee: $2,400 (Financial Aid available)
Location: Virtual
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 cohorts + deadlines, you can refer to this page!
Dates: 25 hours over a period of 10 weeks, on weekends (Spring Cohort)25 hours over a period of 2 weeks, on weekdays (Summer Cohort)
Registration Deadline:Â Rolling deadlines.
Eligibility:Â Students in grades 6-8
Fee:Â $1,990 (Need-based financial aid is available)
Location: Virtual
The AI Trailblazers program by Veritas AI is an online program that caters to middle school students with a view to cementing the foundations of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Scattered across 25 hours, the programme educates students about the fundamentals of Python and subjects closer to data analysis, image classification and ethics pertaining to artificial intelligence.Â
The program design also makes room for a mentorship experience that revolves around lectures and group sessions. Students from previous cohorts are known to have come up with machine-learning models and algorithms to identify and demarcate music genres, provide customised educational information and more!
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.
Image Source - Congressional App Challenge Logo