Olympiads, science fairs, writing contests, business case competitions, and entrepreneurship challenges open to U.S. high school students.
High school competitions break down by field: math (AMC, AIME, USAMO, HMMT), science (Regeneron STS, ISEF, USABO, USACO, Chemistry Olympiad), writing (Scholastic, NYT contests, Concord Review), business and finance (DECA, Wharton Investment, Diamond Challenge), and policy/debate (NSDA, We the People).
Pick competitions that compound with your work. A research project naturally feeds into Regeneron STS, ISEF, and Davidson. A startup idea fits Diamond Challenge, Conrad, and Wharton Innovation.
Most national competitions have fall–winter qualifying rounds. Register early — many require teacher sponsors or school registration.
The most prestigious include Regeneron Science Talent Search, ISEF, USAMO, USACO Platinum, USABO, the Concord Review, and Davidson Fellows. Strong tier-2 options include DECA ICDC, Wharton Global Investment Competition, NSDA Nationals, and the Diamond Challenge.
Yes — Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, Knowledge@Wharton, KWHS Comment Competition, the Quantitative Investing Challenge, and DECA finance events are all open to U.S. high schoolers.
Start with AMC 10 or AMC 12 (typically taken in November). Top scorers qualify for AIME, then USAMO/USAJMO, then MOP. Most students take AMC for the first time in 9th or 10th grade.
Yes, most national competitions accept all four grades. AMC, USACO, Scholastic Writing, and many STEM olympiads have no grade restriction.