15 Competitions for High School Students

 High school competitions are a great way to strengthen your academic profile, explore a topic you’re interested in, and even boost your chances of winning college scholarships. Many competitions involve submitting written reports, presentations, or formal solutions, resulting in documented work that you can include in your CV or portfolio. You might also have the opportunity to receive feedback from evaluators, offering insight into how your work is assessed. Depending on the format, you may participate individually or as part of a team, with each format involving different responsibilities related to planning, execution, and communication.

If you want to look at programs or internships available to high-school students instead, here's a list of free leadership programs & here’s a list of some STEM-specific internships!

Why should I participate in a competition in high school?

Participating in competitions during high school allows you to test how well you can apply what you know under defined constraints. You are required to work toward a specific outcome, often within limited timeframes, which changes how you plan, prioritize, and execute your ideas. This process can highlight gaps in your understanding, as well as areas where you are more confident, giving you a clearer sense of your strengths and limitations. Competitions also introduce an external standard of evaluation. Your work is assessed alongside that of other participants, which provides context for how it compares in terms of quality, clarity, and depth. The work you complete can be referenced in your CV and used in college applications as concrete evidence of the topics you have explored during high school.

To help you find the right one, we have listed 15 competitions for high school students below.

Quick Look

• 15 competitions total, predominantly entrepreneurship and business pitch competitions, alongside two essay-based competitions (Lumiere Scholar Essay Award and Horizon Academic Essay Prize) and one investment simulation (Wharton Global Investment Competition)

• The largest prize pools are the Diamond Challenge ($12,000 first place), Lassonde HSUEC (up to $30,000 total in cash and scholarships), Pirates Pitch Competition ($2,500 cash plus $10,000 Seton Hall scholarship), and NFTE WYEC (seed capital prizes)

• Blue Ocean and the Wharton Investment Competition are the two competitions on this list with fully open registration and no selectivity barrier, while GYEC and the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition are open to enter but still competitive in their advancement rounds.

• The Conrad Challenge is the most distinct on this list, having teams design a real innovation, file a provisional patent application, and pitch at Space Center Houston

• Most competitions are fully virtual with an optional or required in-person finale, though tecBRIDGE is restricted to students in specific Northeastern Pennsylvania counties and Lassonde HSUEC is limited to Utah high school students

1. NFTE World Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (WYEC)

Location: United Nations Plaza, NY
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Seed capital prizes offered to winners
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; typically 11–35 global student finalists 
Dates: 3-day event held annually in mid-to-late November
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Student entrepreneurs ages 15 to 22 who are part of NFTE’s Global Innovation Network (GIN) and the U.S. National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge; must have won their respective country's national/partner pitch competition to qualify for the global event

The NFTE World Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is a global pitch competition where student entrepreneurs present original business ideas developed through NFTE programs to a panel of judges at the international level. You will begin by competing at the local level, with selected participants advancing through regional and national rounds before reaching the global stage. The focus should be to develop and refine a venture concept, which will be evaluated based on its feasibility, innovation, and potential impact. The program includes structured pitch presentations, feedback from business leaders, and opportunities to engage with other student entrepreneurs. Over multiple stages, you will also take part in workshops, coaching sessions, and networking activities.

2. Lumiere Scholar Essay Award

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: No cost / More than $11,000 in cash prizes and scholarships between 6 winners
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 6 winners selected per cycle (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze)
Dates: March 9 – April 26
Application Deadline: April 26
Eligibility: All high school students 

The Lumiere Scholars Essay Award is an international essay competition where high school students submit research-based argumentative essays in response to interdisciplinary prompts evaluated by an academic judging panel. You are required to select one prompt and develop a structured argument supported by evidence, focusing on analysis, originality, and clarity of writing. Essays are reviewed through a double-blind evaluation process by professors and researchers from institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Brown. The competition requires you to produce a formal academic essay of up to 2,000 words using established citation formats. 

3. Diamond Challenge

Location: Limitless World Summit held at the University of Delaware, DL
Cost/Stipend: No cost / First place: $12,000, second place: $8,000, third place: $4,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; no fixed cohort size
Dates: September 17 – April 23–24 
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18; each team should have an adult advisor who is 21 or older 

The Diamond Challenge is an international entrepreneurship competition where high school students work in teams to develop and present original business or social venture concepts through a multi-stage submission and pitch process. Teams that advance participate in pitch rounds, which can be conducted either in person at global partner sites or through virtual submissions. You can create a venture idea in either the business innovation or social innovation track and submit a written concept narrative along with a short introductory video. Throughout the competition, the concept should be refined by incorporating feedback and preparing structured pitch materials. Finalists also have the opportunity to present ventures at the Limitless World Summit.

4. Horizon Academic Essay Prize

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Grand Visionary Prize: $1,000 cash prize and $6,450 scholarship |  Grand Innovator Prize: $500 cash prize and $4,000 scholarship | Grand Excellence Prize: $250 cash prize and $3,000 scholarship, Gold: $3,225 scholarship, Silver: $2,580 scholarship, Bronze: $1,935 scholarship, Honorable Mentions: $1,290 scholarship each
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 3 main winners and up to 10 honorary mentions (HARP groups average 7 students)
Dates: Year-round for 12–16 weeks
Application Deadline: Winter Cycle: February 1; Summer Cycle: July 13
Eligibility: High school students from any country

The Horizon Academic Essay Prize is an international essay competition where high school students submit analytical essays in response to a central annual theme, evaluated by a panel of academics and researchers. As a participant, you can choose one prompt within the theme and develop a structured argument supported by evidence, focusing on clarity, originality, and critical analysis. Your work will be assessed based on criteria such as reasoning, use of evidence, organization, and writing quality, with an emphasis on independent thinking and engagement with multiple perspectives.

5. Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free; cash prizes awarded to winners
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open registration; no fixed cohort size
Dates: Self-paced preparation; judging phases run from early April to May
Application Deadline: February 22 
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18; can compete individually or in teams of up to 5 members 

In this competition, you can identify an unaddressed problem or untapped market and develop a business concept around it using the Blue Ocean Strategy framework, a methodology drawn from Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne's widely taught business theory. The competition provides tools and pitch templates to help structure your idea and your submission. To participate, you’re required to record a five-minute video pitch, upload it to YouTube, and submit the link along with the video file. Participation can be individual or team-based, with teams of up to four students. Submissions will be reviewed by judges who are entrepreneurs and business professionals, and participants will receive feedback on their pitches.

6. Wharton Global High School Investment Competition

Location: Virtual, Learning Day & Global Finale at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, PA
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Each student member of the global champion team will receive a complimentary spot in one of the following online summer programs  - Future of the Business World, Financial Decision Making, Essentials of Leadership, Moneyball FLEX, Moneyball: Training Camp
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open Registration; teams of 4–7 students 
Dates: Single annual cycle (Active trading runs from late September to mid-December; Global Finale occurs in the Spring)
Application Deadline: Mid-September
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12; (ages 14–18); teams of 4–7 must be from the same high school or branch (homeschoolers are eligible with documentation); requires a designated teacher or advisor; the team leader must be at least 16 years old 

In this competition, teams of four to six students, guided by a teacher advisor, use the Wharton Investment Simulator (WInS) to build a portfolio of stocks and ETFs using $500,000 in virtual cash over a 10-week trading period. Each team will be given a case study featuring a real Wharton graduate as a fictional client, and the task will be to develop an investment strategy aligned with that client's long-term goals. Your team will have to submit a midterm report and a final report articulating your strategy. Winners will be evaluated on the quality and clarity of their strategy rather than portfolio performance.

7. Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (GYEC)

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: ~$67 per team / No cash prizes; winners receive a trophy and certificate of achievement
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; maximum 3 teams per country advance
Dates: Preliminary round on May 16 and final round on June 20
Application Deadline: April 20
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18; each team must consist of 3 to 8 eligible students; members can be from different schools but must all study in the same country (no mixed-country teams)

The Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (GYEC) is an international online entrepreneurship competition where high school students work in teams to develop and present a business solution to a problem within a fixed 12-hour timeframe. You can participate in teams of three to eight members. Each team will be given a challenge on the day of the competition, which must be addressed by conducting research, designing a solution, and preparing submission materials within the allotted time. The competition requires you to submit a two-page business plan along with a three-minute video presentation that outlines your idea and proposed model. Your work will be evaluated by an international judging panel based on criteria such as innovation, feasibility, market understanding, and communication.

8. GENIUS Olympiad – Entrepreneurship Track

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $600 + per participant + $60 application fee per project / Certificates, medals, and scholarships offered to winners
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; approximately 1,000–1,500 total participants
Dates: GENIUS Finals: June 9–13
Application Deadline: March 7; affiliated U.S./EU Fair deadline is April 16
Eligibility: High school students in grades 8–12; can apply individually or in small teams 

The GENIUS Olympiad Business track is a competition category where high school students develop and present business projects focused on environmental issues. You can create a venture concept that addresses a specific environmental problem and outline how it would operate in practice. The submission includes a structured business plan detailing the idea, target audience, and implementation approach. You may work individually or in a team, depending on the project format. Entries will be evaluated based on criteria such as originality, clarity of the model, and relevance to sustainability.

9. tecBRIDGE High School Business Plan Competition

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: No cost/trophies and certificates awarded to winners
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; typically 5–8 finalist teams 
Dates: Live presentation finals: April 18; tecBRIDGE Awards Event: April 29
Application Deadline: Deliverables due by March 13
Eligibility: Individual high school and homeschool students living in the following Northeastern Pennsylvania counties: Berks, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, and Wayne 

The tecBRIDGE High School Business Plan Competition is a regional entrepreneurship competition where high school students develop and present STEAM-based business ideas through written submissions and live presentations. You can work in teams to create a business concept, conducting research across areas such as market analysis, competition, and financial planning. The competition requires a structured written submission responding to a defined question set, along with supporting financial reports. Teams that advance are selected based on their written submissions and move on to a live presentation round. During this stage, you can present your business plan to a panel of judges and respond to questions in a timed format. 

10. Pirates Pitch Competition for High School Students

Location: Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Cost/Stipend: No cost / First place winner: $2,500 cash prize +  $10,000 scholarship to attend Seton Hall University | Second place winner: $1,000 cash prize + $6,000 scholarship to attend Seton Hall University| Other finalists: $4,000 scholarship to attend Seton Hall University | Audience choice award: $300
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 10 finalists
Dates: Single-day pitch event in mid-to-late November
Application Deadline: Late October
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or better.

The Pirates Pitch Competition is an annual in-person entrepreneurship pitch competition for high school students, hosted by the Stillman School of Business. You can submit an original business idea in 350 words or fewer, addressing the problem it solves, your proposed revenue model, your target customers, and your competitive advantage. You also have the option to submit an unlisted YouTube video pitch of up to three minutes. Finalists are selected by an independent panel of judges and invited to present their ideas in five-minute oral presentations on the day of the competition.

11. Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition (CEC)

Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Official certificate from Stiftung Entrepreneurship awarded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; no fixed cohort size
Dates: March 2 – June 5
Application Deadline: May 4
Eligibility: People interested in entrepreneurship from ages 13 and up

In this competition, you can develop a business or social impact idea aligned with one or more of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The submission should include a short pitch, two online courses, and completion of the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas (EDC). The competition runs in three phases: idea submission and development, a public voting period where all submitted ideas are published, and a jury evaluation of the top ten most-voted submissions. Throughout the competition, you will have access to a global community of participants, where you can exchange feedback, find collaborators, and connect with mentors.

12. Lassonde High School Entrepreneur Challenge (HSUEC)

Location: Virtual, final event at Lassonde Studios, University of Utah, UT
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Up to $30,000 in cash prizes and scholarships awarded to winners
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 20 finalist teams of 1–5 students each
Dates: Final video submission deadline: February 9, final event: February 28
Application Deadline: January 14
Eligibility: Utah high school students ages 14–18; teams of up to 5; students who have graduated high school or are enrolled full-time in college courses are not eligible

This competition allows you to develop and present an original business idea through a structured, multi-stage submission and pitch process. To participate, you are required to submit a written proposal addressing four components: the problem your idea solves, your proposed solution, your target market and competition, and a prototype demonstrating how the idea works. The prototype can take any form, including an app, sketch, website, or physical model. Submissions are judged online in the first round, and the top 20 finalists are announced and invited to submit a one-minute pitch video, participate in a public online voting round, and present to a panel of judges at the final event held at the University of Utah.

13. Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship Competition

Location: Virtual, World Cup location varies each year
Cost/Stipend: Depending on local organizers, a nominal fee may apply for registration, and World Cup participants bear their own travel/attendance costs / 1st and 2nd place teams are invited to attend the SAGE World Cup
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; over 12,000 participants from over 25 countries
Dates: May 3–17
Application Deadline: May 2
Eligibility: High school students across the globe aged 13–19; a student team must comprise at least 3 members, with no upper limit; project must align with either Business Innovation or Social Enterprise categories, addressing one or more of the UN's SDGs

The SAGE Global competition (Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship) is an international entrepreneurship competition where high school students develop and present businesses designed to address social or environmental challenges. The competition follows a multi-stage structure, beginning at local or national levels and advancing to the global SAGE World Cup for top teams. You can prepare a business model that demonstrates both operational feasibility and measurable impact, supported by a written annual report and a live presentation. Teams present their ventures in timed sessions and respond to questions from judges during evaluation rounds. Judging criteria include elements such as innovation, social impact, sustainability, and presentation quality.

14. Project ECHO – Teen Entrepreneurs’ Business Plan Competition

Location: CSU, Dominguez Hills, LA
Cost/Stipend: Approximately $125 per student registration fee/cash prizes ranging from $250 to $2,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; no fixed cohort size
Dates: May 31
Application Deadline: Typically late April
Eligibility: High school students under the age of 19

The Project ECHO Teen Entrepreneurs’ Business Plan Competition is a high school entrepreneurship competition where students submit business plans and present startup ideas through a multi-stage evaluation process. The competition begins with a written submission, where business plans are reviewed and scored based on defined criteria. Selected teams advance to a live round, where ideas are presented in timed pitch sessions followed by judge Q&A. Projects are assessed across both written and presentation components, including clarity, feasibility, and overall structure. The competition includes multiple categories such as product, service, and social enterprise ventures.

15. Space Center Houston – The Conrad Challenge 

Location: Global competition open to teams competing from anywhere in the world, with the in-person Innovation Summit hosted at Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas
Cost/Stipend: No cost for Activation and Lean Canvas Stages; $499 per team for the Innovation Stage; $499 per guest for the Innovation Summit / Winning teams awarded the Peter Conrad Scholars title, scholarships, and all-expenses-paid trips
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; teams of 2–5 students
Dates: Activation Stage: August 28 – October 30 | Innovation Stage: October 31 – January 8 | Innovation Summit: April 22–25
Application Deadline: October 30
Eligibility: Students ages 13–18; compete in teams of 2 to 5 students with one adult coach at least 18 years old

In this competition, you design an original innovation that solves an important problem. You pick one of five categories, including Cyber Technology and Security, Aerospace and Aviation, Energy and Environment, Health and Nutrition, and the Water Challenge. Guided by an adult coach, you move through an entrepreneurial process built around a Lean Canvas business model, market research, a written business plan, and an investor-style pitch with a team video. Along the way, you sharpen collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication skills, and U.S. finalist teams file a provisional patent application for their product.

Questions Students Often Ask About These Programs

1. There are a lot of entrepreneurship competitions on this list. What makes one stronger than another for college applications?

Selectivity and output matter most. Competitions like the Diamond Challenge, NFTE WYEC, and Wharton Investment Competition are globally recognised, which means placing well carries more weight with admissions officers than winning a local or regional competition. Essay competitions like Lumiere Scholar Essay Award and Horizon Academic Essay Prize are also strong because they produce a tangible piece of academic writing you can reference directly. For entrepreneurship competitions specifically, ones that require a full business plan and multi-round judging, like Diamond Challenge, SAGE, and Conrad Challenge, are generally more impressive than single-round video pitches, since they demonstrate sustained effort over months.

2. I don't have a business idea yet. Are any of these competitions I can still participate in?

Yes, several competitions are designed to develop your idea as part of the process rather than assuming you arrive with one ready. The Blue Ocean Competition provides a structured framework to identify untapped markets, and the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition guides you through the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas as part of the submission process. The Wharton Investment Competition is the most accessible for students without a business concept at all, since it's based on financial analysis and portfolio strategy rather than venture creation. Essay competitions like Lumiere and Horizon are similarly open if your strength is analytical writing rather than entrepreneurship.

3. How do I decide between a team competition and an individual one?

Team competitions, like the Diamond Challenge, GYEC, and Conrad Challenge, develop collaboration, delegation, and communication skills alongside the core subject matter, and they often carry more weight in college applications when you can demonstrate a leadership role within the team. Individual competitions like the Lumiere Scholar Essay Award and Horizon Academic Essay Prize require you to carry the full intellectual weight of the work yourself, which can be a stronger signal of independent analytical ability. If you prefer structured collaboration, a team competition is a better experience; if you work best independently and want a writing or research credential specifically, the essay competitions are the stronger choice.