research project competition

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

20 Science Research Competitions for High Schoolers

What’s covered:, why should you enter a science research competition, how do science research competitions affect my admissions chances.

Participation in science research competitions offers many benefits to students; for example, it can make them more competitive candidates for college admissions and provide them with valuable experience in a sought-after field. There’s a wide variety of science research competitions for high schoolers, including the high-profile contests listed below.

Entering a science research competition demonstrates that you take initiative and that you care about academics beyond the grades in your courses, both of which are qualities that colleges appreciate in prospective students.

Participation in competitions is a strong extracurricular activity, and successes—like making the finals or winning—can provide you with a chance to earn a scholarship, make your college application more attention-grabbing, or even open doors, such as laying the groundwork for a career in science research and helping you land an internship.

Another way to showcase your initiative and skills is to work on an independent research paper. There are a number of ways to do independent research, including working with a high school teacher, reaching out to local professors, or taking part in a structured research program. 

For example, the  Lumiere Research Scholar Program is one type of structured research program tailored for high school students. In the program, you work 1-1 with a researcher on an independent research project. The program is run by researchers from Harvard and helps create the structure for you to get started quickly doing your own research. Many of Lumiere’s alums have used their research in the structured program to then apply to research competitions like ISEF.  

Whether you participate in a structured program first or dive right into a competition, engaging in research allows you to explore one of your interests deeply, while simultaneously boosting your profile for college admissions.

1. American Academy of Neurology – Neuroscience Research Prize

Grades: 9-12

Type: National

The AAN Neuroscience Research Prize competition challenges students to investigate problems regarding the brain or nervous system. The competition is only open to individual students—group projects are ineligible. Teachers are encouraged to provide guidance and support; however, they should allow students to demonstrate their own creativity. Winners and their projects are highlighted at the AAN Annual Meeting.

2. Envirothon

Type: State and National

Envirothon is North America’s largest environmental education competition, with more than 25,000 students participating in the multi-level competition each year. Student teams are first challenged at state-level competitions with the winners moving on to face top teams from across the globe at the annual international competition.

The international competition is a six-day event held in a different location each summer—for example, in an open range of the western U.S. one year, and at a Maritime coastal community of eastern Canada the next. The competition offers participants the chance to win thousands of dollars in scholarships.

3. Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)

Type: Local, Regional, and International

The Regeneron ISEF is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition—more than 1,800 high school students, representing more than 75 countries, regions, and territories, take part. Students showcase independent research and compete for roughly $8 million in awards across 21 categories .

This is not a group-based competition—individual students enroll in local school science fairs before advancing to upper-level competitions in hopes of reaching the national stage.

4. National Science Bowl

Hosted by the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C., the National Science Bowl is a highly publicized competition that tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics, including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, energy, and math. Students compete in teams of four (plus an alternate) and have a teacher who serves as an advisor.

The National Science Bowl is one of the largest science competitions in the country—roughly 330,000 students have participated in it throughout its 32-year history.

5. National Science Olympiad

One of the nation’s premier STEM competitions, the National Science Olympiad is the pinnacle of achievement for the country’s top Science Olympiad teams. In 2022, the U.S. top 120 teams, plus a Global Ambassador Team from Japan (for a total of more than 2,000 students) squared off in a variety of events for the chance to be named the Science Olympiad National Champions.

Teams also compete annually for the opportunity to win prizes and scholarships, including a one-time $10,000 Science Olympiad Founders’ Scholarship. About 6,000 teams compete each year, beginning at the regional level in hopes of reaching the national competition.

6. Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS)

Established in 1942 and hosted by the Society for Science, the Regeneron Science Talent Search is considered the most prestigious high school science research competition in the nation. The competition tasks young scientists with presenting their original research before a panel of nationally recognized professional scientists.

Of the 1,800 entrants, 300 Regeneron STS scholars are selected—they and their schools are awarded $2,000 each. Forty finalists are then picked from the pool of scholars. They receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where they compete for an additional $1.8 million in awards, with a top prize of $250,000.

7. Stockholm Junior Water Prize

Type: Regional, State, National, and International

In this competition, students from around the world seek to address the current and future water challenges facing the world. Competition for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize occurs on four levels: regional, state, national, and international.

• Regional winners receive a certificate and a nomination to compete in the state competition.
• State winners receive a medal and an all-expenses-paid trip to compete in the national competition.
• National winners receive a trophy, a $10,000 scholarship, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the international competition in Stockholm, Sweden.
• International winners receive a crystal trophy and a $15,000 scholarship, along with a $5,000 award for their school.

In order to participate, students can begin to research and develop a practical project proposal either as an individual or with a group. To reach the national level, students must be nominated by a national organizer representing their country.

8. TOPSS Competition for High School Psychology Students

To participate in this competition, students must submit a video of up to 3 minutes that demonstrates an interest in and understanding of a topic in psychology that they think could benefit their local community and improve lives. Students must also utilize at least one peer-reviewed research study on their topic, and must include a closing slide citing their source(s). Up to three winners are chosen to receive a $300 scholarship.

9. Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) National Competition

Type: Regional and National

The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium National Competition is one of the country’s longest-running STEM competitions—participants are required to submit and present scientific research papers and compete for military-sponsored undergraduate scholarships.

The JSHS national competition is the result of a collaborative effort between the Department of Defense and academic research institutes nationwide. It is designed to emulate a professional symposium. Research projects are organized into categories such as Environmental Science, Engineering and Technology, and Medicine and Health. After competing regionally, about 250 students are chosen to attend an annual symposium to showcase their work.

10. MIT THINK Scholars Program

In the fall of each year, interested students can enter project proposals into competition for selection from a group of undergraduate students at MIT. If selected, students will be able to carry out their project—receiving up to $1000 in funding to complete their research. They’ll also be invited to a four-day symposium at MIT the following year.

Finalists are guided with weekly mentorship and will have the opportunity to present their findings to MIT students and faculty at the end of the program.

11. Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision

Grades: K-12

In this competition, students compete in groups of 2-4 to select a technology and forecast how it will evolve over the next decade or beyond, while discussing the scientific achievements that will need to be made to get there.

Students will submit an abstract as well as a detailed description paper that is not to exceed 11 pages. In doing so, they will be entered into competition and considered for a number of financial awards, as well as a trip to Washington, D.C., for the ExploraVision Awards Weekend. The competition is nationally recognized and is sponsored by Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association.

12. Conrad Challenge

Teams of 2-5 students are tasked with designing and detailing project proposals to tackle various problems categories such as Aerospace & Aviation, Health & Nutrition, Cyber-Technology & Security, and Energy & Environment. In doing so, they will identify problems in the world and come up with a feasible and innovative solution, working with judges and mentors along the way.

Finalists will be selected from the competing teams and invited to the Innovation Summit in Houston, where they will pitch their projects to judges and potentially receive numerous prizes and awards, ranging from scholarships to consulting services.

13. USA Biolympiad Competition

Type: National and International

Over the course of two years, students will undergo multiple rounds of testing that will eventually pinpoint twenty finalists to be selected for training in a residential program with the goal of representing the USA in the International Biology Olympiad. As such, this is one of the most prestigious and difficult competitions, not just in biology, but in all high school sciences. However, the experience is second to none, and is the ultimate test for students devoted to the future of biology.

14. Davidson Fellows Scholarship

While not exclusive to STEM, the Davidson Fellows program offers various major scholarships for students interested in careers in sciences. Listed as one of the “ 10 Biggest Scholarships in the World ,” this program requires students to submit a variety of components related to an independent research study with the broad goal of contributing positively to society through the advancement of science. Students will submit multiple essays as well as a video summary, and must include an additional visual model reporting their findings.

15. Destination Imagination

Type: Regional, State, National, International

Destination Imagination is another worldwide competition that includes a variety of subjects, but it specializes in science-based challenges. Students will form teams and choose from a list of different challenges to compete in in categories such as Technical, Scientific, and Engineering.

Students will solve these challenges and present their solutions in regional competitions. Regional winners will move on to statewide competitions before being invited to the Global Finals, where over 8,000 students from 28 states and 12 countries compete for awards. 150,000 students compete annually in the competition at some level.

16. Breakthrough Junior Challenge

For students looking for a more creatively inspired and unconventional competition, the Breakthrough Junior Challenge tasks students with creating a short two-minute video in which they explain and demonstrate a complex scientific concept.

Does that sound simple enough? Over 2,400 students from over 100 countries submitted videos in 2022, meaning there’s no shortage of competition here. Winning applicants will need to demonstrate immense creativity and understanding of complex scientific concepts, but rest assured—the prize is worth the difficulty.

The winner will receive a $250,000 scholarship for accredited colleges and universities, as well as a $100,000 grant to the winner’s school for the development of a science lab, and a $50,000 award to a teacher of the winner’s choosing.

17. Biotechnology Institute: BioGENEius Challenge

Students from across the country are invited to participate in the Biotechnology Institute’s BioGENEius Challenge, where they’ll be able to choose to complete a project in the Healthcare, Sustainability, or Environment categories. If accepted, students will need to complete an extensive research project and demonstrate results, and then compete in either local or a virtual “At-Large” competition, with other student competitors from around the world.

18. Genes in Space

Grades: 7-12

For students interested in the science of space and its overlap with our current understanding of the human genome, this competition combines these two worlds by tasking students with designing a DNA experiment that addresses challenges in space exploration and travel.

Students will submit a project proposal, and semifinalists will be selected to pitch their experiments in Seattle. After doing so, finalists will be selected to work with mentors and scientists from schools, such as Harvard and MIT, to design a real-life experiment. One finalist’s experiment will win the opportunity to be conducted at the International Space Station. The lucky winner will travel to the Kennedy Space Center to see the winning experiment’s launch!

19. Odyssey of the Mind

Students will form teams to compete in a variety of STEM-based challenges in this global problem-solving competition, culminating in a World Finals competition that takes place in East Lansing, Michigan.

Over 800 teams from 33 states and 15 countries compete each year in challenges ranging from designing vehicles to building small structures that can withstand hundreds of pounds. These challenges are designed to encourage creativity in the performative and presentational elements of competition.

20. U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad

Type: Regional, National, International

Students interested in Chemistry are able to participate in the USNCO, in which they’ll take rigorous exams to prove their skills in the Chemistry field. Top test-takers will be selected to attend a prestigious Study Camp, where they’ll compete for the chance to represent the U.S. at the International Chemistry Olympiad. Interested students can contact their Local Coordinator, who can be found through the program’s website.

The influence your participation in science research competitions can have on your college admissions varies—considerations such as how well you performed and the prestige of the event factor into how admissions officers view the competition. That being said, the four tiers of extracurricular activities provide a good general guide for understanding how colleges view your activities outside the classroom.

The most esteemed and well-known science research competitions are organized into Tiers 1 and 2. Extracurricular activities in these categories are extremely rare, demonstrate exceptional achievement, and hold considerable sway with admissions officers. Tiers 3 and 4 are reserved for more modest accomplishments—like winning a regional (rather than a national) competition—and carry less weight at colleges than their higher-tiered counterparts.

Generally, participation in a science research competition will be considered at least a Tier 2 activity. As stated before, this varies depending on the competition and your performance. For example, being a finalist or winner in something like the Regeneron Science Talent Search or the International Biology Olympiad—prestigious national and international competitions—is very likely to be considered a Tier 1 achievement.

However, lower-tiered extracurriculars are still valuable, as they show colleges a more well-rounded picture of you as a student, and highlight your desire to pursue your interests outside of school.

Curious how your participation in science research competitions affects your odds of college admissions? Collegevine can help. Our free chancing calculator uses factors like grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities—like science research competitions— to calculate your chances of getting into hundreds of colleges across the country! You can even use the information provided to identify where you can improve your college profile and ultimately bolster your odds of getting into your dream school.

Disclaimer: This post includes content sponsored by Lumiere Education.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

May 11-16, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

Home » For Authors » Student Research Competition

Recent Posts

• Surfing CHI 2024 with Global Plaza sessions!
• Artifacts at CHI 2024
• CHI 2024 Registration is now open
• CHI 2024 – Papers track, post-PC outcomes report
• Special Recognition for Sustainable Practices

Student Research Competition

Quick facts.

The Student Research Competition is a forum for undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their research, exchange ideas, and improve their communication skills while competing for prizes. CHI 2024 will be a hybrid conference from May 11-16, 2024 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

Important Dates

All times are in Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time zone. When the deadline is day D , the last time to submit is when D ends AoE. Check your local time in AoE.

• Submission deadline: Thursday, January 18th, 2024
• Notification: Thursday, February 8th, 2024
• e-rights completion deadline: Thursday, February 15th, 2024
• Publication-ready deadline: Thursday, February 29th, 2024 
• TAPS Closes: Thursday, March 7th, 2024

Submission Details

• Online submission: PCS Submission System
• Template: ACM Master Article Submission Templates (single column)
• Student(s) must be currently enrolled in a university or college at the time of the initial submission deadline. For further details see the Eligibility and Guidelines section below.

Submission Format

• Extended abstract (maximum of 8 pages excluding references), poster, and proof of student status. Both poster and abstract submissions must meet SIGCHI accessibility requirements . See details in the Preparing Your Student Research Competition Submission section below.
• Submissions are not anonymous and should include all author names, affiliations, and contact information.

Selection Process

Update July 26, 2023

We recommend that authors read the following two policies before submitting:

• The April 2023 ACM Policy on Authorship and use of large language models (LLMs), and the SIGCHI blog post about it.
• The 2021 ACM Publications policy on research involving humans .

Message from the Student Research Competition Chairs

The Student Research Competition (SRC) is a forum for undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their research, exchange ideas, and improve their communication skills while competing for prizes at CHI 2024. The CHI SRC competition is a branch of the ACM Student Research Competition which hosts similar competitions at other ACM conferences.

The Student Research Competition has the following goals:

• to give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to share their research ideas and results at CHI in a special forum that provides visibility for their work
• to recognize and reward outstanding student research
• for students to receive feedback about their research and presentation, from a panel of distinguished judges from industry and academia
• to give students the opportunity to meet with and interact with CHI attendees to share ideas, gain new insights, and understand possible practical applications
• to give students an opportunity to sharpen their communication skills

Eligibility and Guidelines

Authorship requirements follow the requirements for the ACM Student Research Competition :

• Student(s) must be currently enrolled in a university or college at the time of the initial submission deadline.
• Graduate students (Masters or PhD program) submissions must submit individually their research project (i.e., single-author).
• Undergraduate students can submit as an individual or in a team project. Team projects may have multiple student authors with one author designated to present. Should they win, the designated presenter will be the recipient of the medal and monetary award.
• Research completed while the student was an undergraduate may be submitted to the undergraduate category even if the student is now a first-year graduate student.
• If the submission is selected, the designated presenter must have active ACM student membership and register to attend the CHI 2024 conference.
• If an individual is part of a group research project and wants to participate in the SRC, they can only present their part of the research.

Note that supervisors are not allowed as co-authors.

Students can apply for a Gary Marsden Travel Award . The application can be filed as early as 9th January, independent of submitting to the Student Research Competition.

Prizes and Awards

Three winners will be selected in each category: Undergraduate and Graduate. The top three winners at CHI 2024 in each category will receive prizes of US$ 500, US$ 300, and US$ 200, respectively. All winners will receive a medal and a one-year complimentary ACM student membership with a subscription to the ACM Digital Library. Winners will be recognized during the closing plenary session of the CHI 2024 conference. The first-place winners will also go on to compete in the ACM grand finals with winners from other ACM conferences.

Preparing Your Student Research Competition Submission

A submission to the Student Research Competition should describe recently completed or ongoing student research in any of the topic areas covered by CHI. For undergraduate students, a group of undergraduate students who worked together on a project can submit the research with all their names on it, but all students must be undergraduates and the faculty advisor cannot be listed as an author. Graduate student submissions must be single author– even if the research was completed under the supervision of a supervisor, the submission must be authored by the graduate student alone. Submissions should be original work that is neither in submission elsewhere nor already published in CHI or another conference or journal. Abstracts should describe:

• The research problem and motivation for the work
• Background and related work
• Novelty of the research
• Research approach
• Contributions to the field of HCI

For examples of extended abstracts, we recommend checking accepted submissions from previous years. You can find them in the past CHI proceedings on the ACM Digital Library or on SIGCHI.org (open access). Select “Extended Abstract” and look for “Student Research Competition” session. Winners of previous years are listed on ACM website, search for “CHI” on these pages: 2021 , 2020 , and 2019 . For earlier years, select on the navigation bar. Note that the published extended abstracts have a different layout from the submission template.

For guidance on how to create a research poster, see this XRDS article by Lorrie Cranor .

To participate in the Student Research Competition:

• The submission must be a maximum length of 8 pages. References are not included in this page limit.
• The initial submission for this venue is *not* anonymized. Please include the name of the author(s) and the acknowledgment section as they will appear in the camera-ready version of the abstract.
• Posters should include (1) the title, authors’ names, and affiliations, (2) a concise overview of the research, (3) clear illustrations of key aspects of the work, and (4) a compelling visual design. Posters might also include QR codes to link to online materials (e.g., scenario videos, interactive prototypes). The typical poster size recommended is a maximum of ~39.3 inches tall by ~39.3 inches wide (or a maximum of 1 meter tall by 1 meter wide).
• The poster design must be reduced to one standard letter page in size and submitted in PDF format. The file can be no larger than 4 megabytes.
• For this year, we recommend designing posters in the landscape format because they can be shown on-screen without zooming-out as much as in the portrait format.
• your university
• whether you were a graduate (i.e., Masters or Doctoral level) or undergraduate (i.e., Bachelor level) when the work was done
• confirm that you are either currently registered in an academic program full-time, or will return to be a student in the upcoming 180 days (starting submission deadline).

(Optional) Apply for a Gary Marsden Travel Award

Students may apply for a Gary Marsden Travel Award at the Gary Marsden Travel Award page. Note that the Travel Award’s application deadline is on 9 January. It is possible to apply before submitting to the Student Research Competition.

Metadata Integrity

All submission metadata, including required fields in PCS like author names, affiliations, and order, must be complete and correct by the submission deadline.  This information is crucial to the integrity of the review process and author representation .  No changes to metadata after this deadline will be allowed.

Accessibility

Authors are strongly encouraged to work on improving the accessibility of their submissions before peer review begins, using recommendations found in the Guide to an Accessible Submission for their paper and in the technical requirements for video content for their video. For any questions or concerns about creating accessible submissions, please contact the Accessibility Chairs at [email protected] .

Submissions will be evaluated by a minimum of three reviewers according to the ACM Student Research Competition scoring system :

• Problem and motivation: 5 points
• Background and related work: 5 points
• Approach and uniqueness: 10 points
• Results and contribution: 10 points
• Total possible score: 30 points

The official publication date is the date the proceedings are made available in the ACM Digital Library. This date may be up to two weeks prior to the first day of the conference. The official publication date affects the deadline for any patent filings related to published work.

Confidentiality of submissions is maintained during the review process. All rejected submissions will be kept confidential in perpetuity. All submitted materials for accepted submissions will be kept confidential until the start of the conference or the release of conference abstracts in the ACM Digital Library, with the exception of title and author information which will be published on the website prior to the conference. Submissions should not contain sensitive, private, or proprietary information that cannot be disclosed at publication time.

Up to twenty-five submissions in total will be chosen to participate in the competition at CHI 2024.

Upon Acceptance of Your Student Research Competition

Student Research Competition abstracts will be archived in the ACM Digital Library. Publishing in the Student Research Competition will not constrain future submissions (e.g., as a conference paper or a journal article). Your abstract and poster are not considered to be a prior publication of the work for the purposes of a future conference or journal publication.

Authors of all accepted submissions will receive instructions on how to submit the publication-ready copy of their abstract. Deadline and instructions regarding publication-ready submissions are emailed to accepted authors. This email will also contain instructions of how to notify the Student Research Competition and Accessibility Chairs of any necessary accommodations. Authors will also receive instructions by email about poster design for presentation at the conference.

Contact authors of accepted papers will receive instructions on how to prepare and submit a final version by the Publication-Ready Deadline. If the authors are unable to meet these requirements by the Publication-Ready deadline, the venue Chairs will be notified and may be required to remove the paper from the program.

The publication-ready version has to follow the LaTeX and Word templates from ACM. Should you need technical assistance, please direct your technical query to: [email protected] .

At the Conference

The first round of the competition evaluates the research during a poster presentation at CHI.

The poster presentation will be evaluated by multiple judges according to the ACM Student Research Competition scoring system :

• Oral presentation: 10 points
• Visual presentation: 10 points
• Research methods: 15 points
• Significance of contribution: 10 points
• Total possible score: 45 points

Based on the results from the poster session, the judges will select three submissions for each category to advance to the second round. During the second round, students will have the opportunity to give a short presentation of their research followed by a question and answer session, which will be evaluated by a panel of judges according to the ACM Student Research Competition scoring system :

• Knowledge of research area: 15 points
• Contribution of research: 10 points
• Presentation: 10 points
• Total possible score: 35 points

Winners will be announced during the closing plenary.

In-person attendance

The CHI 2024 Student Research Competition relies on in-person attendance, so that all students can benefit most from the experience.  Accepted submissions are expected to attend CHI 2024 to participate in the Student Research Competition. If you have an exceptional circumstance which prevents your in-person attendance, please contact the Chairs.

Competition Reviewers

The following reviewers from across the CHI community were convened to discuss finalists’ presentations and select the finalist:

• Alan Angeluci, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
• Syed Arshad, Data61, CSIRO, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Mark Billinghurst, Data61, CSIRO, Auckland, New Zealand
• Alessandro Bozzon, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
• Stephen Brewster, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
• Laura Cabrera-Quiros, Costa Rican Institute of Technology, Cartago, Costa Rica
• Gustavo Calixto, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
• Lamogha Chiazor, IBM Research, Hursley, United Kingdom,
• Elizabeth Churchill, Google LLC, San Francisco, California, United States
• César Collazos, Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia
• Benjamin Cowan, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
• Cleidson de Souza, UFPA, Belem, PA, Brazil
• Philip Doyle, IBM, Dublin, Ireland
• Sindhu Kiranmai Ernala, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
• Thomas Eskridge, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, United States
• Jeanette Falk, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
• Juliana França, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• André Freire, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG, Brazil
• Julian Frommel, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
• Laura Sanely Gaytán-Lugo, Universidad de Colima, Colima, Mexico
• David Geerts, KU Leuven Digital Society Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• Carla Griggio, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Ridhima Gupta, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
• Jesus Gutiérrez, Grupo de Tratamiento de Imágenes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
• Valeria Herskovic, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
• Katherine Isbister, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States
• Matt Jones, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom
• Esther Kang, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
• Keeheon Lee, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
• Minha Lee, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
• Jie Li, Global Research Institute, EPAM, Hoofddorp, Netherlands
• Eddy Zexin Liang, Apple Inc. (AIML), Seattle, Washington, United States
• Gustavo Lopez, University of Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica
• Leticia Machado, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
• Sven Mayer, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
• Gonzalo Mendez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
• Pejman Mirza-Babaei, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
• Michael Muller, IBM Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
• Philippe Palanque, ICS-IRIT, University Paul Sabatier – Toulouse III, Toulouse, France
• Roberto Pereira, Federal University of Paraná, Brazil
• Pablo Perez, XR Lab, Nokia, Madrid, Spain
• Mark Perry, Brunel University, United Kingdom
• Aaron Quigley, Science Director and Deputy Director, CSIRO’s Data61, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Amon Rapp, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
• Pedro Reynolds-Cuéllar, MIT, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
• Kamila Rodrigues, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
• Asreen Rostami, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
• Luciana Salgado, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Saiph Savage, Northeastern University, Boston, United States
• Stephan Schlögl, The Entrepreneurial University, Innsbruck, Austria
• Kelsea Schulenberg, Clemson University, South Carolina, United States
• Harish Varma Siravuri, Northern Illinois University, Illinois, United States
• Jean Song, DGIST, Daegu, Republic of Korea
• Arthur Theil, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Kaisa Väänänen, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
• Paula Veske, Imec and Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
• Vinoba Vinayagamoorthy, Samsung, London, United Kingdom
• Marisol Wong-Villacres, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador
• Chengyuan Xu, University of California, California, United States
• Cheng Yao, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
• Hye Jun Youn, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, United States
• Xinjia Yu, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

After the Conference

The first-place winners from each category will advance to the ACM Grand Finals of the Student Research Competition where the winners of several ACM conferences compete for more prizes and recognition. Accepted Student Research Competition abstracts will be distributed in the CHI Conference Extended Abstracts. They will be placed in the ACM Digital Library , where they will remain accessible to thousands of researchers and practitioners worldwide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I submit to the Student Research Competition and submit the same work in parallel with other tracks (e.g., Late-breaking work)?

For each work, authors must choose only one track and submit their submissions to a single track. Any concurrent submissions must be declared and should follow ACM policies on Redundant Publication or Self-Plagiarism . Any duplicate submissions across tracks will be rejected.

Can high school students submit to Student Research Competition?

Unfortunately, no. CHI Student Research Competition follows ACM Student Research Competition rules that limits the participants to undergraduate and graduate students.

Can I reuse the content of my Student Research Competition paper in my future paper?

The copyright of the content in the Extended Abstracts is typically retained by the authors, not assigned to the ACM. Thus, the authors may reuse their content.

Suppose the authors plan to reuse the content as a part of their future paper. In that case, we recommend reaching out to the paper chairs or editors of the target venue to clarify the re-publishability early on. Their decision will depend on the policies at the time of your future submission. For the CHI conferences, relevant policies are the ACM policies on Prior Publication and Simultaneous Submissions , Guidelines and Criteria for Evaluation of Submissions for ACM Publications , and Policy on Plagiarism, Misrepresentation, and Falsification .

According to these policies, as of 2024, material published in a semi-archival, widely disseminated publication, such as the CHI Extended Abstracts, should not be republished unless the work has been “significantly” revised. A significant revision would contain at least 25% unpublished material and amplify or clarify the original material. These are subjective measures left to the interpretation of the reviewers and committee members – authors are wise to revise well beyond the Policy guidelines. Whenever submitting material that has partially appeared in a widely disseminated publication, it is good practice to cite the prior publication and explicitly state the differences between the new and prior material.

Table of Contents

Quick Facts Important Dates Submission Details Selection Process Message from the Chairs Eligibility and Guidelines Funding Prizes and Awards Preparing and Submitting Gary Marsden Travel Award Selection Process Upon Acceptance At the Conference Competition Reviewers After the Conference FAQs

Student Research Competition Chairs

Pablo Cesar, Heloisa Candello [email protected]

© 2024 | ACM SIGCHI - ACM Privacy Policy

Congratulations to the Regeneron Science Talent Search Finalists!

The Society and Regeneron are thrilled to name the top 10 winners of the Research Science Talent Search 2024.

• Meet the Winners
• Read the Press Release
• Visit the Virtual Public Exhibition of Projects
• Watch the Awards Ceremony

Join us at the Regeneron STS Award Ceremony

Tune in to our YouTube Channel TONIGHT (Tuesday, March 12) at 8 p.m. Eastern to find out who wins the top $250,000 award.

Learn about all of our finalists at the Virtual Public Exhibition of Projects.   Meet the next generation of STEM leaders who are using their creativity and intellect to uncover solutions to some of the world’s largest challenges.

Top 40 Press Release Top 300 Scholars

Congratulations Regeneron STS 2024 Finalists!

Society for Science and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. congratulate the 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2024, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The finalists are competing for more than $1.8 million, with a top prize of $250,000.

The 40 finalists were selected from 300 scholars and 2,162 entrants, the largest pool of applicants since the 1960s, based on the originality and creativity of their scientific research as well as their achievement and leadership both inside and outside of the classroom.

Meet the Finalists

View the Press Release

Congratulations to the 2024 Regeneron STS Top 300 Scholars!

Society for Science  proudly announces the top 300 scholars in the  Regeneron Science Talent Search  2024, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Scholars were selected from an applicant pool of 2,162 applications from 712 high schools across 46 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and ten other countries.

Check out the list of scholars

The Nation’s Oldest and Most Prestigious Science and Mathematics Competition

Regeneron STS is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science research competition for high school students. Started in 1942 as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, Regeneron STS recognizes and empowers our nation’s most promising young scientists who are developing ideas that could solve society’s most urgent challenges.

Each year, thousands of students enter Regeneron STS, submitting original research in critically important scientific fields of study. Unique among high school competitions, Regeneron STS focuses on identifying, inspiring, and engaging the most promising scientists among the nation’s high school seniors.

How to Compete:

Official Rules

Application Requirements

For Educators and Mentors

Spread the Word!

Important dates for sts 2024, sts application period.

June 1 – November 8, 2023

Top 300 Scholars Announced

January 10, 2024

Top 40 Finalists Announced

January 24, 2024

Regeneron STS Finals Week

March 6-13, 2024

Public Exhibition of Projects

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Winners Announced at Awards Ceremony

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Regeneron STS 2025 Application to Open June 1, 2024!

High school seniors living in the United States, and US citizens living abroad, who have completed independent research projects are encouraged to apply online for the chance to win up to $250,000!

The 2025 application will open June 1, 2024 and close November 7, 2024.

Watch our 2023/2024 Webinar Series!

View helpful information still relevant for the 2024/2025 season. Sign up for our webinar series and links will be emailed to you 30 minutes prior to each session.

• August 8 at 4pm ET: Early Bird Tips for Getting Ahead on Your Application!
• September 14 at 8pm ET: What is a Future Leader in STEM? Identifying Tomorrow’s Leaders through STS
• October 18 at 8pm: Show Me Your Application—Tips from Finalists, Judges, Evaluators, Rules Readers and more!
• November 2 at 8pm ET: Advice from Last Year’s Winners!

Meet the 2023 Finalists

Visit the Virtual Project Exhibition of Projects to learn about the top 40 finalists from this past year’s competition, view their project videos and more!

Meet the 2023 Top 300 Scholars !

Need More Information About Regeneron STS?

Get program updates by e-mail.

Congratulations Regeneron STS 2023 Top Winners

Regeneron and Society for Science announced the top ten winners of the Regeneron Science Talent Search, headed by Neel Mougdal, 17, of Saline, Michigan, who won the $250,000 top award.

• Press Release
• Video: Awards Ceremony
• Virtual Public Exhibition of Projects
• Finalist Book
• Video: STS 2023 Highlights

Kamisi Adetunji, Regeneron STS Finalist 2023

“ Regeneron STS validated my place in research and science as a whole and allowed me to realize that I have potential and a future in the field. Although I had an idea of what I wanted my future career to be, STS, and Finals Week in particular, allowed me to see that my path does not have to be linear. It boosted my passion for science and intensified my curious mindset. I am incredibly grateful for Regeneron STS! “

Diego Suchenski Loustaunau, Regeneron STS Finalist 2023

“ Regeneron STS is life-changing. There is no better program, and there are no better people to do it with. The people are the real prize. Showing that your humanity is as strong as your research is the key to success in STS. “

Nyasha Nyoni, Regeneron STS Finalist 2022

“ I believe students should apply to STS because STS is such a great opportunity to showcase your scientific research and meet like-minded, passionate students who love science! “

Atreyus Bhavsar, Regeneron STS Finalist 2022

“ Students should apply to the Regeneron STS because it is an amazing opportunity to build community with some of the hardest-working student scientists. I encourage those to apply to the Regeneron STS while keeping in mind that you do not need to be the smartest in the room to apply, but instead the dedicated and passionate about science. “

Heloise Hoffman, Regeneron STS Finalist 2022

“Not only did I gain incredible connections to cutting-edge researchers and the opportunity to meet with some of the most impactful scientists of our time, but I also made lifelong friendships with other like-minded students passionate about their work. Though STS is at its core a competition, nothing about our camaraderie felt competitive because we all felt so motivated by each other’s accomplishments and passions! I feel a renewed invigoration to follow my love for research to make a positive impact on the world, specifically in the curing of rare diseases.”

Carol Bauer, 1942 Westinghouse Science Talent Search

“At the time, majoring in engineering was a daring choice. My experience with the Westinghouse Science Talent Search gave me the confidence to make this decision.”

Amber Yang, 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search

“The Science Talent Search is arguably the most reputable science competition for high schoolers in the entire world.”

From the Society Blog

Into the future: How 6 Regeneron STS finalists are answering big questions with AI

High school seniors win $1.8 million at regeneron science talent search 2024 for innovative scientific research on artificial intelligence, cancer metabolism and mathematical optimization.

Insights from 7 Regeneron STS finalists at the Public Exhibition of Projects

Our Sponsor: Regeneron

In 2016, Regeneron made a generous commitment to serve as the exclusive partner for the Science Talent Search through 2027. Together, we are helping the nation identify, encourage and reward talented high school seniors in their pursuit of excellence in science, math, engineering, and medicine.

Science Talent Search alumni have gone on to receive some of the world’s most esteemed academic honors, including 11 National Medals of Science, five Breakthrough Prizes, 18 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, two Fields Medals, and 13 Nobel Prizes. They have founded top science-based companies and invented groundbreaking new medical treatments.

Have a Question?

Secondary Menu

Q&a with undergraduate research project competition winner ryan mitchell, april 3, 2024.

Trinity Communications

Statistical Science undergraduate student Ryan Mitchell was a winner of the 2023 Fall Undergraduate Statistics Research Project Competition, earning 3 rd place among all submissions.

Mitchell — whose advisor was Assistant Professor of the Practice  Yue Jiang — will graduate this Spring with a double major in Computer Science and Statistical Science with a concentration in Data Science.

Undergraduate students can submit individual or group projects that were written for a statistics or data science course to the Undergraduate Statistics Class Project Competition ( USCLAP ), which has separate categories for introductory and intermediate level work. Alternatively, they might submit a spring semester or year-long research project to the Undergraduate Statistics Research Project Competition ( USRESP ). The deadline for both competitions is Friday, June 24.  Details on submission requirements can be found here .

We sat down with Ryan to find out more about his project and experience.

This interview has been lightly edited for content and clarity.

How did you get involved in the project?

I wrote this paper as my final project for STA440: Case Studies with Professor Jiang. Any time I get an open-ended assignment like this, I always find it fun to incorporate my other interests into it — and since I’m the biggest reality TV junkie I know, it was a no-brainer to write a paper on my all-time favorite show, Big Brother. The crossover between these shows and statistics/data visualization is undeniably my niche.

Were there particular courses that prepared you for this project?

I think the pride and joy of most of the statistical work I’ve done both inside and outside of Duke is the data visualization — I love this creative side of statistics, and I spend probably way too much time refining the tiniest details of my graphics. Because of that, I’d say STA313: Advanced Data Visualization with Professor of the Practice Çetinkaya-Rundel was great preparation for me. It also is my favorite class I’ve taken in the Stats department. 

What advice would you give to students who want to get involved in research?

Don’t let it be a chore… Researching a topic you have genuine interest in can be a very rewarding experience, and you’ll be able to look back at it when you’re done and be like “wow, that was really cool.” I think a big reason why my project did well in this competition is because my love for the topic shone through in my work.

What interested you in the Statistical Science major with a concentration in data science?

My passion for statistics really does date back to my early childhood days. There was something about seeing a number, any number, that just fascinated me. I learned to use numbers as my storytelling devices, just like authors use words. This infatuation led to me develop a lot of niche interests over the years, like analyzing music data/the Billboard charts and, of course, applying statistical methods to reality competition shows. I applied to Duke knowing I wanted to be a Stats major and that has never changed.

What are your plans after graduation?

After graduation, I’ll be heading to New York City to work as a customer data analyst at Intuit Mailchimp, a company I’ve been interning at for almost a year now. Down the line in my career, I have aspirations of working as a data analyst in the entertainment industry — be it television, movies, music, or the like — so I can incorporate passion projects like this one into my daily life.

The 2023 Fall Undergraduate Statistics Research Project Competition was sponsored by CAUSE (The Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education) and the American Statistical Association. Information about the competition can be found on the   Causeweb website.  

Related Articles

• Our Mission
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• International Recognition
• Department History
• Past Recipients
• Considering a Statistical Science major at Duke?
• Careers for Statisticians
• Typical Pathways
• Applied Electives for BS
• Interdepartmental Majors
• Minor in Statistical Science
• Getting Started with Statistics
• Student Learning Outcomes
• Study Abroad
• Course Help & Tutoring
• Past Theses
• Research Teams
• Independent Study
• Transfer Credit
• Conference Funding for Research
• Statistical Science Majors Union
• Duke Actuarial Society
• Duke Sports Analytics Club
• Trinity Ambassadors
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Summer Session Courses
• How to Apply
• Financial Support
• Graduate Placements
• Living in Durham
• Preliminary Examination
• Dissertation
• English Language Requirement
• TA Guidelines
• Progress Toward Completion
• Ph.D. Committees
• Terminal MS Degree
• Student Governance
• Program Requirements
• PhD / Research
• Data Science & Analytics
• Health Data Science
• Finance & Economics
• Marketing Research & Business Analytics
• Social Science & Policy
• Admission Statistics
• Master's Thesis
• Portfolio of Work
• Capstone Project
• Statistical Science Proseminar
• Primary Faculty
• Secondary Faculty
• Visiting Faculty
• Postdoctoral Fellows
• Ph.D. Students
• M.S. Students
• Theory, Methods, and Computation
• Interdisciplinary Collaborations
• Statistical Consulting Center
• Alumni Profiles
• For Current Students
• Assisting Duke Students
• StatSci Alumni Network
• Ph.D. Student - Alumni Fund
• Our Ph.D. Alums
• Our M.S. Alums
• Our Undergrad Alums
• Our Postdoc Alums

Undergraduate Statistics Project Competition and Electronic Undergraduate Statistics Research Conference

The Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (CAUSE)  and the  American Statistical Association  are happy to announce the 2023-24 undergraduate statistics project competition (USPROC). The purpose of USPROC is to encourage the development of statistics and data science skills, to enhance presentation skills, and to recognize outstanding work by undergraduate statistics and data science students.

There are two submission cycles this academic year. The  first submission deadline  is  Wednesday, December 20th, 2023,  and is for class and research projects happening in summer/fall 2023. The  second deadline  of  Friday, June 21st, 2024  is for winter/spring courses and projects, and for year-long projects. Winners will be announced within 2-3 months of the submission deadlines.

There are two main categories for submissions to the competition:

• Undergraduate Statistics Class Project Competition ( USCLAP ):  This competition is for undergraduate students who are taking a statistics/data science course at the introductory or intermediate level, in which a class project is part of the course work (either required or optional). Project submissions are a short report/paper (up to 3 pages). When submitting, a project needs to be entered with one of two levels:
• Introductory Level : A data-focused project that was completed as part of their first course in statistics or data science (with no statistics or data science prerequisite course), with or without a calculus prerequisite.
• Intermediate Level : A data-focused project that was completed as part of a second (or third) course in applied statistics OR as part of a Datafest competition.
• Undergraduate Statistics Research Project Competition ( USRESP ):  This competition is for undergraduate students who conduct research projects related to statistics or data science, either methodological or applied. The types of research projects may include research work from summer REU research projects, senior-level research projects (part of coursework), or independent research projects (e.g. honors, capstone) that are not based on a specific course that students are taking. Project submissions are a paper (up to 20 pages).

General Rules:

• A student can be an author of only one project submitted to each competition (USRESP and USCLAP). Multiple submissions from the same student (as the corresponding author or a co-author) to either competition (USRESP or USCLAP) is not allowed.
• A project can only be submitted to one of USRESP or USCLAP --- not both. Projects can only be submitted to the competition once.
• If fewer than 5 submissions are received in a category, then these submissions will be rolled into the next round of submissions.
• Faculty sponsors with more than 3 submissions in a category may be contacted as part of the evaluation process of their students' submissions.

The Electronic Undergraduate Statistics Research Conference (eUSR) , which runs each fall, is a FREE online conference where undergraduate statistics & data science students present their work, learn more about careers in statistics & data science, and acquire valuable information about applying to, and succeeding in, graduate school. All undergraduate students and faculty are invited to attend.  For more information click here .

Sponsored by:

Research management

Sponsored by

Tactics for leading and engaging students in research competitions

Research competitions can motivate, encourage and inspire students, but we must align their expectations and encourage teamwork throughout the project

• More on this topic

Elsevier helps researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society.

Discover elsevier.

Created in partnership with

You may also like

Popular resources

.css-1txxx8u{overflow:hidden;max-height:81px;text-indent:0px;} Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn?

A diy guide to starting your own journal, universities, ai and the common good, artificial intelligence and academic integrity: striking a balance, create an onboarding programme for neurodivergent students.

Research project competitions are valuable teamwork exercises that help develop students’ scientific and creative mindsets – in addition to the encouragement they will glean from being merited and recognised. I recently supervised a team that was successful  at both the Asia-Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance Awards and the Hong Kong ICT Awards.

For academics, managing a research project competition is a lengthy exercise that requires effective planning and execution. Students’ continued motivation and engagement, in particular, are crucial for success. As such, when supervising such a project, aligning all team members in terms of enthusiasm and commitment to the objectives is essential – but also challenging. This resource shares advice for leading a diverse group of students toward project success.

Challenges of project supervision

From the initial identification of a focus area through to topic research, execution, monitoring, results, evaluation and conclusions, the key challenges you are likely to come across during research project supervision are:  

• Incentives, motivation and teamwork: To attract talented students to commit to a project competition, well-balanced incentives that are perceived to fairly recognise student contribution and individual effort are needed. This can be challenging. Students tend to lose some of their interest in and dedication to a project when facing difficulty and/or failure. Also crucial is the creation and nurturing of a motivated, hard-working team, and for this the elimination of potential freeloaders is critical.
• Student capability:  Each student has their own abilities and strengths, which might include domain-specific technology, management skills or social networking. Identifying and leveraging these can be difficult, especially for long-term competitions.
• Project coordination:  Conflicts and disputes often occur at various stages of a competition, including during ideation, execution, preparation, group presentations and even during the award-winning stages. In order for effective project coordination, the supervisor needs to play a leading role and take charge in the event of disagreement.
• Time management:  Many students find it hard to cope with their academic studies while also devoting themselves to a project competition. This can lead to undesirable outcomes that could include withdrawal from the project or study probation.

Bringing students on board

Student involvement is usually due to a mixture of voluntary participation and recommendations and may result in a team comprising both undergraduates and postgraduates with a range of expertise and abilities. For example, our Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) team for the aforementioned successful research project “ Mutual Cognitive Human-Robot Collaborative Manufacturing System ” comprised undergraduate and postgraduate students.

In this case, one undergraduate team member had performed very strongly in an inter-department final-year project and was recommended to join the project on this basis, while another strongly self-motivated student volunteered to participate under the university’s undergraduate research and innovation scheme. In consideration of their areas of expertise, two PhD students also joined the team, with each member’s abilities complementing the others.

Understanding and anticipating student concerns

Common student concerns over participating in such a competition often include the following: what benefits can I obtain from the project? What are the consequences if I cannot meet the supervisor’s expectations? How much time do I need to spend on this project? Why is the project important for my future study and career?

It is therefore useful to prepare for such questions, and others, in terms of having a clear idea of how to sell the positives to a busy student who might be on the fence about taking part. When subsequently briefing students, it’s important for them to reaffirm their dedication for the entirety of the project and seek departmental and other supervisors’ approval, as well as for you to ensure your own expectations and those of the students align.

Finding the right research topic

In devising a research topic, it’s advisable to leverage any support that can be provided by expert facilities on campus. In addition, an understanding of government policy and state-of-the-art research trends can certainly help align a team’s research needs. In our case, the Research Group of AI for Industrial Digital Servitisation was already established for industrial technology research. Therefore, the team’s research topic, which centred on collaborative human-robot manufacturing systems, fitted in with both an established research facility on campus and with government policy to promote industrial technology.

Ensuring effective time management

Effective time management plays a key role in determining whether students can handle their own academic study and project duties at the same time. To this end, you might use the “stage gate” project management method. This breaks down large projects into a number of stages or “gates”. When the team reaches the next gate, the work carried out on it is reviewed before a decision is made on whether the project is ready to move to the next stage. This is an excellent way not only to monitor progress but ensure quality.

Making adjustments

To be able to effectively adjust the progress of a project, from the start it is useful to apply a management model for control and continual improvement. The four-stage Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, can be useful here:

• Planning :  Adopt a long-term vision and goal when devising a plan and programme of adjustment for the project. A supervisor’s primary role is to focus on macro issues and ensure the project is progressing on the right track.
• Testing :  Conduct a pilot study and, based on preliminary results, make appropriate changes.
• Checking :  Review test results conducted by students and identify a critical path or workflow for them to follow.
• Target-oriented action:  Set concise, clearly defined goals for students to achieve, along with specific deadlines and relevant deliverables.

Efficient research project management creates an environment within which effective teamwork, constructive sharing and meaningful collaboration together comprise the drivers for achieving the desired outcome. Even for a science research project, adopting a business management process for solving problems and managing change is highly useful for keeping students motivated and engaged, and ultimately for project success. 

Zheng Pai is assistant professor in the department of industrial and systems engineering at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is also the principal investigator of the Research Group of AI for Industrial Digital Servitisation.

If you found this interesting and want advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,  sign up for the THE Campus newsletter .

Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn?

Global perspectives: navigating challenges in higher education across borders, how to help young women see themselves as coders, contextual learning: linking learning to the real world, authentic assessment in higher education and the role of digital creative technologies, how hard can it be testing ai detection tools.

Register for free

and unlock a host of features on the THE site

• Venue: Virtual Event
• Sponsorship Details
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Code of Conduct
• Student Support
• Registration
• Author Information
• Presenter Information
• Complete Program
• Your Program
• Artifact Evaluation
• Doctoral Symposium
• Industry Showcase
• Journal-first Papers
• Late Breaking Results
• Research Papers
• Social/Networking
• Student Research Competition
• Student Volunteers
• Tool Demonstrations
• [Workshop] A-Mobile
• [Workshop] ASE4Games 2021
• [Workshop] AeSIR 2021
• [Workshop] HCSE&CS
• [Workshop] IWoR2021
• [Workshop] NLP-SEA
• [Workshop] RAISE2021
• [Workshop] SUSTAIN-SE
• ASE 2021 Committees
• Organizing Committee
• Track Committees
• Artifact Evaluation Chair
• Program Committee
• Doctoral Symposium Chair
• Industry showcases Chair
• Late Breaking Results Chair
• NIER Chairs
• Research Papers Chair
• Student Research Competition Chair
• Tool Demonstrations Chair
• Contributors
• People Index
• Past Editions

Student Research Competition ASE 2021

Accepted papers.

The ACM Student Research Competition (SRC) offers undergraduate and graduate students a unique forum to showcase their research, exchange ideas, and improve their communication skills while competing for prizes at ASE 2021. The ASE SRC consists of a research abstract submission and a presentation competition during the conference. The winners of the competition at the ASE conference will get prizes and the first-place winners will be invited to participate in the ACM Student Research Competition Grand Finals to compete with winners from SRC held at other conferences during the calendar year.

Call for Contributions

Eligibility.

• To participate in the Student Research Competition (SRC), you must be an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing an academic degree at the time of initial submission.
• If you are considering submitting your existing work to SRC which has accepted or is currently under review in other venues or other tracks, we encourage you to add some novel parts other than the existing content to be considered in the competition.
• Supervisors of the work may not be listed as co-authors; for the competition, you should submit a single-authored version of your work.

How to Participate: Submit a Research Abstract

To participate in the competition, you should submit an extended research abstract related to the main ASE themes. The extended research abstract should discuss:

• research problem and motivation for the work
• background and related work
• approach and uniqueness
• results and contributions

The extended abstract must not exceed 2 pages, including all text, appendices, and figures. An additional third page is permitted only if it contains only references.  All submissions must be in PDF format and conform, at time of submission, to the IEEE Conference Proceedings Formatting Guidelines (title in 24pt font and full text in 10pt type, LaTeX users must use \documentclass[10pt,conference]{IEEEtran} without including the compsoc or compsocconf option).

You must submit your SRC research abstract electronically using the submission page:  ASE 2021 SRC HotCRP submission site . The review process is single-blind, i.e., the author names are visible to the reviewers.

The SRC committee members will review the submissions and select students to participate in the competition. Submissions that are accepted to the competition will be published in the ASE conference proceedings.

Competition: Presentation

If you are selected to participate in the competition, you will be invited to give a short presentation of your research to a panel of judges, which will take place virtually at ASE 2021. You will present a poster describing your work to conference attendees and leading experts in the Software Engineering field, including the SRC committee. Judges will review the posters and discuss the research with participants. After each presentation, there will be a brief question-and-answer session. The judges will evaluate the novelty and significance of your research, and the quality of your presentation, including your poster and the discussion around it. Your evaluation will be based on your knowledge of your research area, the contribution of your research, and the quality of your oral and visual presentation.

Prizes and SRC Grand Finals

The top three winners in each category (undergraduate and graduate) will be recognized during the conference and will receive prizes of US$500, US$300, and US$200, respectively.

The first-place winners of the ASE SRC are invited to compete with winners from other conferences in the ACM Student Research Competition Grand Finals. A separate panel of judges will evaluate all SRC Grand Final participants via the Web. Three undergraduate and three graduate students will be chosen as the SRC Grand Finals winners. They will be invited, along with their advisors, to the annual ACM Awards Banquet, where they will receive formal recognition.

After acceptance, the list of paper authors can not be changed under any circumstances and the list of authors on camera-ready papers must be identical to those on submitted papers. After acceptance paper titles can not be changed except by permission of the Track Chairs, and only then when referees recommended a change for clarity or accuracy with paper content.

SRC Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I am a PhD student. Am I eligible to participate in the SRC?

Yes. As a PhD student, you will compete in the Graduate category of the competition.

Q: What criteria will be used to evaluate the poster and conference presentations?

The judges will assess the poster presentations using the following criteria: Oral presentation, Visual presentation, Research methods, and Significance of contribution. For the conference presentation, the evaluation criteria are Knowledge of research area, Contribution of research, and Presentation.

Q: My research is not related to software engineering or any of the main themes of the ASE conference. Can I still participate in the Student Research Competition?

Yes, but not at ASE. To participate in the competition at ASE, your research needs to be related to the main themes of the ASE conference (see the topics for the main conference track). If your research is not among the topics relevant for ASE, please check the list of  current SRC calls  to find a conference that is better related.

Q: Does my extended abstract get published in the proceedings?

It depends if you are interested to publish your extended abstract. We will shortlist a list of accepted extended abstracts and the interested authors can submit their camera-ready before the camera-ready deadline to be able to publish their research. Or you can just decide to participate in the competition without publishing your research.

Additional Information

For additional information, consult the  ACM Student Research Competition  website or contact the ASE SRC chairs  Dr Xuan Bach D. Le and Dr Catia Trubiani

Program Display Configuration

Tue 16 nov displayed time zone: hobart change.

Xuan Bach D. Le Student Research Competition Chair

The university of melbourne.

Catia Trubiani Student Research Competition Chair

Gran sasso science institute.

Barbora Buhnova

Masaryk university.

Christos Tsigkanos

Ferdian Thung

Singapore management university.

Gabriele Bavota

Software institute, usi università della svizzera italiana, switzerland.

Grace Lewis

Carnegie mellon software engineering institute, united states.

Leonardo Mariani

University of milano-bicocca.

Martina Maggio

Saarland university, germany / lund university, sweden.

Quang Loc Le

University college london, united kingdom.

Radu Calinescu

University of york, uk.

Sergey Mechtaev

Toby Murray

University of melbourne.

Weiyi Shang

Concordia university.

Huawei Software Engineering Application Technology Lab

Queens University, Kingston, Canada

Upcoming Summer 2024 Application Deadline is May 12, 2024.  

Click here to apply.

Featured Posts

10 Software Engineering Programs for High School Students

8 ICEF Conferences You Should Be Attending as an Educational Consultant

11 Ways to Use AI Ethically in the College Admissions Process

NYU's Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) - Our Review

10 Animation Summer Programs for High School Students

Discovery to Cure (DTC) High School Internship - Is It Worth It?

PCACAC's 2024 Conference - Should You Attend It?

RMACAC's Conference in 2024 - Should You Attend?

CEISMC's Summer P.E.A.K.S Program At Georgia Tech - Is It Worth It?

10 Kinesiology Summer Programs for High School Students

15 Research Competitions for High School Students

Students benefit from participating in research competitions in a variety of ways, including learning how to present their findings and gaining experience in an important field of their interest. Competitions are not only a strong extracurricular activity, but reaching the finals can also help students earn college scholarships. Being a significant achievement, it may even open opportunities, such as laying the groundwork for a career in research and helping one land an internship.

It also aids them in becoming competitive candidates for college admissions by demonstrating students' intellectual prowess and capacity to work on a rigorous project, either individually or as part of a team. Even if they don't win or place in the competition, students can use their participation to demonstrate what they have learned about their chosen academic field and how they have explored their passion for the discipline.

In this post, we have compiled a list of 15 well-respected research competitions that are sure to boost your high school profile.

Here are 15 Research Competitions for High School Students:

1. Regeneron Science Talent Search

This talent hunt, which began in 1942 as a program of the Society for Science & the Public (the Society), is widely regarded as the nation's most renowned high school science research competition. Young scientists present their original findings to a panel of nationally recognized professional scientists as part of the competition. 300 Regeneron STS scholars are chosen from 1,800 applicants, and they and their schools are each granted $2,000. From the group of scholars, forty finalists are chosen, who get an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and compete for another $1.8 million in prizes, including a top prize of $250,000.

2. MIT THINK Scholars Program

Most research competitions require participants to have already completed the project, but the THINK program is different in that students only need to have completed background research for a project in the science, technology, or engineering fields before applying. Those whose projects are selected receive $1,000 funding and mentorship from MIT students. They also get a paid trip to MIT's campus to meet professors in their field of research, tour labs, and attend MIT's xFair. Students in grades 9th to 12th are eligible.

3. Google Science Fair

Students aged 13 to 18 submit science research ideas to be judged by a panel of scientists and experts in this competition. At various levels, victors are rewarded generous scholarships, cool gear, and unique opportunities such as internships. Past projects include battery-free lighting and wearable sensors to improve the safety of Alzheimer's patients.

4. AAN Neuroscience Research Prize

The nervous system/brain is the center of this competition, with students investigating and solving problems linked to it. Students do their own neuroscience research, which is evaluated based on its relevance to neuroscience, originality, data interpretation, and research reports. The competition is open to students in grades 9 through 12, and only individual entries are accepted.

5. Odyssey of the Mind

This challenge encourages high school students to think outside the box by identifying problems and developing innovative solutions. After a school or community group purchases membership, they qualify for the competition, which takes place at the regional, state, and national levels. The competition is open to students from grades 9th to 12th. 6. International BioGENEius Challenge

Recognizing outstanding research in biotechnology, this challenge gives students the opportunity to win cash awards for their work. Finalists present their research before a panel of expert biotech judges. Students receive the unique opportunity of being able to meet top industry professionals and gain valuable advice and insight on their projects.

7. Davidson Fellows

Students 18 and under who have completed a project in one of several subjects, including STEM, are eligible for the Davidson Fellows Scholarship, which awards $50,000, $25,000, and $10,000 scholarships. It's a prestigious and competitive scholarship to obtain, and the projects the recipients generate are frequently on par with those produced by college graduates. Research projects should "contribute a work that is acknowledged as an extraordinary accomplishment by experts in the field and has the potential to benefit society."

8. ExploraVision

The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision initiative is a competition for students to improve their STEM skills. Participants research a current technology and then envision what it will look like in 20 years, including development processes, benefits and drawbacks, and challenges. Students work in groups of 2-4 with the help of a teacher who serves as a mentor.

9. Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF)

As the premier science fair in the United States, Regeneron ISEF is one of the best-known high school science competitions. Even ranking within the top 100 is enough to help one's university application stand out.

Unlike Regeneron STS, students can't apply directly to the ISEF. Instead, they have to first participate in a regional science fair. Doing well there helps the student qualify for the next ISEF rounds. Key factors for winning include innovation and originality. To show originality for the ISEF, students need to tackle a problem that's interesting to the scientific community. It is important to have a good overview of academic science literature in the field that one's project is in, and it helps to have a professional academic scientist or engineer as a mentor.

10. Stemanities Research Competition

A national competition, this event invites students in their freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior year to conduct research in STEM and the humanities to develop a more sophisticated understanding of a topic. Stemanities is sponsored by the Institute for Biomedical Sciences, and finalists are invited to La Jolla, California to present their work and compete for monetary awards.

11. Destination ImagiNation

For students who have a penchant for problem solving, Destination ImagiNation helps one refine their critical thinking skills. An international competition for students in kindergarten through college, Destination ImagiNation teaches life skills while encouraging imagination, through problem solving, creativity, and research. In this competition, students work in groups of five to seven to develop solutions to Team Challenges.

12. Stockholm Junior Water Prize

Students compete in this competition to provide solutions to the world's present and future water problems. State winners receive a medal and an all-expenses-paid travel to the national competition at The Ohio State University. Previous winning themes at the state level include "Protecting the Aquatic Environment from Household Microfibers" and "Optimizing Straw Mulch Use in Agriculture." A $10,000 scholarship and a free ticket to the international competition in Stockholm, Sweden are awarded to the national winner. The international winner receives a prize of $15,000 for themselves and $5,000 for their school.

13. TOPPS Competition for High School Psychology Students

Students write a 3,000-word essay on a specific topic, using peer-reviewed psychological research. "Non-human animals in psychology" was the research theme for 2019. Four winners are selected for a prize of $250. Students from grades 9th to 12th are eligible to compete.

14. Clean Tech Competition

Students must identify a problem with our natural world and resource consumption that they wish to address, develop a sustainable solution, and submit a research paper to the judges as part of the Clean Tech Competition research and design challenge. There are no topic restrictions; entrants must just have one goal: to develop a long-term solution to an environmental problem.

Each team should consist of one to three students who must be between the ages of 15 and 18 at the time of submission. Following the submission of papers, the top 10 teams from the worldwide pool will be chosen to compete in the virtual global finals. They'll submit their research and prototypes to the judges and win cash awards, with the winning team receiving continued mentorship from an expert in their field.

15. Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

This scholarship competition encourages students to pursue research in the fields of science, engineering, technology, or mathematics. Students can submit their original research findings in front of a judging panel and their peers at the symposia. Furthermore, attending regional or national symposia provides students with a variety of opportunities, such as seminars, panel discussions, career exploration, research lab visits, and networking events.

How to select which research competition to participate in:

While the above list includes a number of prestigious competitions, it is definitely not exhaustive in nature. If you don't find one that fits what you're looking for, it is encouraged to find one that does, with careful research! Be sure to use your judgment when considering unknown competitions, and only select those that have ample information about them transparently available. Be sure to also look out for competitions that charge unnecessarily high fees to participate.

Typically, older and national competitions are better known and have a larger chance of standing out on college applications. It is also important to remember that a cash prize may not be the only criteria to decide on what competition is worth participating in. Several competitions also give out other benefits to winners, such as mentorships and invitations to conferences, each of which are equally important as a stepping stone in a student's research career aspirations.

Additionally, you can also work on independent research in AI to present at these competitions, through Veritas AI's Fellowship Program!

Veritas AI focuses on providing high school students who are passionate about the field of AI a suitable environment to explore their interests. The programs include collaborative learning, project development, and 1-on-1 mentorship.  

These programs are designed and run by Harvard graduate students and alumni and you can expect a great, fulfilling educational experience. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of Python or are recommended to complete the AI scholars program before pursuing the fellowship. 

The   AI Fellowship  program will have students pursue their own independent AI research project. Students work on their own individual research projects over a period of 12-15 weeks and can opt to combine AI with any other field of interest. In the past, students have worked on research papers in the field of AI & medicine, AI & finance, AI & environmental science, AI & education, and more! You can find examples of previous projects   here . 

Location : Virtual

$1,790 for the 10-week AI Scholars program

$4,900 for the 12-15 week AI Fellowship 

$4,700 for both

Need-based financial aid is available. You can apply   here . 

Application deadline : On a rolling basis. Applications for fall cohort have closed September 3, 2023. 

Program dates : Various according to the cohort

Program selectivity : Moderately selective

Eligibility : Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit past experience with AI concepts or Python.

Application Requirements: Online application form, answers to a few questions pertaining to the students background & coding experience, math courses, and areas of interest. 

One other option – Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you are interested in a selective, structured research program, consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program , a selective online high school program for students founded by Harvard and Oxford researchers. The program pairs you with a full-time researcher to develop your own independent research project, in any discipline of your choice. Last year over 1500 students applied to 500 slots in the research program! You can find the application form here.

WHAT IS THE HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC RESEARCH COMPETITION?

Running through March and April, SARC is more than just a contest—it’s a guided immersion into the research process, designed for experts and newcomers alike!

You’ll enroll in immersive workshops that guide you through the research process from beginning to end and prepare you for your own research proposal.

Participants compete with the sharpest young minds around the world. 

THE HIGH SCHOOL

Academic research, competition.

Due to popular demand, we've extended Registration for SARC 2024 till Sunday, April 21st!

RESEARCH TOPIC

SARC is unique in that participants can research any topic they want! This competition is not limited to the sciences. Your research topic can range from political science, art, and economics to engineering, history, or any other field of interest.

Researchers can choose a topic they’re passionate about, something they wish to dive deeper into, or something they want to study in university.

registrations open

registrations close

Submission of

assessment form

Participant-

exclusive bootcamps

Qualification Round

Winners announced

Video Pitch

submission deadline

Global Winners

WHAT ARE LAST YEAR'S WINNERS SAYING?

Yike Zhang, Top 10 Finalist, SARC 2023

“Participating in the High School Academic Research Competition (SARC) was a truly incredible and transformative experience for me. What made this competition stand out was its inclusive approach, which allowed participants to conduct research on any topic of their choice. Moreover, the admin team hosted informative bootcamps, gave access to academic research resources, and created a community of like-minded peers.”

Krishnaaram Muthukumaran, Top 10 Finalist, SARC 2023

“SARC was an amazing experience. The workshops conducted were invaluable in guiding me through the research journey as a beginner, from formulating a research question to crafting a proposal. The resources & workshops provided a solid foundation for understanding the research process. Connecting with equally motivated individuals worldwide made it a truly invaluable learning opportunity.”

EXCLUSIVE BOOTCAMPS

At SARC, we host participant exclusive bootcamps with experts in the field to prepare you for your research proposal and give you insight into this field.

Indigo Research is an online program that lets high school and graduate students research the topics that fascinate them. At Indigo, students build expertise, deepen their intellectual curiosity, and stand out on their college applications through advanced research. Over 300 students have worked with Indigo since 2019, and over 170 have achieved acceptance to Oxbridge and top 10 universities in the United States.

Crimson Global Academy (CGA) is an internationally accredited, world-class online private school delivering live, real-time learning to students all over the world, enabling them to earn university recognised qualifications through accelerated courses.

Crimson Education is the world's leading US, UK, EU and Postgrad admissions counselors. In 2013, it was founded by three students, including CEO Jamie Beaton who had just been accepted to 25 of the world's best universities. Our mission is to help students all over the world reach their ultimate university admissions goals.

SHEA Epi Project Competition

The Epi Project Competition will award up to $20,000 in grants for winning proposals to conduct studies that can shape our understanding of the transmission of healthcare-associated infections and identify the best prevention methods and implementation science. Questions should be sent to  [email protected] .

The SHEA Research Committee is seeking bright and dedicated early investigators in the field of healthcare epidemiology research. The Epi Project Competition will award up to $20,000 in grants for winning proposals for research to develop pilot data that supports the conduct of a future larger-scale research project, and the likelihood that a future project would attract additional funding support. Winning proposals are those that generate data that can shape our understanding of the transmission of healthcare-associated infections and identify the best prevention methods and implementation science.

Applications for 2024 have closed. Applicants will hear about their status in February 2024.

Prospective investigators should make note of the following milestones:

• Call for Proposals Opens: October 2024
• Proposal Submission Deadline: December 15, 2023.
• Epi Project Competition: In person April 16-19 at SHEA Spring 2024.

The Epi Project Competition winner will be announced during SHEA Spring 2024.

Who is eligible to compete?

• Early investigators with advanced healthcare degrees (MPH, PhD, PharmD, MD or similar degrees)
• Within 5 years of completion of training
• Must be registered for the SHEA Spring 2024 Conference

How do I submit a proposal?

Eligible proposals must include the following information:

• Applicant biographical sketch: brief description of the investigator’s qualifications to accomplish the work.
• Mentor biographical sketch
• Project name
• Specific aims and hypothesis or hypotheses (limit to 1 page)
• Background and significance of the project
• Description of research design, methods, analytic plan, and preliminary results (if any) not to exceed 750 words.
• Brief description of the environment (including mentors) where work will be done
• Research plan for how the pilot data will be used for future projects
• A budget estimating the costs to carry out the project. The budget must not exceed $20,000 with a brief justification of the line items included. Must not exceed 2 pages.

How are winners selected?

• Reviewers will evaluate and score all proposals (based on NIH criteria) received by the deadline. Reviewers may select up to five finalists to advance to the live competition at SHEA Spring 2024.
• Finalists selected to advance to the competition will receive a $1,500 stipend to assist with conference registration and travel expenses.
• Finalists must deliver a 3-5 minute oral presentation of their proposal at SHEA Spring 2024 which will be scored by an anonymous panel of judges.
• Winner(s) will be selected and announced based on the combined proposal submissions and oral presentation scores.
• Judges have the option of awarding multiple grants to multiple winners of the competition if more than one novel proposal meets or exceeds the expectations of the competition, and the combined budgets fall within the $20,000 award limit.
• Although use of the SHEA Research Network is strongly encouraged, eligible proposals are not required to use the SRN for their studies.

SHEA strives to advance the field of healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship through research and education. Our mission in part is to mentor, train, and promote professional development in healthcare epidemiology. Additional information regarding criteria for proposals, eligible competitors, and proposal milestones and due dates will be available at https://shea-foundation.org/shea-awards-scholarships/epi-project-competition .

For questions and inquiries send an email to  [email protected] . 

Division of Academic Affairs

Graduate studies.

• Skip to Content
• Accessibility
• Admission Information
• International Student Information
• Admission Classification Status
• Masters Programs A-Z
• Doctoral Programs
• Certificate Programs
• GRE Information
• GMAT Information
• Graduation Deadlines
• Apply for Graduation Online
• Steps to Graduate - Masters
• Steps to Graduate - Doctorates
• Graduate Policies & Procedures
• Graduate Student Handbook
• Graduate Student Forms
• Degree Progress Report (DPR)
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Interested in a PhD
• Reinstatement Form Deadline
• Student Resources
• Advancement to Graduate Education Conference (AGE)
• Advancement to Graduate Education (AGE) Workshops
• AGE Graduate Program Fair
• California State University Systemwide Student Research Competition
• Distinguished Visiting Speakers Program (DVSP)
• Graduate Student Activity and Social Events
• Graduate Student Orientation
• GRE Resources
• Ph.D. Application Bootcamp
• Student Success Series
• Thesis Writing Retreat
• Thesis Writing Workshop
• California Pre-Doctoral Program
• Clinton Global Inititative
• Doctoral Incentive Program
• Funding Programs
• Graduate Equity Program
• Graduate Student Awards
• Graduate Student Travel Funding
• Pedagogy Fellowship Program
• Peer Mentor Program
• Research/Project Support Program
• TA/GA Opportunities
• Thesis/Dissertation Support
• Tseng Graduate Equity Program
• Thesis/Dissertation Login
• Thesis/Dissertation Deadlines
• Thesis/Dissertation Formatting
• Predatory Publishers
• Subject Privacy for ETD
• IRB/Human Subjects Research
• IACUC/Animal Subjects
• Student ETD PowerPoint Tutorial
• Student ETD Tutorial
• Prospective Students Main
• [menu_break]
• Current Students Main
• Events Main
• Student Funding Main
• Thesis/Dissertation Main

CSU Student Research Competition

The California State University Systemwide Student Research Competition is an annual event that brings together scholars from the 23 campuses of our California State University system. The competition showcases undergraduate and graduate research, scholarship, and creative works by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments. Undergraduate and graduate student participants from all disciplines are judged by experts for their oral presentations and written narratives. Students who compete in the CSU Student Research Competition can win monetary prizes for first place and second place recognition in their session.

The 38th Annual Student Research Competition will be hosted by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Friday, April 26 & Saturday, April 27, 2024.

2023 Winners and Student Participants

CSUN is pleased to share that two students won second place during the competition! The students' names are below:

• Joseluz Sosa Psychology Faculty Mentor: Jose Vargas
• Adam McCrory Vocal Performance Faculty Mentor: Mercedes Juan

The CSUN Team:

Top Row: Noelle Simpson, Dr. Sussman-Dabach, Michelle Anderson, Jessica Peria, Joseluz Sosa Bottom Row: Jander Cruz, Yoselin De Leon-Lazo, Christy Rodriguez, Christian Corvera, Diana Ibrahim, Kate Ridgewell

Top Row: Dr. Sussman-Dabach, Noelle Simpson, Adam McCrory, Diana Ibrahim, Joseluz Sosa Bottom Row: Kate Ridgewell, Christy Rodriguez, Yoselin De Leon-Lazo, Jessica Peria, Michelle Anderson, Christian Corvera

Information video

Please click HERE to view the Statewide Competition Information Video.

Competition Categories/Criteria

There are 10 categories in which students will be placed for the competition; they are:

• Behavioral, Social Sciences, and Public Administration
• Biological and Agricultural Sciences
• Business, Economics, and Hospitality Management
• Creative Arts and Design
• Engineering and Computer Science
• Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences
• Humanities and Letters
• Physical and Mathematical Sciences
• Interdisciplinary

Competition Criteria each entry (oral presentation plus written summary) will be judged on the following:

• Clarity of purpose
• Appropriateness of methodology
• Interpretation of results
• Value of the research or creative activity
• Ability of the presenter to articulate the research or creative activity
• Organization of the material presented
• Presenter’s ability to handle questions from the jury and general audience

CSUN’s Campus Coordinator

CSUN’s campus coordinator for the competition is Dr. Elizabeth Sussman-Dabach, professor of Nutrition and CSUNposium Director. Please feel free to contact   Dr. Sussman-Dabach   with any questions you may have.

Interested in Participating

Please select CSU Student Research Competition to access the Interest Form.

• Emergency Information
• University Policies & Procedures
• Terms and Conditions for Use
• Privacy Policy
• Document Reader
• California State University

School of Mathematics and Statistics

• Engagement and outreach
• School outreach
• Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition

The School of Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition provides school-aged students with the opportunity to understand what it means to conduct mathematical and statistical research.

Students will be given a set of open-ended research problems from which they choose one. They can then employ methods used by mathematical researchers to investigate their problem; they can gather data, simplify, visualise, hypothesise, conjecture and prove. The aim of the competition is to allow students to use their creativity and problem-solving skills to make choices about how best to ask and answer questions about their chosen project. As teamwork is a valuable and essential skill for research, students are encouraged to participate in the competition as part of a team which will provide opportunities to reason and work collaboratively with others. Students may participate individually if they wish.

The competition is free to enter and no prior registration is required . The steps and information to enter the competition are in the FAQ and Submission tabs.

If you would like to take part in the 2024 Research Competition, please provide your details using the link below. You will be sent the competition booklets, updates and announcements, and details about information sessions when they become available.

Provide your details to receive competition booklets

Students must be enrolled in an Australian or New Zealand government or non-government school, or registered home school. The competition is open to three age categories:

• Senior (AU: Year 10 – 12, NZ: Year 11 – 13),
• Intermediate (AU: Year 7 – 9, NZ: Year 8 – 10), and
• Junior (AU: Year 5 – 6, NZ: Year 6 – 7).

If a team includes students from different age categories, then they must enter in the category of the oldest student. Schools are encouraged to enter multiple teams; students are limited to one entry in the competition.

The following links will allow you to download flyers that you may want to use to advertise the competition to students in your organisation along with a brochure with a high level summary of the competition:

Download flyers (ZIP 703.9 KB)

Download brochure (PDF 583.2 KB)

• Competition Booklets available – 14 March 2024 ( π Day!)
• Information session (attendance is optional) – March, May, June 2024
• Submissions open – May 2024
• Submissions close – 31 July 2024
• Finalist teams* notified– October 2024
• Certificates issued – October - November 2024
• Finals Presentation* – November 2024

* Report projects only

The Outreach Team will be facilitating information sessions ( attendance is optional ) to answer your questions about the competition. The information session will provide an overview of the competition and reflect the information available in the  FAQ and the Submission Guidelines . There will be time for questions about logistical/administrative aspects of the competition. The information session is NOT intended to provide guidance on the research projects.

These sessions will take place over Zoom, the links will be sent out to those who have provided their details using the link above. If you wish to attend an information session, you can choose ONE from the following options:

Information Session 1

Date: Tuesday 26 March 2024 Time: 4 PM – 4:30 PM (Melbourne time)

Information Session 2

Date: Wednesday 1 May 2024 Time: 4 PM – 4:30 PM (Melbourne time)

Information Session 3

Date: Monday 3 June 2024 Time: 4 PM – 4:30 PM (Melbourne time)

Each team selects one from a set of research problems to work on; there are different problems for each age category. Students should present their project and findings through one of the following:

• Report (A4 or slideshow), or
• Visual display (single-page poster or short video).

All work must be the sole product of the students on a team.

Report projects:

Teams with the highest quality projects will be invited to participate in the Research Competition Finals Presentations which will be held at the University of Melbourne Parkville campus. Travel subsidies may be made available for teams that need to travel from remote, regional, interstate or international locations. Arrangements will also be made for live stream presentations for teams unable to travel.

Each team will have a 15-minute slot in which to present a brief synopsis of their project and to answer questions from the judging panel and other academics. Further details about the Finals will be provided to finalists closer to date.

Visual display projects:

Teams with the highest quality visual display projects will be awarded a cash prize.

Prizes and Certificates

All teams who submit a valid research project will receive a certificate for participation, merit, high commendation, or distinction. The highest quality projects in each age category will receive awards and cash prizes according to the following table:

*Amounts are awarded per person in the team.

Additional prizes may be awarded, such as:

• Top project from a regional/remote team
• Top non-finalist project in state/territory (report only)
• Other prizes to be advised

Visual display projects will be judged separately to report projects. The criteria for judging will vary depending on the age category and the complexity of the research project. However, whenever explicit mathematics is involved, mathematical accuracy is vitally important, as is the correct use of mathematical language. We strongly encourage teams to approach their project with mathematical reasoning and generalisation where possible. In addition to these, the judging criteria include elements for originality, creativity, communication and presentation.

This page contains the submission guidelines and requirements. Please read all the information on this page before submitting an entry. The online submission form is at the bottom of the page.

• The submission deadline is  11:59 PM Wednesday 31 July 2024 (Melbourne time, UTC +10:00) ; entries received past this time will not be considered.
• To enter the competition, a research project must be submitted via the  online submission form .
• We recommend that you complete the submission form using a desktop computer.
• The submission form can be completed by a School Contact (including home school) or student team.
• Each student is limited to one entry into the competition.
• If you are a School Contact submitting multiple entries; you must complete the submission form again for a different entry.
• We recommend that you avoid delaying the submission until the day of the deadline to avoid issues and allow time for changes if needed.

Submission Requirements

Project type.

• The person completing the online submission form must declare the type of project being entered: report (A4, slideshow) or visual display (single-page poster, short video). The two types of entries will be judged separately, with prizes awarded for the best projects of each type.

School Contact Details

• The School Contact must provide their full name, email, contact number, and school (including home school).

Student Team Details

• All students in the team must provide their full name and year level.
• The team must nominate one student as the Corresponding Author and provide that person’s email.

Declaration

• A declaration form must be completed and uploaded as part of the submission process.
• The declaration requires signatures from the School Contact and the students in the team, declaring that the submitted project is the students' own work.
• If a team comprises students from different schools, one declaration form must be completed and uploaded for each school.
• If Section B of the declaration form is not signed by a School Contact, the entry will not be eligible to be shortlisted for awards and prizes.
• If the declaration form is not adequately filled out, the entry will not be considered.

Download the declaration form (PDF 162.4 KB)

• If a submission is missing the required information (contact details, declaration form, project files), it will not be considered.
• We recommend that you gather the contact details for all relevant persons and project files well ahead of the submission deadline.
• Only files submitted through the online submission form will be considered for judging.
• Do not send files to the Outreach Team via email; these will not be considered.
• See below for further details regarding file upload requirements.

File Upload Requirements

• Report (A4 or slideshow): .pdf
• Single-page poster:  .pdf
• Code/programming script: .pdf
• Video: .mp4, .mov, .avi, .flv, .mkv, .wmv
• Audio:  .m4a, .mp3, .mp4, .wav, .wma
• If the project is a report that comprises sections involving code/programming script; it can be included in the report as part of the appendices and does not need to be uploaded separately.
• Any code or programming script should be presented in PDF format, clearly labelled with a page break between separate scripts.
• There is a size limit of 100 MB for each file.
• Only one file is permitted for each type of project output.
• All files must be related to the project.
• File extensions which will not be accepted by the submission form include: .rar, .zip, .exe, .ppt, .pptx, .pptm, .pps, .ppsx, .ppsm, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .csv, .txt, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .htm, .html, .xlm, .doc, .docx, .r, .py, .m, .c, .cs, .java, .pl, .sh.
• the project files comply with the above requirements,
• the project files are converted to the acceptable file extensions if necessary, and
• all uploaded files are not corrupt (unable to be opened).
• Files which do not comply with the file requirements will not be accepted by the submission form.
• Files which cannot be opened will not be considered.
• Files not received via the submission form will not be considered.

Page/Length Requirements

• Video and audio files must not exceed 5 minutes in length.
• Reports (A4 or slideshow)  must not exceed 20 pages (or slides) in length. This limit excludes any tables, figures, appendices or references. There is no minimum page requirement.
• Please exercise reasonable judgment when deciding on the size of other types of project outputs.

Updating a Submitted Entry

• It is the School Contact and students’ responsibility to ensure all details and files are correct. A confirmation email will be sent to both the School Contact and Corresponding Author upon completion of the submission form. Check junk/spam/promotions folder if the confirmation email is not in the inbox.
• If you need to make changes to a submitted entry, email us ( [email protected] ) with as much detail as possible and we will send you a link to update the submission. DO NOT email any files to us; they will not be considered.
• If you make multiple submissions for the same entry (same project and team); the Outreach Team will process the most recently submitted entry.

Submission Form

The online submission form will close at  11:59 PM Wednesday 31 July 2024 (Melbourne time, UTC +10:00) . Please ensure you have read the above information fully before submitting an entry.

Submission will open in May

This page contains answers to frequently asked questions about the competition. If your question is not answered, please contact us at [email protected] .

Administration and Joining

Entering the competition is simple and does not require prior registration . The steps are:

• Find/form a team of up to 3 students.
• Select a topic from the appropriate competition booklet.
• Conduct research and create a project output (report or visual display).
• Submit the research output by the deadline (see ' Submissions ' tab).

The ' provide your details ' form on the ‘Home’ tab is not an official registration. You provide your details so that we can send you the competition booklets, updates, and announcements.

11:59 PM Wednesday 31 July 2024 (Melbourne time, UTC +10:00)

No. However, prizes and certificates will only be awarded to teams which have officially submitted.

No. However, the shortlisted projects will be published on the Outreach website upon conclusion of the competition.

You are expected to give the competition booklets to your students and sign a section of the declaration form stating that you believe the project outputs to be the students' original work. You are not expected or permitted to help with the projects in a technical capacity.

For the purposes of this competition a School Contact is one of:

• A registered teacher employed at the same school of a student submitting a research project.
• A responsible adult acting as a home school instructor for a student submitting a research project. This adult must hold a valid registration with the home education authority of their state, territory or region.

As part of auditing, the School Contact may be asked to provide proof of registration.

Yes. These entries are welcomed, provided the projects are in English. However, these entries will only be eligible for certificates and not for any cash prizes.

No, schools can enter as many teams as they like.

No. Each student is limited to one entry into the competition.

Yes. See the submission page for information on additional requirements.

Yes, but the project must be chosen from the competition booklet for the age category of the oldest student in the team.

Submissions

The exact procedure for submitting the projects can be viewed at the submission details page .

Yes. However, you must ensure that the Sections A and C (School Details and Team Details) of the declaration form have been filled in. If Section B (School Contact Declaration) has not been filled and signed, the entry will not be eligible to be shortlisted for awards and prizes but can be awarded one of: Participation, Merit, High Commendation or Distinction.

The research competition is a school program. To be shortlisted for awards and prizes, a School Contact must declare the originality of the students’ work by signing Section B of the declaration form . Projects without a School Contact's details and signature at Section B of the declaration form can be submitted but will not be eligible to be shortlisted for awards and prizes.

These will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us at: [email protected] .

Please refer to the guidelines and requirements set out on the submission page of the competition website.

Sign the appropriate section in the declaration form and then have your students submit their own projects along with the signed declaration form to the online submission form.

There are links available to download examples of high quality projects in the Top Projects part of the website.

Finalists and Finals Presentation (report projects only)

The judging criteria will vary depending on the age category and the complexity of the research project. However, whenever explicit mathematics is involved, mathematical accuracy is vitally important, as is the correct use of mathematical language. In addition to these, the judging criteria include elements for originality, creativity, communication and presentation.

Finalists are invited to present their research projects at the Finals Presentation which will be held at the University of Melbourne Parkville Campus.

The Finals Presentation will usually take place in late October each year and is only for report projects. There is no Finals Presentation for visual display projects.

Finalists unable to attend campus will be able to participate in the Finals virtually.

The Top Team is chosen by a panel of judges comprising academics in the School of Mathematics and Statistics and members of the Outreach Team. The judging panel will select the Top Team for each age category based on presentation quality, clarity, and communication.

We will only publish your first initial and last name, along with the school with your consent. (E.g. J. Smith - University of Melbourne)

Teams that submit a valid research project will be awarded one of the following certificates:

• Participation
• High Commendation
• Distinction

Information about other awards is available in the 'Competition Format' tab.

See the table in the 'Competition Format' tab.

The prize money will be awarded in the form of an e-gift card which will be sent to students directly.

• Non-finalist teams will receive digital certificates; these will be sent to the School Contact.
• Finalist teams will receive physical certificates at the Finals Presentation.

Below is the list of top teams and finalists for the 2023 Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition. The prize money is awarded per team member and the 2023 Finalist projects and outstanding visual displays, along with the competition booklets for the year can be downloaded from the link at the bottom of the list.

Top Project ($500 per student)

• Nossal High School (VIC) – R. Yao

Finalists ($200 per student)

• Northcote High School (VIC) – K. Nguyen & M. Ross
• Haileybury College (VIC) – V. Raghavan
• Scotch College (VIC) – E. Wang, J. Li & F. Tang
• Wesley College (VIC) – J. Chen, N. Liang & D. Wang

Intermediate

Top projects ($500 per student).

• Caulfield Grammar School (VIC) – A. Fridkin
• Scotch College (VIC) – R. Xue
• Presbyterian Ladies' College (VIC) – S. Au & C. Shen
• Presbyterian Ladies' College (VIC) – E. Gonzales, A. Yong & D. Cheah
• Toorak Primary School (VIC) – T. Payne
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School (NSW) – R. Gupta
• Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar (VIC) – M. Healey
• Wesley College (VIC) – H. Nguyen
• Scotch College (VIC) – C. Gonzales
• Trinity Grammar School (VIC) – E. Peng & F. Liu

Additional Prizes

Top visual display ($250 per student).

• Kingswood College (VIC) – O. Niizeki & H. Chen

Outstanding Visual Displays ($100 per student)

• Scotch College (VIC) – R. Cali
• Carine Senior High School (WA) – F. Moore, R. Liang, J. Huynh
• Aberfeldie Primary School (VIC) – S. Flowerdew

Outstanding Projects ($100 per student)

• Alamanda K-9 College (VIC) – A. Hanugroho, A. Rajput & R. C. Hsieh
• St Columba Anglican School (NSW) – A. Reid
• St Aloysius College (SA) – A. Dars
• Perth Modern School (WA) – R. Oliveiro & J. Yip
• Darwin High School (NT) – M. M. Qasim & H. Jeong
• Darwin High School (NT) – V. Mondol, R. Tripura & N. Hasan
• Emmanuel College (QLD) – J. He, N. Schmidt & C. Yates
• MacRobertson Girls High School (VIC) – P. Umapathi, J. Liu & N. Bravin
• Baradene College of the Sacred Heart (NZ) – E. Nie, J. Lee & E. Choi

Download 2023 Finalist Projects (ZIP 27.6 MB)

Previous Finalists and Projects

Use the menu below to download the finalist projects and competition booklets from previous years.

• Download 2021 Finalist Projects (ZIP 29.3 MB)
• Download 2022 Finalist Projects (ZIP 27.0 MB)

Click here to join our mailing list and you'll be notified about new and upcoming outreach offerings relevant to you.

• John Sader elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
• Jobs at the School of Mathematics and Statistics
• 3 tips for Science undergraduates joining the workforce
• Melbourne technology boosts effort to map every cell in human body
• Exceptional Talent Scholarship
• Professor David Balding featured in The Age
• Heroines of mathematics
• Matilda to the Rescue
• Weighing Up Evidence in Criminal Courts and at a King's Burial Site
• Professor Anthony Guttmann honoured with Order of Australia
• COVID-19 modelling released from Doherty Institute
• ARC Future Fellowships announced for Maths & Stats
• Open Day at Maths and Stats
• Watch the Course Information Session
• Women in Geometry, Analysis and Topology
• New mathematics leads to innovative solutions
• Forecasting landslides from space
• Mathematician and role model elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
• Using mathematical modelling to fight malaria
• Professor Michael Stumpf awarded prestigious ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship
• OPTIMA ARC Training Centre aims to transform industry through optimisation
• Academics join 2022 Superstars of STEM cohort
• Applications open for undergraduate and postgraduate awards
• Software developed by School of Mathematics and Statistics researcher shortlisted in prestigious Eureka Prizes
• New video series spotlights mathematical biology
• Science academics rank as world-leaders for research citations
• University confers Honorary Doctorate on mathematician
• Translating big data into better health thanks to major grant
• Problem-solving on a global stage: Students excel in international maths competition
• Avoidance, confusion, solitude: whales react to rising noise pollution
• Study with us
• Supervision
• Expectations and obligations
• Useful links
• School policy on research student supervision
• Graduate Research Student Travel
• Third-year opportunities in Mathematics and Statistics
• Graduate profiles
• Careers talks
• External resources
• List of Possible Supervisors
• Student-Staff Liaison Committee
• PhD scholarship opportunities
• Resources for students
• Resources for academics
• Scholarly activities
• Course advice
• Mathematical Ecology, Epidemiology and Biosecurity
• ARC CoE for Biosecurity Risk Analysis
• ARC CoE for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers
• ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Optimisation Technologies, Integrated Methodologies and Applications
• Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute
• Academic Staff
• Professional Staff
• Honorary Staff
• Postgraduate students
• Upcoming events
• Professional development for maths teachers
• Micro Mathematicians
• Vacation Scholarships Projects
• Vacation Scholarships Posters
• Vacation Scholarships Supervisors
• Connecting with alumni
• Student societies
• Support mathematics and statistics
• MS Walkers Mentoring Program
• Student Awards
• Equity & Diversity feedback form
• Our leadership team
• Message from Head of School
• Staff Intranet
• Current Students

• Costs, Scholarships & Aid
• Campus Life
• Faculty & Staff
• Family & Visitors
• DFW Community
• Galaxy Login
• Academic Calendar
• Human Resources
• Accessibility

Graduate Students Showcase Research Projects at Competition

More than 90 University of Texas at Dallas doctoral and master’s students presented their research on topics ranging from virtual reality and health care to brain function and machine learning during the Graduate Student Poster Competition and Research Showcase on Oct. 25.

Hosted by the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) , the event drew 570 attendees who voted for their favorite presentations.

Molecular and cell biology doctoral student Roopal Dhar took first place for her research examining how chronic exposure to the inflammatory protein interleukin-1 disrupts antioxidant signaling in breast cancer cells. Computer science doctoral student Ankur Yadav MS’21 placed second for his work using topological data analysis and machine learning to analyze various forms of visual data. Third place went to molecular and cell biology doctoral student Fabiha Zaheen Khan for her research on bacteria.

The poster competition also featured research from students in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology for the first time, said Suzanne Head, director of program development and outreach in the ORI.

Hamida Khatri, an arts, technology, and emerging communication doctoral student in the Bass School, examined the impact of virtual reality on the treatment of mental trauma associated with gender-based violence.

“Being part of this poster competition has helped me understand what people think about this project. I met people who could relate to the emotional fallout following domestic abuse. I also met somebody who is going to help me get grants,” she said.

Attendees also participated in a community painting project sponsored by the Office of Research and Innovation and the Office of Communications . The mural, designed by marketing graphics designer Pete Pagliaccio and printed by Paintillio, served as a project to unite Comets.

“It was very important to our team that we provide an opportunity for the campus to be involved in a community project as well as highlighting the arts,” Head said.

Additional sponsors of the event included Amazon Web Services, AEM Creations, Frios Gourmet Pops, J’s Donuts, Nikki’s Popcorn Company, the Southwest Research Institute and White Rock Coffee.

Media Contact: Ben Porter, UT Dallas, 972-883-7328, [email protected] , or the Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, [email protected] .

• Researchers Develop Way To Provide Asthma Attack Early Warnings
• Grad Programs Get High Marks in U.S. Rankings; Audiology No. 3
• Professor Joins National Panel; Medical Team Earns Awards
• Total Solar Eclipse Becomes Communal Comet Experience
• Investiture Ceremony To Celebrate Distinguished Professors, Donors
• UTD To Celebrate Solar Eclipse with Events Totally Made for Comets
• New Findings Reveal Clearer Picture of Expanding Universe
• Researchers Find More Complexity in Aging Brain’s Memory Decline
• Mechanical Engineering Student Soars with Aerospace Fellowship
• CPRIT Grants To Advance Cancer Detection, Treatment Technology
• Space Scientists’ New Sensors Shine Spotlight on Sun-Earth Studies

800 W. Campbell Road Richardson, Texas 75080-3021

972-883-2111

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

© The University of Texas at Dallas Questions or comments about this page?

STAY CONNECTED WITH UT DALLAS

• Emergency Preparedness
• Campus Carry
• Campus Police
• Required Links
• Tobacco-Free Campus
• Texas Veterans Portal
• Work at UT Dallas
• Nondiscrimination Policy
• Title IX Initiatives
• Student Achievements
• HEERF Reporting
• Counseling/Mental Health
• Hazing Prevention
• Public Course and Syllabus Information
• Privacy Policy

• Skip to Content
• Current Students
• Prospective Students
• Business Community
• Faculty & Staff

Office of Student Research

Learn by doing research, cal poly internal student research & creative activity competition.

On February 22-24, Cal Poly will host an internal competition to select the ten research/creative activity projects that will represent Cal Poly at the CSU Research Competition -- hosted by Cal Poly in April 26-27, 2024.

At the internal competition, projects will be presented by Cal Poly undergraduate students, graduate students and recent alums from across the colleges. All members of the campus community and supporters are invited to attend. 

The format of this year's competition is in-person.

Cal Poly Internal Competition Schedule (2/22-2/24/24)

A detailed schedule is available at  http://tinyurl.com/CP-SRC-2024 .

Info Sessions

• Th 12/7/23, 1:10-2pm (Zoom Meeting ID 883 6250 1116)
• Th 1/11/24, 11:10am-12pm (Zoom Meeting ID 883 6250 1116)

How do I participate?

Submissions for the Cal Poly internal competition are due by noon on  Sunday January 21, 2024. NEWS! EXTENDED TO M 1/22/24 AT MIDNIGHT!

To apply, go to the  Cal Poly InfoReady home page , and select "2024 CSU Student Research & Creative Activity Competition" at the bottom of the page.

How can I learn more?

Please explore materials available on this page and email [email protected]  or DM us on Instagram ( @calpolystudentresearch ) with any questions. See information on connecting with staff and peer advisors in the Office of Student Research here:  https://tinyurl.com/OSR-hub-2023-24  

Who can apply to participate?

Undergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled at Cal Poly and alumni who received their degrees in Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall 2023 are eligible to apply.

Note: You are welcome to submit projects completed with a faculty or staff member. You may also submit projects with multiple student authors. 

Please note: An individual student is limited to the submission of two projects to the 2024 competition - one as primary author and one as a secondary author or two as secondary author.

What disciplines can participate?

Presentations from all disciplines are welcome! The CSU Research Competition categories are:

How are projects evaluated?

• Clarity of purpose
• Appropriateness of methodology
• Interpretation of results
• Value of the research or creative activity
• Ability of the presenter to articulate the research or creative activity
• Organization of the material presented
• Presenter’s ability to handle questions from the jury and general audience

What do we need to submit by the noon on  January 21, 2024 ?

You will submit:

• Presentation Title
• Author Name(s) & Contact Information
• University of Wisconsin-Madison:  Writing an Abstract for Your Research Paper  (includes sample abstracts from the humanities, social sciences, and sciences)
• SACNAS: How to Write a Successful Abstract (Webinar) 
• Published papers in your discipline that have a project summary/abstract
• Introduction – what is the topic; why study it? (may include a thesis statement and/or research question)
• Materials & Methods – how was the research conducted?
• Results – what was found in the research?
• Discussion & Conclusions – what do the findings mean?
• All students are encouraged to use headings and sub-headings in their submission whether utilizing the IMRaD format or another format.
• Utilize a font size of 10 or above
• Have margins of at least 0.75”
• Should be a minimum of one page and not exceed two pages in total (1-2 pages)
• Appendices (bibliography, graphs, photographs, or other supplementary materials) are optional, may not exceed three pages total, and will be uploaded separately from the written narrative.
• Use the citation and bibliography format appropriate for your discipline.
• Affirmation (as applicable) that any project that involves human and/or animal subjects has undergone appropriate institutional review and the IRB or IACUC number.  
• The CSU Research Competition category (or categories) that are relevant to the project

What happens next after we submit?

Cal Poly will host a virtual internal competition February 23-24 2024 to select the 10 projects that will represent our campus at the 2024 CSU Research Competition. Members of the Academic Senate Grants Review Committee  will serve as judges. 

Students will present their work orally before a jury and an audience. Students will compete by discipline category and, typically, by division (undergraduate/graduate). 

Student presenters will have 10 minutes for an oral presentation of their work and five minutes to listen and respond to juror and audience questions. It is expected that a student will not make a presentation by simply reading directly from the written summary. In cases in which entries are multi-author, we recommend that oral presentations be made by no more than two students, with any additional group members, as relevant, responding to juror and audience questions. 

All entrants may use audiovisual materials as appropriate, and presenters are encouraged to use delivery techniques that promote interaction with the audience. 

Entrants in the Creative Arts and Design category may present an audio and/or visual recording of a performance they have given or a work they have created; their oral presentation should focus on the rationale and historical context underlying their interpretation of the material.

More information about the format of the Cal Poly internal competition will be provided after submissions are due in January 2024.

Where can we learn more about research/creative projects selected to represent Cal Poly at prior CSU Research Competitions?

Below , you can watch recordings of the projects that represented Cal Poly at the 2020 CSU Research Competition. 

Prior CSU Research Competitions

The 2020 CSU Research Competition was hosted by CSU East Bay and held virtually on April 24, 2020. Ten projects (and 12 student/alumni researchers) were selected to represent Cal Poly following an internal competition in February 2020.

See the pre-recorded presentations below. We are excited to announce that six projects received awards! 

The accomplishments of these students attest to the excellence of our undergraduate and graduate programs and the commitment and quality of our faculty. All of the students who competed deserve our praise and appreciation of their efforts.   

Cami Christopher (Undergraduate):  Impact of Physical Activity Trajectories on Colon Cancer Risk (2020)

First-place award in the Undergraduate Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences category

Kelly Condron (Graduate): The Impact of CalFresh Outreach on Food Security Status among Cal Poly Students (2020)

First-place award in the Graduate Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences category

Fionna Fahey (Undergraduate): (Re)membering Legacies of Sex Worker History in San Luis Obispo (2020)

First-place award in the Undergraduate Humanities and Letters category

Joshua Grassel & Ryan Kohl (Undergraduate): Production Planning in Integrated Circuit Supply Chains (2020)

Second-place award in the undergraduate and graduate Engineering and Computer Science category

Elide Herrera Valdez (Undergraduate):  Evaporation-Driven Capillary Flow in Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices (2020)

Kat Ivey (Graduate):  Thermal Ecology of the Federally Endangered Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia sila) (2020)

First-place award in the Graduate Biological and Agricultural Sciences category

Maddie Roman (Undergraduate):  Banksy - A Conversation Beyond the Wall (2020)

Jenna Williams and Tracy Doan (Graduate):  Assessment of Modeling Strategies for Lightly Reinforced Concrete Structural Walls (2020)

Nicole Zeltser (Undergraduate):  High-fat Fructose Diet is Associated with Neuronal Loss in Juvenile Iberian Pigs (2020)

First-place award in the Health, Nutrition, and Clinical Sciences Undergraduate and Graduate category

Related Content

Recent news.

• Now available! 2/22-2/24 Schedule - Cal Poly Student Research/Creative Activity Competition
• OSR Graduate Student Intern Opportunity
• Now Open! Cal Poly Student Research & Creative Activity Competition

Cal Poly Research

Use your head and hands to solve the world’s problems

Cal Poly Colleges

Learn more about Cal Poly colleges & departments

Follow the Office of Student Research on Instagram @calpolystudentresearch

Your browser is not supported

Sorry but it looks as if your browser is out of date. To get the best experience using our site we recommend that you upgrade or switch browsers.

Find a solution

• Skip to main content
• Skip to navigation

• Back to parent navigation item
• Collections
• Sustainability in chemistry
• Simple rules
• Teacher well-being hub
• Women in chemistry
• Global science
• Escape room activities
• Decolonising chemistry teaching
• Teaching science skills
• Post-lockdown teaching support
• Get the print issue
• RSC Education

• More from navigation items

The science competitions your students can enter this year

By Emma Molloy

Discover STEM-themed competitions for you and your students to enter in this academic year

Source: © Shutterstock

Learn about the fantastic array of science competitions your students can enter – so you can sign up as soon as possible

There is a great range of science competitions out there that your students can enter. Competitions come in all shapes and sizes, including essay writing, photography and video competitions, and can be local or national events.

Besides the array of downloadable materials you can make use of in your lessons, as homework or part of a science club, the benefits of taking part include learning how to work in a team, grasping how lessons apply to real-world problems, and there could even be some extra cash to bag!

You can jump straight to the lists of science-writing competitions , or more arty competitions (such as photography and drawing prizes), or simply read on to discover what’s open to you and your students this academic year.

These competitions have been ordered by closing date. Listing a competition does not serve as an endorsement by the RSC.  Last updated: October 2023.

UK Chemistry Olympiad 

Age: 16–18 (recommended) Registration opens: September 2023 Closes: January 2024

Run by the RSC, the  UK Chemistry Olympiad is designed to challenge and inspire older secondary-school students, by encouraging them to push themselves, boost their critical problem-solving skills and test their knowledge in real-world situations. Explore past papers to get an idea of the types of questions involved.

There are three rounds that culminate with the prestigious International Chemistry Olympiad , which will take place this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Round 1, a written test taken in your school, is scheduled to take place on 25 January 2024. Students then receive bronze, silver or gold certificates depending on their scores. Up to 30 students will then be selected to move on to the second round – a training weekend at the University of Nottingham. Four students will then be chosen to represent the UK in the international competition from 21–30 July 2024.

To get started, register your school or college. Do this and find out more information about preparing on the Olympiad homepage .

Top of the Bench

Age: 14–16 Registration opens: soon Closes: January 2024

Top of the Bench  (TOTB) is an annual practical chemistry competition that has been running for over 20 years. It’s a long-standing favourite for students and teachers, and provides an opportunity for students to put their teamwork and practical skills to the test.

Regional heats are led by  RSC local sections  between October and January. The winning team from each heat progresses to the national final, held in the spring at a UK university (where there is also a session for teachers to explore resources and classroom ideas with one of the RSC’s education coordinators).

First prize is awarded to the best overall school performance, with five teams receiving runners up prizes. The Jacqui Clee Award is also awarded each year to the student who makes an outstanding individual contribution.

Teams must consist of four students: two from year 9/S2; one from year 10/S3; one from year 11/S4.

Find more information including past papers and how to apply on the  TOTB homepage .

Slingshot Challenge

Age: 13–18 Registration opens: now Closes: 1 February 2024

The Slingshot Challenge is run by National Geographic and is an exciting opportunity for students to get involved with the global programme. Students can enter in teams of up to six. Individual entries are welcomed although all entries are expected to involve collaboration with peers, stakeholders, and/or marginalized communities.

Students work to prepare a short, 1-minute video, from topics with an environmental focus. Training sessions for teachers and resource/tool kits are available from the website and the providers can offer feedback and technical support ahead of official submissions.

Videos are expected to put forward compelling, evidence-based information and be engaging for the audience. A small number of motivating prizes are awarded each year to the student of up to $10,000.

For full details see the Slingshot Challenge website .

Schools’ Analyst

Age: 16–17 Registration opens: soon Closes: 23 February 2024

The  Schools’ Analyst Competition  is returning to schools in 2024. Run collaboratively by the Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund and the Royal Society of Chemistry, this event allows students to expand their chemistry knowledge and skills through practical analytical experiments. Students must be in Year 12 (England, Wales, NI)/S5 (Scotland)/5th Year (Ireland).

Schools and colleges register their interest to host a heat and, if randomly selected, can now enter up to 25 teams of three students to compete to be crowned the overall school winner. Each winning school team will then compete within their region to find regional winners. Regional winners receive a cash prize for themselves and their school.

Register your school  to take part by 23 February 2024. To take part, students only need access to standard school laboratory equipment and some consumables (a bursary is available for those who need it).

Equipment boxes are sent to 400 entrants, selected at random, and delivered in advance of the event. Results must be submitted by 17 May in Ireland (to ensure schools have the chance to award winners before the summer holidays) and 14 June elsewhere.

Science meets art

If you have some students who would be hooked by the artistic side of science, check out these competitions:

• RSB Photography competition (open to all ages; opens March 2024; £500 top prize for under 18s)
• RSB Nancy Rothwell Award for specimen drawing (ages 7–18; open March–July 2024; prizes include set of drawing pencils and small cash prizes for students and schools)
• Science Without Borders challenge is an artwork competition with a focus on ocean conservation. The 2024 theme is ‘hidden wonders of the deep’ (ages 11–19; closes 4 March 2024; maximum prize of $500)
• British Science Week poster competition ; this year’s theme will be ‘time’ (ages 3–14; closes March 2024)
• RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year is open to women of all ages and backgrounds (open and under 18s; closing date TBC but expected March 2024)
• Minds Underground Competitions ; Minds Underground run a number of essay competitions each year covering a variety of STEM and other topics (all ages; closing dates vary but 2024 questions will be released January 2024, see website for full details)

MathWorks Math Modeling challenge

Age: 16–19 (England and Wales only) Registration opens:  November 2023 Closes: 24 February 2024

The  M3 Challenge  is an internet-based applied maths competition that inspires participants to pursue STEM education and careers. Working in teams of three to five students, participants have 14 consecutive hours to solve an open-ended maths-modelling problem based around a real issue during the challenge weekend, 1–4 March 2024.

The problem typically has a socially conscious theme – equity, the environment, conservation or recycling, energy use, health, and other topics that young people care about. The challenge gives students the opportunity to use maths modelling processes to represent, analyse, make predictions and otherwise provide insight into real-world phenomena. For example, 2023’s problem centred around modelling the impacts of e-bikes to better understand if they are likely to become part of a global, more sustainable energy plan.

Numerous free  resources , including modelling and coding handbooks, videos and sample problems are available to help teams prepare for the event.

The competition’s final presentation and awards ceremony event is held in New York City in late April – an all-expense paid experience for the finalist teams. These top teams will be awarded scholarships toward the pursuit of higher education, with members of the overall winning team receiving $20,000 (»£16,000).

For rules, resources and to register, visit the competition  website .

The Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition

Age: 16–18 Registration opens: now Closes:  30 September 2023 and 31 March 2024

The  Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition , run by Cambridge Assessment, is an exciting extra-curricular activity for teams of aspiring scientists who are studying with the Cambridge IGCSE or O Level science programmes.

Teams of three to six students choose a topic and work on a scientific investigation over 20–25 hours. The competition encourages investigations with some practical or community relevance and an eye on sustainability.

Projects may involve laboratory work and should include creative and collaborative working, critical thinking and reflection. Students should be given the opportunity to present their results to a wider audience, perhaps at a science fair or other school event.

Teachers provide initial project evaluations and the best are put forward for consideration by a panel of experts. The winning team receives a certificate and is featured on the competition website. The competition runs twice a year, so keep abreast of all the dates  on the website .

TeenTech Awards 

Age: 11–16 Registration opens: now Closes:  March 2024 for first-round submissions

The  TeenTech Awards  encourage students to see how they might apply science and technology to real-world problems across several different categories, from food and retail through the future of transport to wearable technology. Students identify an opportunity or a problem, suggest a solution and research the market.

Students can work in teams of up to three people and there are lots of award categories. All submitted projects receive feedback and a bronze, silver or gold award. The event is well supported with training sessions for teachers and students, so everyone knows what to expect and what the judges will be looking for!

The best projects go forward to the TeenTech Awards Final for judging and the winning school in each category will receive a cash prize. The final is expected to take place in London in June 2024.

Science writing competitions

Numerous essays competitions run each year covering all aspects and areas of STEM. Below is just a selection of some of the competitions out there. Entries into science writing competitions make great additions to UCAS applications, and they get students thinking about science, too.

• The Oxford Scientist Schools’ Science Writing Competition  (700-word magazine article; ages 15–18; deadline likely to be July 2024; prize includes £50 and being published in the magazine)
• Newnham College, Cambridge (2000-word academic essay; age 16–18 women at state school only; deadline likely to be March 2024; winners receive up to £400 to split with their school). Teachers can sign up to mailing lists now to hear more about this essay competition and other events from the college.

British Science Week poster competition

Age: 3–14 Registration opened: January 2024 Closes: March 2024

British Science Week will run from 8–17 March. Alongside numerous activities and events across the country, there will be a themed poster competition – and this year’s theme will is ‘time’.

Entrants can explore a wide range of ideas covered by the broad theme. Judges are on the look out for an innovative angle or creative interpretation of the theme; clear, accurate and informative content; and effective, engaging communication. This competition is a great way for students to practise their communication skills. There are numerous prizes up for grabs that cover all age categories.

Entrants can be teams or individuals from any organisation, although schools are limited to five entries. Find out more on the website , including activity packs and other resources to make the most of British Science Week.

Big Bang Young Scientists and Engineers Competition

Age: 11–18 Registration opens:  October 2023 Closes: 27 March 2024

The Big Bang Competition  is open to young people aged 11 to 18 in state-funded education or who are home educated or who enter as part of a community group. Private school participants can get involved as part of a collaboration with state-school peers.

Participants complete project-based work, focusing on investigation, discovery and use of scientific methods. Students choose their own STEM topic and work to submit their project as a written report or short video. The possibilities are endless!

Students can include their involvement in the competition in their extracurricular activities on UCAS forms and personal statements and have a chance of winning a range of awards and cash prizes.

Find out how to get started and get inspired with past projects on the Big Bang website .

BIEA Youth STEAM Competition

Age: 6–18 Registration opens:  October 2023 Closes: April 2024 for first-round submissions

The  BIEA Youth STEAM Competition  asks students to use their creativity to come up with ideas for a more sustainable future based on a specific theme. The theme for 2024 has yet to be announced, but the theme for 2023 was “developing solutions for sustainable cities”. Students research, design and present their solution, including a written report.

Students can enter as individuals or in teams of up to five members and schools can enter more than one team. There are lots of competition categories to cover all age groups. Submissions are expected to be accepted from January 2024 and the international final to be in July 2024. Learn more on the competition  website .

Local to Newcastle?

Newcastle Secondary School SciFair  is a university-run secondary school science fair for students from state schools across Newcastle. Sci-Fair is a whole day event that will take place during British Science Week. Students can get the opportunity to present their models, posters or PowerPoint presentations about a scientific topic of their choosing. SciFair is open to ages 11–16. There are multiple prizes to be won on the day to recognise student’s efforts. Spaces are limited capacity, so students should wait for their projects to be approved before starting work.

Unsung Heroes of Science video competition

Age: 16–18 Close s: April 2024 TBC

The International  Unsung Heroes of Science video competition   from Hertford College, University of Oxford is open to all 16–18 students. Entrants are tasked with making a two-minute video sharing the story of a scientist whose contributions were overlooked. Entries can be submitted by individuals or in teams of up to three.

The competition website also has lesson plans and links to videos of previous unsung heros, which are great resources for teachers to inspire their students.

Cambridge Chemistry Challenge

Age: 19 or younger Registration opens: now Closes:  1 June 2024

This competition — aimed at Year 12 students but available to younger students — is designed to stretch and challenge students beyond the curriculum interested in chemistry and is excellent experience for anyone considering chemistry for further study.

Students sit a 90-minute written paper under exam conditions in school, which is sent out to schools in advance. Mark schemes are available to teachers, and for schools submitting more than five scripts, these should be marked by the teacher. Scripts of students scoring over 50% are then submitted. Students who perform well receive a certificate and the best performers are invited to join a residential camp at the University of Cambridge at the end of August

The website contains lots of past papers and mark schemes, which are a valuable resource for teachers. Full details are on the  website .

IET Faraday Challenge

Age: 12–13 Registration opens: January 2024 for the 2024–2025 season Closes: July 2024

Faraday Challenges are cross-curricular STEM activity days for UK schools run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology. This annual competition draws on students’ practical science and engineering skills, asking them to work in teams to solve real-world engineering problems and think creatively. Schools can host Challenge Days and invite teams from local schools to join them or apply to join a day at another school. Planning for these events starts early, so plenty of time to get organised for the day.

Teams should be made up of six students aged 12–13 years old (England and Wales Year 8, Scotland S1/S2, Northern Ireland Year 9). Schools may host a challenge day themselves or attend one hosted at another school.

Students win prizes for themselves and a trophy for their school. There is also a national league table and the top teams from across the UK go through to the national final, with the chance to win a cash prize of up to £1000 for their school. Plus, by taking part students will also meet the criteria for achieving a CREST Discovery Award.

If you are not able to enter into the main competition, there is also the opportunity for students to take part in the Virtual Faraday Challenge open to anyone aged 7–15.

Deadlines passed:

Imperial college science & innovation competition.

Age:  4–adult Registration opens:  September  2023 Closes:  15 December 2023

The  Science & Innovation Competition , run by the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College, aims to motivate primary and secondary-aged children to engage with science, to encourage them to work as part of a team and engage in fun activities. Adults are also welcome to enter.

Teams of two to four people are asked to develop a new and innovative scientific solution to help achieve one of the  United Nation’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development . To enter, teams need to create a five-minute film that describes the science behind their idea. Finalists are invited to take part in an event during spring 2024 at Imperial College, London (date to be confirmed). Learn more on the  website .

Global essay competition: Young voices in the chemical sciences for sustainability

Age: 35 and under  Registration opens: now Closes: 31 March 2023

An  annual essay competition  on the role of the chemical sciences in sustainability, organised by the International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD) in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The competition is open globally to entrants under 35 years of age. The theme for the 2023 competition is: How can the chemical sciences lead the stewardship of the Earth’s element resources?

Essays will be grouped into seven regions for shortlisting and selection of winners, based on the entrant’s country of normal residence. Each regional winner will receive a prize of US$500 and their entries will be published in  RSC Sustainability . The shortlisted essays will be collected in an annual compendium,  Young voices in the chemical sciences for sustainability , available on the IOCD’s website. Individual shortlisted entries will also be featured from time to time on IOCD’s website.

Essays will be judged on how well they highlight the importance of scientific approaches grounded in the chemical sciences for solving sustainability challenges. Entrants should take a broad, global perspective, and reflect on the intersection of science, society and policy aspects, rather than describing a particular scientific advance in great technical detail. Essays must not exceed 1500 words of body copy.

Cambridge Chemistry Race

Age: 16–18 Registration opens: Mon 5 December 2022 Closes: February 2023

In the  Cambridge Chemistry Race , teams of 3–5 students solve as many theoretical problems as they can over the course of two hours – ranging from easy riddles to tasks of A-level difficulty and complex chemical problems.

Once a team has solved a question, the examiner verifies their answer and hands them the next question. Points are awarded based on the number of successful attempts. Whoever gets the most points wins!

Students are allowed to use a calculator, books, notes, and printed literature. The challenge aims to test problem-solving skills and chemical understanding rather than knowledge. Explore past questions and solutions  here  to get an idea of what’s in store.

Schools may only enter one team each and places are first come first served.

The competition is run in collaboration with the University of Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry. This year, it is joined by the University of Oxford too, so students may compete in either city. The competition will take place on Saturday 4 February 2023. Learn more on the  competition website .

Quantum on the Clock

Age: 16–18 Closed: 8 July 2022

The Institute of Physics’ QQQ group’s  Quantum on the Clock  competition is open to all A-level or equivalent students in the UK and Ireland. Students are tasked to create a three-minute video about any aspect of quantum science or technology. Entries can be individual or in teams of up to four students.

Cash prizes are on offer for the winners and runners-up, with the judging focusing on creativity, clarity, engagement and accuracy. The ‘best individual’ and ‘best team’ winners will also receive year subscriptions to  Physics World   and an expenses-paid invitation to a prize-giving ceremony at the Photon 2022 conference dinner, which will take place from 30 August until 2 September 2022.

To find out more and apply, watch this  video  and go to the Quantum on the Clock  website .

Clean Tech Competition

Age: 15–18 Closed: 22 April 2022 (registration); 29 April 2022 (paper submission deadline)

The Clean Tech Competition research and design challenge asks students to identify a problem with our natural world and resource use that they want to change, innovate a sustainable solution and submit a research paper to the judges. This year there is no topic restriction; entries simply need to have one goal: create a sustainable solution for an environmental issue.

This is a great opportunity to refine research, analysis and literary skills.

Each team should be made up of one to three students, who must be 15–18 years old on the submission deadline, 29 April 2022. Once the papers have been submitted, the top 10 teams from the global pool will be selected to progress to the virtual global finals. They will present their research and prototypes to the judges, and will receive handsome cash prizes, with the first team also earning a continued mentorship from an expert in the field. 

Find out more and register on the  competition website.

Royal College of Science Union (RCSU) Science Challenge

Age: 14–18 Closed: 11 February 2022

Imperial College London’s RCSU Science Challenge is all about science communication – requiring students to demonstrate their skills in debate and reasoning and teach the public about science and its consequences.

Questions on a given theme are set by eminent scientists – who even read the shortlisted entries, so there’s a real chance students’ work will be seen by world-leading academics. You can find last year’s (Covid-related) questions on the  website .

There are both individual and team categories, and students can answer one of the questions in either written or video form of up to 1000 words or four minutes respectively. Winners receive cash prizes, plus there are non-cash prizes for the runners up.

Shortlisted candidates will be informed on 14 March 2022 and invited to the grand final on 21 March 2022 at the Royal Institution, where they will deliver a short presentation. Find more information about taking part on the  challenge website .

• Competitions
• Curriculum enhancement and enrichment

Related articles

The real prize of entering STEM competitions

2020-12-10T10:23:00Z By Annabel Jenner

Both you and your students can gain a lot from participating in science competitions besides winning

Brighton College is Top of the Bench

2024-03-20T09:36:00Z By Deborah van Wyk

Winners and runners-up announced in the RSC’s 2024 Top of the Bench competition

2024 Chemistry Olympiad round one results

2024-03-01T16:00:00Z By Deborah van Wyk

Grade boundaries revealed for annual Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad competition

9 readers' comments

Only registered users can comment on this article., more from feature.

Why fermented foods are good for your gut – and your teaching

2024-04-15T05:30:00Z By Emma Davies

From kimchi to kefir, tuck into the complex chemistry of fermentation and its health potential

Sniffing out the science of smells

2024-03-25T04:00:00Z By Hayley Bennett

What makes a bad smell smell bad? Sniff out the chemical culprits behind obnoxious odours

Strengthen your teaching practice with targeted CPD

2024-03-18T05:00:00Z By David Read

Discover why subject knowledge always packs a punch in the classroom

• Contributors
• Print issue
• Email alerts

Site powered by Webvision Cloud

Introducing PolyPilot:

Our AI-Powered Mentorship Program

Top Psychology Competitions For High School and Middle School Students

By Logan Pearce

PhD candidate in Social Psychology at Princeton University

8 minute read

If you are currently conducting a research project in psychology or just completed one, you should consider participating in a psychology competition! While it may seem intimidating in the beginning, there are many benefits to participating in psychology competitions. Here are a few:

Develops your ability to explain complex ideas and your research to a new audience 

Gives you a deadline, which in turn provides motivation for you to complete your research project

Provides opportunities to practice following guidelines and submission requirements, which are skills you will need in high school, college, and beyond

Looks great on a college application  

You might win! (Don’t sell yourself short!) 

In assessing each competition, I considered the academic rigor of its hosting institution, its relevance to psychology, and its accessibility for students. Accessibility of course comes in many forms. I considered whether the competition was accessible to students of different ages and in different geographical areas. None of the competitions required an entry fee, which is something else I looked for. (If you ever have to pay a lot of money for a competition, that’s a bad sign.)

8 Psychology Competitions For Students

1. junior science and humanities symposium (jshs).

Hosting institution : United States Department of Defense

Format : Written Research Report 

Application deadline : The regional symposiums vary by region, but the deadlines are usually between September and December. The regional symposiums are actually held from January through March. The national symposium is held sometime in April or May. 

Individual or team : Either, but in the case of a team project, only one person presents/submits the work. That person will be presented with any scholarships/awards that they win. 

Eligibility : Citizens or permanent residents of the United States only

This competition is for high school students (grades 9 - 12) who have conducted original research in a STEM field. First, students submit a written research report detailing their findings. Judges select a portion of those submissions to be considered in the appropriate regional symposium based on the applicant’s location. Winners from the regional round move on to the national symposium. 

This is a great competition since students of many different ages can compete. One difficulty is that students generally have to travel to the regional symposium to present their work (a few are online). While there is at least one symposium in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Department of Defense Schools in Europe and the Pacific, in some states there is only one symposium.

2. International Psychology Olympiad

Hosting institution: International Psychology Olympiad Association

Format: Academic Test

Application deadline: TBA

Individual or team: Individual or team

Eligibility: Worldwide; over 35+ countries have participated in the past

This competition has an academic test format with 3 different sections: concept understanding, application and analysis, and research design. In preparing for this test you should have a good understanding of psychology concepts and be able to apply this theory to actual problems. After registration, students will receive study materials to help prepare them for the test. You register for this competition through your school or an organization, so try to find classmates who might be interested as well, and reach out to school teachers or administrators early so they can sign you up!

3. Minds Underground Psychology Essay Competition

Hosting institution: Minds Underground

Format: Essay

Application deadline: Passed for this year, but based on last year’s date should be April 2024 for the upcoming year

Individual or team: Individual

Eligibility: Worldwide

This essay competition offers three essay prompts to choose from every year (you can submit one essay per category prompt). Past essay prompts have included questions like “Can we think without language?” and “How can the mind be altered by changes in the brain?” These profound questions are quite open-ended, so it forces you to do a good amount of research to support your perspective. As a result, you can learn quite a bit about psychology in the process while also developing your own opinions about the space.

Research and Prepare for your Competition or Fair

Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own. Our highly-specialized mentors can help guide you to feel even more prepared for an upcoming fair or competion. We also offer options to explore multiple topics, or to showcase your final product!

4. Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC)

Hosting institution: Society for Science in partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific

Format: Submission to a local science fair 

Application deadline: Varies depending on the local fair, but most fairs take place between January and April  

Individual or team: Either. Up to three people can form a team, but each student must submit an individual application. Students on the same team are judged separately. Students can complete a team project and submit their application even if the other team members do not submit one. 

Eligibility: The only criteria is that the student competes in an affiliated fair in the U.S. or a U.S. territory. You will have to check the fair’s rules to see if you are eligible to compete. 

I like this competition because it is only for middle school students (6th, 7th, and 8th grades) - many opportunities are only for high school students. These students first compete in a local fair that is affiliated with Thermo Fisher. Judges at the local fair can then nominate up to 10% of the students to participate in the national competition. The Top 300 students receive awards, and the finalists chosen from the Top 300 travel to Washington, D.C., to compete for awards with even bigger prizes.

One drawback of this competition is that students must compete in a local fair first, which has the same transportation costs as I discussed earlier. Additionally, the site says that there is a fair “in nearly every state and territory in the U.S.,” which means there are a few states or territories that do not have a fair. 

5. TOPSS Competition for High School Psychology Students

Hosting institution: TOPSS (American Psychological Association Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools)

Format: Video 

Application deadline: The deadline for this year has passed, but check back soon!

Individual or team: Individual, although competitors also “must work with a teacher prior to submitting the entry to ensure the submitted content follows competition guidelines and rules.”

Eligibility Worldwide

In this competition, high school students submit a three-minute video that demonstrates their grasp of a psychological concept and how this concept can be used to make people’s lives better in the “real world”. The video should fall into one of the following categories: social psychology, personality, multiculturalism and gender, or motivation and emotion. To be eligible to compete, students must have completed or be currently enrolled in a psychology course. Each video submission must include a reference to at least one reputable outside source. You can check out this article to learn how to skim research papers effectively while looking for your outside source(s). Pro-tip: A major part of this competition is explaining the psychological concept and all research that you cite in your own words!

This competition is accessible for a variety of students, which is great. Even though it is hosted by the American Psychological Association, international students can compete. Applicants don’t have to pay for common research expenses (e.g., getting materials, paying participants) since the competition focuses on students’ understanding of existing research. However, I think this is also a potential limitation of the competition. Some students may not be as interested in reading articles and instead prefer to conduct their own research. 

Also note that the video format may feel awkward for some students, but the 2022 competition submission was an essay, so perhaps that changes from year to year.

6. Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) 

Hosting institution: Society for Science

Format: Research Paper 

Application deadline: The 2024 application opens on June 1, 2023. Check back on their website for the 2024 deadline. 

Eligibility: United States citizens and students (of any citizenship) studying in the U.S. can compete.

This competition goes back to 1942 and is the oldest science and math competition in the United States! Since it has that background, it is very prestigious and academically rigorous. Applicants complete original scientific research projects and submit their findings in a formal research paper. Experts in the appropriate scientific field carefully review each project, leading to the Top 300 and Top 40 finalists. The Top 40 finalists compete in an in-person Finals Week in Washington, D.C., for the Top 10 awards. Each Top 40 scholar receives at least $25,000! ($25,000 seems like a typo, but don’t worry, I double-checked!)

Read our article about How to Write a Research Paper

The downside of this competition is that only high school seniors can compete. Applicants can conduct their research in any year of high school; however, it still limits younger students who want to compete earlier in their academic careers.

Check out our Ultimate Guide to the Regeneron Science Talent Search for more information about this competition

7. United States Army’s eCybermission Competition 

Hosting institution: United States Army

Format: Scientific Report 

Application deadline: Currently closed, but the previous deadline was in early 2023. Registration for the 2023-2024 competition opens in the fall. 

Individual or team: Team 

Eligibility: U.S. Citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents of the U.S. 

This entirely virtual competition ranked high on the list because it is another rare opportunity for younger students. It is a team-based STEM competition for U.S. students in the 6th - 9th grades. Students form a group with 2 - 4 members total, along with an adult advisor. The team then completes a scientific research project or designs an engineering prototype to solve a problem in their community. Teams submit a paper describing their experimental research or engineering design process. They can win awards at the state, regional, and national levels. 

The requirement to have 2 - 4 team members can be a pro or a con depending on the student and their goals and resources. On the one hand, it develops key collaboration skills which are useful in many different areas and can provide a sense of community. Each team member will also bring unique strengths to the project. On the other hand it might be challenging to find team members who have similar interests and vision for the project.

8. Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)

Format: Submission to a local science fair

Application deadline: Varies depending on the local fair 

Individual or team: Either. Students can form teams with up to three members total. Unlike the Theromo Fisher competition, in ISEF teams compete as a unit. 

The Society for Science also hosts this competition, which is essentially the high school version of the Thermo Fisher competition. 9th-12th grade students first compete in a local science fair that is affiliated with Regeneron, and judges at that fair nominate a certain percentage of participants for the international level. These finalists compete for over 600 individual and team awards, with substantial monetary prizes. 

This competition is accessible for all high school students and for international students. There are fairs in nearly every U.S. state as well as over 70 other countries, regions and territories. Students can submit projects in one of 21 categories that span all engineering and science disciplines, including the psychology subcategory under “Behavioral and Social Sciences.” We also have an ultimate guide to competing and winning in the Regeneron International Science Engineering Fair.

Competition Prep and Psychology Resources For High School Students

All of these research competitions are great and hosted by reputable organizations, so consider each one and make the best decision based on your interests, goals, and resources. You can’t go wrong! Also remember that when you are submitting research involving human subjects for competitions, you will need to get IRB approval before conducting your research.  If you would like any help conducting research that you want to submit to a competition, please apply for our flagship mentorship program here . You can also check out these articles to learn about research opportunities for high school students , internship opportunities for high school students , and creative ways to explore your passions .

Psychology projects completed by Polygence students

We also wanted to highlight some amazing psychology research projects that Polygence student alumni have completed in the past. Whether you’re submitting the project for a competition or not, the process of working on one is a great way to learn and explore your passions!

Janani’s project assessed how emotional intelligence affects a person’s lifestyle and wellbeing . Janani developed a questionnaire to assess people’s emotional intelligence and after completing the survey found some interesting insights about what provokes human anger and the connections between memories and emotions experienced. Janani also wrote a research paper to share her findings!

Valeria’s project explored the neglected mental health crisis and how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted minority groups and youth in the United States . Valeria researched the harmful mental health effects of the pandemic and also provided suggestions for potential solutions within healthcare and education systems. Valeria’s research paper was published in the Curieux Academic Journal!

Luke researched the topic of nepotistic hiring and how favoritism plays a role in the job market . What started for Luke as an initial survey about mental health during the pandemic eventually transitioned to a psychological study where he predicted that cultural differences and different socioeconomic status would lead to nuances in manager behavior in certain job-hiring situations. Luke’s research paper was published in Frontiers, a peer-reviewed academic journal. 

Related Content

Psychology Passion Project Ideas

Psychology and Mental Health Research Projects at the 8th Symposium of Rising Scholars

Mastering Self-Learning: Guidelines for Highly-Motivated Middle and High School Students

Showcasing Your Research on College Applications

How to Write about Extracurriculars in Your Personal Statement and Supplemental Essays

What Sets Polygence Apart from Other Research Programs for Middle and High School Students

Want to start a project of your own?

Click below to get matched with one of our expert mentors who can help take your project off the ground!

Main Navigation

• Contact NeurIPS
• Code of Ethics
• Code of Conduct
• Create Profile
• Journal To Conference Track
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Proceedings
• Future Meetings
• Exhibitor Information
• Privacy Policy

NeurIPS 2024 Call for Competitions

We are glad to announce the eighth edition of the competition track at NeurIPS 2024 . Through this call, we solicit competition proposals on topics of interest to the NeurIPS community.

We especially encourage submissions with a clear scientific question and from fields with a positive societal impact promoting causes that use AI to help disadvantaged communities. Besides societal impact, we seek proposals in areas where machine learning can positively influence other scientific, technological, or business domains. We hope that interesting competitions will attract a significant cross-section of interdisciplinary and diverse communities to our NeurIPS 2024 competition track.

Technological advances in our field can have the potential to disproportionately hurt marginalized sectors in society — including people of color, people from working-class backgrounds, women, and LGBTQ people. Hence, we strongly encourage proposals that address these problems, especially from researchers with these identities or who are members of other marginalized or under-represented communities.

Proposals should highlight an inclusiveness plan to promote diverse participation among both the organizing team and competitors. Separate recognition tiers to incentivize broad participation, such as recognizing top submissions from high school students or other participant groups are encouraged.  Organizers are encouraged to collaborate with affinity groups to host on-site bootcamps and other initiatives aimed at promoting diversity of participation.  

NeurIPS 2024 will be hosting a dedicated Competition Track, where results will be presented and discussed by participants and organizers. The Competition Track is currently planned to be held in person at NeurIPS . Similar to last year, we request that the competition analysis paper be submitted to the NeurIPS 2025 D&B track; there will be no separate proceedings. Further details on the organization will be released in the following months.  

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Competition proposals must both be submitted via OpenReview at:

https://openreview.net/group?id=NeurIPS.cc/2024/Competition_Track  

Note: Newly created profiles in OpenReview can take up to two weeks for approval, please plan accordingly

Please carefully follow the provided Latex template when preparing proposals.

Note that the guidelines and template have been updated from last year. 

To reduce the reviewers’ workload, we will accept only 8 page submissions.

REVIEWING AND SELECTION PROCESS

A competition program committee will be formed, consisting of experts on both machine learning and challenges organization. Each proposal will be reviewed by members of the program committee. The factors that will be considered when evaluating proposals include:

• Scientific relevance and Task(s): competitions should be motivated by clear scientific questions and curiosity. Impact, originality, and relevance to the NeurIPS community will all be considered. Tasks that include humanitarian and/or positive societal impact are highly encouraged, although other topics relevant to the NeurIPS community are also welcomed. If humanitarian projects are submitted, the involvement of the community in question is strongly desired, and “parachute science” is strongly discouraged.
• Evaluation Protocol: Feasibility of the task chosen, baseline availability, sufficient data for training and testing algorithms to solve the proposed task, soundness of the evaluation criteria, and clarity and fairness of the competition rules will all be evaluated.
• Logistics: The competition schedule, plan for attracting competition participants, and experience and diversity of the organizers will all be considered. The specific plan for attracting competition participants, including groups under-represented at NeurIPS, will be important during the review process.

PROCEEDINGS

This year, there are new publication requirements for competition reports co-authored by both organizers and participants. Similar to last year, accepted competitions in 2024 will be required to submit their post-competition analyses as papers to the 2025 NeurIPS D&B track (next year). In order to ensure that the competition proposal and results are consistent, reviewers in 2025 will have access to the 2024 proposals. To minimize experimental bias, any deviations from the proposal will need to be justified.

IMPORTANT DATES (anywhere on earth)

• Competition proposal submission deadline: Apr 05, 2024 AOE
• Acceptance notification: April 17, 2024
• 2023 Competition track: December 9-14, 2024

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Competition organizers should propose a timeline for running the competition to ensure participants have enough time to contribute high-quality entries. It is recommended that competitions be launched in May and completed by the end of October 2024 at the absolute latest.

Competition organizers that require help or suggestions regarding competition platforms for running the competition can contact the competition chairs for advice.

2023 accepted competitions

2022 accepted competitions

2021 accepted competitions

2020 accepted competitions

2019 accepted competitions

2018 accepted competitions

2017 accepted competitions

COMPETITION CHAIRS

Jake Albrecht, Sage Bionetworks

Tao Qin, Microsoft Research

Megan Yates, Zindi

Contact:  [email protected]

Department of Economics

Wear my shoes: a sensory awareness workshop.

Join us for an extraordinary journey into the world of sensory experiences, designed to enlighten, inspire, and foster deeper understanding and empathy. Our interactive workshop will immerse you in the diversity of sensory perception, offering a glimpse into the various ways individuals experience the world around us.

Date: 30/04/2024

Location: oc1.06.

Register by Monday 29th April

Why attend?

• Empathy Through Experience: Engage in activities that simulate sensory sensitivities, enhancing your empathy and understanding of neurodiversity.
• Inclusive Dialogue: Participate in discussions that bridge gaps and build community awareness.
• Expert Insights: Gain valuable knowledge in inclusive group work. Skills that you will apply during your course and in your future job.
• Connect and Reflect: Meet like-minded individuals in a supportive environment, sharing insights and experiences.

Activities include:

• Lighting Variations & Tactile Experiences: Explore the impact of visual and tactile stimuli.
• Background Noise Challenge: Understand the effect of auditory distractions.
• Sensory Overload Simulation: Experience and discuss the complexity of sensory overload in a safe, controlled setting.

* Please be aware that this session will contain flashing lights and loud noises.

Everyone is Welcome! Whether you're a student, educator, professional, or simply curious, this workshop is open to all who seek to broaden their understanding of sensory experiences and neurodiversity.

Registration for this event is essential. Please click the button below to secure your place. Registration will close on Monday 29th April at 12pm noon.

Share this article

Share this page

Iliana Ivanova , Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said:

"To all the new ERC grantees, my heartfelt congratulations! These grants will not only support leading researchers in pushing the boundaries of knowledge, but also create some  2 500 jobs for postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and other research staff across Europe. This investment nurtures the next generation of brilliant minds. I look forward to seeing the resulting breakthroughs and fresh advancements in the years ahead.”  

President of the European Research Council Prof. Maria Leptin said:

“Congratulations to the 255 researchers who will receive grants to follow their scientific instinct in this new funding round. I am particularly happy to see more mid-career scientists amongst the Advanced Grant winners this time. I hope that it will encourage more researchers at this career stage to apply for these grants.” 

Projects selected for funding 

The new grants will support cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, from life sciences and physical sciences to social sciences and humanities. How to get rid of harmful chemicals in our bodies? Can the protective layer around our heart help fix heart problems? Why do infants learn languages so fast? These are only some of the questions that will be addressed by the new grantees. 

See more research examples

Facts & figures 

The successful candidates proposed to host their projects at universities and research centres in 19 EU Member States and associated countries, notably in Germany (50 grants), France (37) and the Netherlands (23). Among the winners there are Germans (50 researchers), French (31), Britons (28), Italians (22) and citizens of 28 other nations.   

This competition attracted 1 829 proposals, which were reviewed by panels of internationally renowned researchers. Nearly fourteen percent of proposals were selected for funding. Estimates show that the grants will create 2 480 jobs in teams of new grantees.   

The ERC Advanced Grants target established, leading researchers with a proven track-record of significant achievements. In recent years, there has been a steady rise in mid-career researchers (12-17 years post-PhD), who have been successful in the Advanced Grants competitions, with 18% securing grants in this latest round. 

See more statistics and the full list of winners . 

Applicants based in the UK 

The statistics and list of successful candidates are provisional. The European Commission and the UK Government have reached an agreement on the association of the UK to Horizon Europe. However, the association applies only for calls for proposals implementing the 2024 budget and onwards. For the Advanced Grants and other calls from the 2023 ERC Work Programme, the UK-based applicants who were eligible to apply under the transitional arrangement may receive EU funding only if they transfer their proposed project to an eligible host institution.     

About the ERC 

The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe. The ERC offers four core grant schemes:  Starting Grants ,  Consolidator Grants ,  Advanced Grants  and  Synergy Grants . With its additional  Proof of Concept  Grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation. The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the  Scientific Council . Since November 2021, Maria Leptin is the President of the ERC. The overall ERC budget from 2021 to 2027 is more than €16 billion, as part of the  Horizon Europe  programme, under the responsibility of European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Iliana Ivanova . 

Title More info

Examples of proposed projects  

Statistics  

List of all selected researchers  

Lists of selected researchers by domain: 

Physical Sciences and Engineering  

Life Sciences  

Social Sciences and Humanities  

Title Press contacts

Marcin Mońko Head of Sector Media and content T: +32 2 296 66 44

Kerstin Dörflinger Press and Communication officer T: +32 2 296 50 59

Other news you may like

Media Center 4/17/2024 2:00:00 PM Greg Johnson

3 research teams named Innovations in Research and Practice Grant recipients

$100,000 awarded to produce studies around student-athlete mental health and social media use.

During the 2024-25 academic year, three research teams will receive a total of $100,000 to conduct projects designed to enhance student-athletes' psychosocial well-being and mental health.

This is the 10th year of the NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant Program. The panel that reviewed the proposals was composed of current student-athletes, academics, athletics administrators, an athletic trainer, a coach and a mental health clinician. The reviewers felt confident the funded pilot programs will lead to programs that other schools can adopt for use on their campuses or adapt to fit their own needs. 

"It is encouraging to continue to see such a high level of interest in this grant program," said Eric Laudano, the panel chair and a senior associate athletics director at Saint Joseph's. "This year, over 140 proposals were submitted, and with so many strong projects and compelling collaborations, it was challenging for the panel to identify the finalists and select the three recipients. We are confident that these projects will benefit the student-athletes on the receiving campuses in the coming year. Further, we believe the membership will have much to gain as these grant teams share their findings and make their resources widely available in 2025."

These three teams will make their findings available to the membership during the 2024-25 academic year:

Share, like and subscribe: The impact of social media use on student-athletes' identity and sense of belonging on and off the team.

Rebecca Bertuccio, Ph.D., NCSP, LP (project director); Brittany Rhoden, MSEd, MSc; and Grace Landrigan, MPH.

Online resilience: Empowering student-athletes in navigating social media feedback with intervention techniques.

Nataliya Bredikhina, Ph.D. (project director), and Bomin Paek, Ph.D.

The locker room files: Developing data-driven digital well-being strategies to mitigate social media effects on mental health, well-being, and team relationships.

Claire Wanzer, M.A. (project director), and Amy Bleakley, Ph.D., MPH.

Of note, the Wanzer and Bleakley project will involve collaboration with three Division I athletics departments (Binghamton University, Delaware and Niagara) and two Division II athletics departments (Daemen and West Chester).

Members of the external review panel that selected the grant recipients:

• Panel chair Eric Laudano, senior associate director of athletics for high performance, Saint Joseph's.
• Ashley Cozad, women's swimming and diving student-athlete, North Florida.
• Margrethe Frøland, women's skiing student-athlete, Saint Michael's.
• Hugo Garcia, men's soccer student-athlete, Wabash.
• John Ritzen, women's golf head coach, Chadron State.
• Jeff Ruser, sport psychology specialist, Notre Dame.
• Ally Smith, associate head athletic trainer/part-time faculty, Otterbein.
• Cheryl Stuntz, professor of psychology, St. Lawrence.
• Patricia Thomas, director of athletics, District of Columbia.
• Khirey Walker, assistant professor of sport management, Elon.

Thanks for visiting !

The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy.

We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here.

Thank you for your support!