Opportunities for Grade 9 Students
Browse 203 verified opportunities open to grade 9 students — research programs, internships, competitions, and summer programs all in one place.
Freshman year has more on it than most students expect — the catch is that the mix leans heavily toward programs and competitions. Only a small slice of research placements and internships admit 9th graders, because most organizations set their eligibility at 10th grade or later.
That makes competitions the fairest starting point: no essays, no recommendations, and a score that's entirely yours. Pick one or two programs that genuinely interest you, and treat this year as the low-stakes year to discover what you actually enjoy.
Congressional App Challenge
Build an original app for any platform and compete against peers in your congressional district. Winning apps are exhibited in the U.S. Capitol.
Conrad Challenge
Multi-stage innovation competition for teams of 2-5, judged on a lean canvas, innovation brief, video, and team site. The activation stage closes in October and the innovation stage in January; advancing teams pay a $499 team fee.
USA Mathematical Talent Search
Free, proof-based math contest you complete from home over several weeks, with detailed written feedback on every solution you submit.
NASA TechRise Student Challenge
School teams design an experiment that NASA flies on a high-altitude test vehicle in summer 2027. A teacher or school employee submits the team's proposal, and 60 winning teams are chosen.
AMC 10/12
The nation's largest high school math competition, and the first step toward AIME, USAMO, and the IMO team. Register through your school's math department.
LaunchX Summer Entrepreneurship Program
Selective summer program where teams launch a real startup, offered in person and online. Priority applications land in mid-November with a final round in early March; need-based awards are available.
Cedars-Sinai Teen Volunteer Program
Session-based hospital volunteering in Los Angeles where teens work alongside patients and staff. You must be 14 to 18 and complete a full session. The volunteer jacket costs $30.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
The largest US recognition program for teen writing and visual art, with 28 categories judged regionally first. Entry is $15 per work with a fee waiver built into the portal; Bay Area regional deadlines fall in December.
HOSA-Future Health Professionals
Career organization for students interested in health careers, with 70+ competitive events, leadership conferences, and community health service from state to international level. Join through a school chapter.
Dream with Us High School Engineering Challenge
Teams of 3 to 7 students design a new cargo aircraft and write a proposal for it. Registration closes December 8, 2026, and the engineering notebook is due January 25, 2027.
GTRI High School Summer Internship
Five-week paid summer internship for Georgia high schoolers (Georgia residents only, 16+ by April 2027) working on real STEM research projects — robotics, drones, radar physics, piezoelectric systems — with GTRI engineers and scientists. Runs June 14–July 23, up to 24 hrs/week; no housing provided.
World Series of Innovation
Free online challenge series where students submit solutions tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, solo or in small teams, for cash prizes up to $1,500.
MIT THINK Scholars Program
Propose a STEM research or engineering project you haven't built yet; finalists get up to $1,000 in funding, weekly MIT mentorship, and an all-expenses-paid trip to MIT. Free to apply, solo or in pairs.
High School Entrepreneurship and AI Video Pitch Competition
Pitch a business idea in a short video. Entries are individual, the registration fee is $25, and prizes are $500, $250, and $100. Register by January 8, 2027 and submit the video by January 15.
Diamond Challenge
Global venture pitch competition with business and social innovation tracks and a $100K prize pool. Teams of 2-4 students need one adult advisor; finalists compete at the Limitless World Summit.
Interlochen Arts Camp
Residential summer arts camp in northern Michigan covering music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film, and creative writing in sessions of one to six weeks. Tuition is steep, but 86% of families who requested aid received it last summer.
F=ma Exam & USA Physics Olympiad
Take the F=ma exam at your school in February; top scorers advance to USAPhO and possibly the U.S. Physics Team camp. Your school registers, not you, and there's a school plus per-student fee.
StudentCam
C-SPAN's national video documentary contest. You make a short film about an issue that affects your community or the country.
Essentials of Finance
Two-week online introduction to corporate valuation, venture capital, and alternative investments, taught by Wharton faculty.
Financial Decision Making
Two-week online certificate covering the fundamentals of saving, borrowing, and investing through daily live lectures and recitations.
CTY Summer Programs
In-person and online summer academic courses for students who qualify through above-grade-level testing. Tuition-based, with financial aid available.
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad
Tiered competition: a local-section exam in late winter, a national exam in April, and a June study camp for top finishers. Register through your local ACS section, which sets its own cutoff.
Law Academy
One-week pre-college academy in Washington, DC covering criminal law, constitutional law, and Supreme Court cases through lectures and mock trials. Applying by the early deadline waives the application fee.
USA Astronomy & Astrophysics Olympiad
Three-round astronomy competition starting with a proctored first round in February and a national round in April. Registration is $30 per student, discounted for groups, with financial aid available.
USA/North America AI Olympiad
Multi-round AI competition with a February first round of non-coding and Colab coding tasks, an invitational second round, and a June camp that selects Team USA. Exams are proctored at your school or a test site.
Stanford AI4ALL
Two-week AI program covering computer vision, robotics, medical AI, NLP, and ethics with graduate-student mentorship, online in June or residential in July. Open only to 9th graders; tuition is steep but need-based aid exists.
Davidson Fellows
Scholarship competition awarding $25,000 to $100,000 to students 18 or younger for a significant, original piece of work in science, technology, math, literature, music, or philosophy. No fee to apply.
Global Stock Pitch Competition
Students pick a public company and build their best stock idea, alone or in teams of two, then pitch it. The fee is $30 per person, registration opens December 15, 2026, and finalists attend the Global Youth Investment Summit.
Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition
Complete a free online mini-course and submit a video pitch under five minutes for an original product idea, judged by entrepreneurs for cash prizes. Fully virtual, free, and no school sponsorship needed.
Canada/USA Mathcamp
Five-week residential program teaching advanced, exploratory mathematics beyond the standard curriculum. Fully free for families earning under $100,000, with sliding-scale tuition above that.
PhysicsBowl
A 40-question, 45-minute multiple-choice physics exam given at participating schools each spring, split into first-year and second-year divisions and scored individually and by team. Enter through a teacher.
PROMYS
Six-week residential program where students work through open-ended number theory problem sets alongside counselors and visiting mathematicians. Tuition is fully covered for families earning under $80,000.
California State Summer School for the Arts
Four-week state-run residential arts intensive at Cal Poly Pomona in animation, film, dance, music, theater, visual arts, and creative writing. Nearly 60% of students recently received full or partial scholarships, limited to California residents.
Ross Mathematics Program
Six-week residential number theory intensive built around discovery — students prove their own theorems instead of memorizing someone else's.
Summer Mentorship Program
Fully online mentorship pairing you one-on-one with a working poet or prose writer in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Fee remission is reviewed separately from admission.
Pre-College Academy
Saturday conservatory program in downtown San Francisco running August through May with private lessons, ensembles, and master classes. Admission is by audition and expects 1-2 years of prior study; financial aid is offered.
PITCH Health Careers Program
Three-week summer program at UCSF exploring health and medical science careers through mentored investigations and college-readiness workshops. Prioritizes first-generation and low-income students; 2.5 GPA minimum.
GENIUS Olympiad
International project competition on environmental topics, with tracks including AI, robotics, and science. Applications open in December 2026, cost $75 per project, and finalists present at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York in June 2027.
Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
On-campus and online summer courses at Stanford open to any qualifying student, not just those enrolled at Stanford OHS. Tuition-based with need-based financial aid.
Kode With Klossy Summer Camp
Free two-week coding camp for girls and gender-expansive teens, covering web development, machine learning, or mobile app design. No experience required.
LINC Summer High School Program
Free summer conservation and leadership program with an environmental-justice community-science track and an outdoor-leadership track including camping and kayaking. Participants receive a completion stipend.
Careers in Science Internship
Multi-year paid internship in Golden Gate Park for SFUSD 9th and 10th graders underrepresented in STEM, doing fieldwork and visitor programs through graduation. Requires a 2.5 GPA and a 2-3 year commitment.
SAGE Summer Camp
Free one-week residential camp at the SLAC and Stanford campuses with job shadowing, hands-on projects, and career sessions led by lab scientists. Ages 14-17 in a set list of Northern and Central California counties.
Academic Talent Development Program
Summer enrichment courses at UC Berkeley across the sciences, math, and humanities. Costs several hundred to about $1,250 per course, with a Pathway Scholarship for financial need.
Galaxy Explorers
Multi-year Oakland program where teens run museum demonstrations and join inquiry teams in engineering, climate tech, and digital media, with externships at partners like NASA Ames. $1,500 a year, fully covered for students with demonstrated need.
Youth Task Force
County advisory body of students who bring youth voice to government and community-organization policy, meeting monthly in San Jose. Open only to Santa Clara County students.
AwesomeMath Summer Program
Three-week live online intensive built around olympiad and contest problem-solving, taught by experienced competition coaches.
Mosaic Journalism Workshop
Free two-week summer newsroom intensive at SJSU where about 20 mostly Bay Area students report, write, shoot, and produce work that gets published. Requires work samples and full attendance.
Pathways
Free, self-paced seven-week virtual program for girls and non-binary students exploring AI, cybersecurity, data science, game design, or web development, with mentor check-ins along the way. Replaced the flagship Summer Immersion Program, which ended after its 2025 cohort.
Genes in Space
Design a DNA-based biotechnology experiment addressing a real challenge of space exploration — the winning proposal is actually run by astronauts aboard the ISS. Free, solo or in teams of up to five.
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair
The world's largest pre-college science fair. You qualify by winning at an affiliated regional or state fair, not by applying directly.
Technovation Girls
Girls and gender-expansive students build a mobile app or AI project addressing a community problem with a volunteer mentor, then submit code, a demo, and a business pitch. Free, and you can register without a school program.
San Francisco Youth Commission
A 17-member commission that is the official youth voice in City Hall, advising the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on youth budget and policy over a year-long term. Open to San Francisco residents ages 12-23.
Stanford National Forensic Institute
Speech, debate, and public speaking institute run at Stanford since 1990, with summer sessions in Palo Alto plus online options. Enrollment is rolling and space-limited.
High School Terminal
Free, virtual, round-robin team coding competition where students build algorithms for finance and data-driven problems, with cash prizes and Citadel recruiting exposure.
Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program
Eight-week summer research internship placing students in a Mason faculty lab. Remote, hybrid and in-person wet-lab placements are offered; wet-lab placements require you to be 16 by the start date, the others 15.
Global High School Investment Competition
Free ten-week competition where teams of 4-6 build an investment strategy for a real client case and manage a virtual portfolio. A teacher at your school must register the team.
Breakthrough Junior Challenge
Submit an original two-minute video explaining a concept in physics, life sciences, or math, competing for a $250,000 college scholarship. Finalists also peer-review at least five other entries.
√mathroots
Free residential summer math program at MIT for current high school students. There is no tuition or housing cost.
AEOP Internships and Fellowships
Paid research internships in Army research labs and partner university labs. Positions are competitive.
AFSA National High School Essay Contest
Essay contest asking students to analyze a question about diplomacy, international affairs, and the work of the U.S. Foreign Service.
AFSA Opportunities for High School Students
Directory of public diplomacy, exchange, essay, and international-affairs opportunities maintained by the professional association for U.S. diplomats.
AI Foundations & CS Discoveries
Free, self-paced computer science and AI courses with no application or deadline. Code.org rebranded to CodeAI in 2026 as it shifted focus from coding toward AI literacy.
AI Scholars & AI Fellowship
Online AI courses over Zoom — a 25-hour group program in Python, neural networks, and AI ethics, or a mentored individual research fellowship. Both charge significant tuition, with need-based aid up to 100%.
AI Scholars Program
Ten-session live online AI course taught by graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and similar schools, ending in a social-impact project. Tuition is $1,400 with payment plans; admission is rolling year-round.
AI4ALL Open Learning
Free, self-paced online curriculum introducing artificial intelligence through projects on topics like computer vision and data bias. AI4ALL has paused all of its high school programming, so this is kept for reference only.
Amazon Future Engineer
Collection of free computer science courses, virtual field trips, and career-exploration content for students and teachers, including introductory coding and cloud computing material.
American Legion Oratorical Contest
Scholarship speech competition focused on the U.S. Constitution, civic knowledge, and prepared and extemporaneous public speaking.
American Regions Mathematics League
Team mathematics competition where regional teams of fifteen compete across individual, relay, and team rounds. Students join through a regional or school team rather than registering alone.
American Rocketry Challenge
The world's largest student rocket contest: teams of three to twenty-five design, build, and launch a model rocket meeting a specific altitude and flight-time target for a chance to compete nationally.
American Youth Policy Forum Events
Public policy learning and youth voice resources connecting students and educators with discussions about education, equity, and youth policy.
Aspirations in Computing Award
Recognition program for students who are women, genderqueer, or non-binary with an interest in computing, awarded on the basis of technical projects, leadership, and community. Winners join a national community with internship and scholarship connections.
Ayn Rand Essay Contests
Open essay competitions on literature, ethics, politics, and individual rights, with prompts and awards listed by contest cycle.
Bennington Young Writers Awards
Free writing contest for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, now part of the Bennington Young Creators Awards.
Berkeley Math Tournament
Student-run math tournament at UC Berkeley with individual and team rounds, including a novice division for students newer to competition mathematics.
Berkeley Model United Nations
Three-day conference on the UC Berkeley campus drawing roughly 2,000 high school delegates across 20 committees. Registration is first-come and requires an adult advisor from your school.
Blue Planet Awareness Contest
Annual creative contest (formerly the Ocean Awareness Contest) asking students to explore an ocean and climate theme through visual art, writing, film, music, or interactive media. Free to enter, with cash awards across divisions.
Business Professionals of America Events
Workplace-skills competitive events in finance, management, information technology, and digital communication, run through a school's BPA chapter from regional to national leadership conferences.
California Mock Trial
Statewide competition where school teams argue a hypothetical criminal case in real courtrooms before sitting judges, including Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Contra Costa counties. Join through your school's team.
Children's Health Council Teen Volunteers
Teens ages 14 to 18 volunteer with a Palo Alto nonprofit that supports children and teens with learning differences and mental health needs. Volunteers serve across the Peninsula and South Bay.
Civics Essay Contest
Annual essay competition asking high school students to respond to a current civics topic, with scholarships for selected essays.
Civics Unplugged
Civic leadership community and fellowship opportunities for young people developing projects that strengthen democracy and public participation.
Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program
Join a local Civil Air Patrol squadron to learn aviation and leadership. Annual dues are $25 to $50.
Close Up Washington, D.C.
Civic education program built around discussions with public officials, visits to government institutions, and student-led policy workshops in Washington, D.C.
Code in Place
Free online course that teaches the first half of Stanford's intro Python class (CS106A) to beginners. Each group of 10 students gets a volunteer teacher. Sessions run in cohorts, so check the site for the next one.
Computer History Museum Teen Volunteer Interns
Students in grades 9 to 12 research technology history and run tours and hands-on activities for young visitors at the museum in Mountain View.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)
Scholarship to live with a host family in Germany and attend a German high school. No previous German is required.
Congressional Art Competition
Visual art contest run in each congressional district every spring. You enter through your own member of Congress's office.
Cooper Union Summer STEM
Three- or six-week college-level engineering and computer science classes at Cooper Union in New York City. Financial aid is available, with priority for NYC residents. Applications for 2027 open December 11, 2026.
CS50x: Introduction to Computer Science
Harvard's free, self-paced introduction to computer science, covering abstraction, algorithms, data structures, and web development in C, Python, SQL, and JavaScript. No formal application and no cost for the online course.
CyberPatriot
National youth cyber defense competition where school and community teams work as IT professionals to secure simulated networks across online rounds. Teams register through an adult coach.
DECA Competitive Events
Join your school's DECA chapter to compete in marketing, finance, and management case-study events, advancing from regionals to states to nationals.
DoSomething.org Campaigns
Free national campaigns — voter registration, food drives, mental-health awareness, and more — that students can run in their own community. Some campaigns offer scholarships or prizes.
EarthEcho Youth Programs
Free environmental action programs and youth councils where students lead water-quality monitoring, coastal restoration, and advocacy projects in their own communities.
eCYBERMISSION
Free virtual STEM competition for teams in grades 6–9. Teams identify a problem in their own community, work through the scientific or engineering method, and compete for state, regional and national awards.
Elements of AI
Free online introduction to artificial intelligence that needs no coding experience. It covers what AI can and can't do and how to start building simple AI methods. Start any time.
Engineering and Robotics Academy
Two-week hands-on program where teams identify a real-world problem and design a robotic solution, ending in a capstone presentation.
Essentially Ellington
Free Jazz at Lincoln Center program for high school jazz bands. Your school band takes part as a group.
ExploraVision
Team competition in which students pick a current technology, research how it works, and project how it could look twenty years from now — submitting a written description and a set of web pages.
FBLA Competitive Events
Compete in banking, accounting, and financial-systems events through your school's FBLA chapter, from local conference up to nationals.
Fed Challenge
School-team competition where students analyze economic conditions and present a monetary-policy recommendation to Federal Reserve judges.
FIRST Robotics Competition
Teams get a common kit of parts and about six weeks to build an industrial-size robot for the season's game. You join through a school or community team rather than applying individually; the team pays the season fee.
FIRST Tech Challenge
Design, build, and program a smaller reusable robot for the annual game — the 2026-27 season game is BIOBUZZ. Join through a registered school or community team.
Flight Teen Volunteers
Teens ages 14 to 18 run aviation and STEM activities for museum visitors in San Carlos, including the Invention Lab and virtual reality experiences. Applications are taken on an ongoing basis.
Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science (GEMS)
Summer STEM camp at Army research sites. There is no fee, and students get a small stipend.
Girl Scout Gold Award
The top Girl Scout award for a lasting community project you lead. You must be a registered Senior or Ambassador Girl Scout.
Global Youth Institute
Students research a global food-security challenge and write a paper, then present at a multi-day institute alongside scientists and policymakers. Participation is usually through a state or regional youth program.
Grammy Camp
Summer music industry camp in cities such as Nashville, Miami, and New York. Tuition runs $2,500 to $3,600 by location.
Habitat for Humanity Youth Programs
Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity through its youth programs and help build homes near you.
Hack Club
Free network of student-run coding clubs plus open online programs, workshops, and community events. Students can join an existing club or start their own with Hack Club's tools.
Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics (HCSSiM)
Intensive residential summer math program. The 2026 session cost $7,208.
Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest
Academic writing competition for high school students addressing international affairs, global policy, and contemporary world issues.
Harvard Model Congress
Student-led congressional simulation in which delegates represent legislators, debate bills, negotiate amendments, and practice committee procedure.
Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament
Two competitions a year — one at Harvard in November and one at MIT in February — with individual and team rounds across algebra, geometry, and combinatorics.
High School Explainer Program
Paid part-time museum job in San Francisco (about $19.61/hour, ~7.5 hours a week) where teens lead demonstrations and staff exhibits after 60+ hours of training. Ages 15-18, no science background required; postings open in July and March.
High School Journalism Institute
Summer journalism workshops at Indiana University covering reporting, photojournalism, design and yearbook. Open from rising high school freshmen through rising college freshmen.
IBM SkillsBuild for High School Students
Free self-paced online courses on AI literacy, ethics of generative AI, and other tech skills for students ages 13 to 18. Start any time.
Idyllwild Arts Summer Program
Two-week summer intensives on a Southern California mountain campus in visual arts, dance, theatre, music, film, fashion, and creative writing. Rolling enrollment until sessions fill; need-based scholarships available.
Intensive Immersion Program
Free 15-month mentorship and technical-training program in Oakland for Black male high schoolers, combining two 7-week summer sessions with year-round coding, entrepreneurship, and leadership training. No prior coding experience required.
International Brain Bee
Neuroscience competition testing knowledge of the brain and nervous system, running from local and national chapters to a world championship. Study resources are published by the organization.
InvestWrite
National essay contest about investing. It is open only to students in The Stock Market Game, so your teacher must run it.
JA Company Program
Start and run a real student company with classmates through Junior Achievement.
JA Titan
Junior Achievement business simulation where you make decisions to run a company.
John Locke Institute Essay Competition
Essay competition with prompts in politics, economics, law, philosophy, history, and related humanities subjects.
Junior Ambassadors
Volunteer and philanthropy program for ages 14-18 supporting UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital through fundraising events, bedside activity kits, and cards for patients — not clinical shadowing.
Junior Auxiliary
Hospital volunteer program in Mountain View or Los Gatos for students 14+ who've completed 8th grade, requiring a year-long commitment. Join through an application seminar, typically announced each January.
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
Students present original scientific research — by poster or oral presentation — at regional symposia, with selected students advancing to a national symposium. Free to enter.
Junior State of America
Student-led civic organization that ran conventions, seminars, and debate programs on public policy. It announced it would close and stop operating on August 31, 2024, and its website no longer loads. Kept for reference only.
Key Club International
The largest student-led high school service organization, on 5,000+ campuses, where members commit to at least 50 service hours a year. Join your school's chapter or petition to charter one; small annual dues.
Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Paid, fully online 1-on-1 research mentorship pairing a student with a PhD mentor over about 12 weeks to produce an independent research paper in a topic of their choosing. Need-based aid is available.
MathILy
Intensive residential summer math program for strong math students. Tuition is charged.
Model United Nations
Model United Nations resources and conferences where students research countries, negotiate resolutions, and practice multilateral diplomacy.
Mu Alpha Theta Membership & Competitions
National high school and two-year-college mathematics honor society that hosts conventions and competitions and recognizes student research and community outreach in math.
NASA HUNCH
Classes at participating schools design and build real products for NASA. You take part through your school.
National Cyber League
Seasonal cybersecurity competition with individual and team games, plus a practice gym, where players solve challenges in open-source intelligence, cryptography, and network traffic analysis.
National Economics Challenge
Team economics competition testing students on economic reasoning, current events, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics.
National History Day Contest
Research a topic tied to the annual theme and present it as a paper, exhibit, documentary, performance, or website, advancing from local and state contests to nationals in Maryland.
National Model Arab League
Academic diplomacy simulation where students represent Arab League member states and develop negotiated solutions to regional policy questions.
National Ocean Sciences Bowl
Buzzer-style regional competition on marine biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and ocean policy, with winners advancing to national finals. A coach registers your school or organization team.
National Personal Finance Challenge
Nationwide contest on earning, spending, saving, investing, and credit. Teams with a coach compete at state and national levels.
National Science Bowl
Fast-paced buzzer competition covering math and all sciences, run by the U.S. Department of Energy from regional events through a national finals in Washington, D.C. Teams register through their school.
National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)
Merit-based scholarship for high school students to study a critical language, either abroad or online.
National Speech & Debate Association
National speech and debate community offering competitive events, resources, and a pathway from local school competition to national tournaments.
National Youth Leadership Council Service-Learning
Service-learning and civic engagement resources that help students connect community projects with public issues, reflection, and action.
NCF-Envirothon
Teams of five test hands-on field knowledge of soils, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and a rotating current issue, advancing from area to state to the North American finals. California entries go through California Envirothon.
New York Times Student Editorial Contest
Student editorial contest asking writers to make a concise, evidence-based argument about an issue that matters to them.
NYLF: Medicine & Health Care
Eight-day residential pre-college program on host campuses including UC Berkeley, with simulated trauma cases and suturing practice plus optional college credit. Open enrollment rather than competitive admission, and the clinical work is simulation.
Oakland Youth Advisory Commission
Commission of about 20 young people ages 13-21 representing Oakland's council districts, advising the City Council and Mayor and meeting twice monthly at City Hall. Unpaid, with dinner and transit reimbursement.
One Summer Chicago
Chicago's summer jobs, internships, and training for youth ages 14 to 24, with city agencies, companies, and community groups.
Optimist International Essay Contest
Essay contest run by local Optimist Clubs. Club winners move up to district contests, which award college scholarships.
Optimist International Oratorical Contest
Speech contest run by local Optimist Clubs, with college scholarships at the district level.
Pathways Research Explorers (High School Explorers Program)
Two-week introduction to cancer research at Fred Hutch in Seattle, with hands-on lab activities. It costs nothing to attend, students who finish get a $500 award, and applicants must live in the Seattle area. Applications for 2027 open next January.
picoCTF
Free cybersecurity capture-the-flag competition and year-round practice platform built by Carnegie Mellon for middle and high school students, covering cryptography, forensics, and web exploitation.
Poetry Out Loud
National poetry recitation contest. You memorize and perform poems, starting at your school and moving up to state and national finals. Your school must be registered with the state coordinator.
Polygence Core Program
Paid, online 1-on-1 mentorship pairing a student with an expert to complete a self-chosen research project, paper, or app over roughly 10 sessions. Need-based aid is available.
Polyphony Lit
Online literary magazine for high school writers. Submit your writing, or join the student editorial staff to review other teens' work.
President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA)
National EPA award for a student-led environmental project you have already done in your community. Grades 6-12 compete in one category.
Princeton Model Congress
High school congressional simulation featuring committee hearings, legislative debate, and public-policy research.
Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC)
Student-run math contest at Princeton. Teams come from high schools or well-defined regions.
Project Euler
Free archive of several hundred mathematics and programming problems of increasing difficulty, solved by writing code. Progress is tracked through a free account.
Purple Comet! Math Meet
Free online team mathematics contest held each spring, with a high school division and problems designed for collaboration. An adult coach registers the team.
PYNtern Program
Paid work-based learning in Philadelphia. Rising 9th and 10th graders start with career exploration, and older teens move into internships.
Reading Partners Volunteer Tutoring
One-to-one literacy tutoring for elementary students in under-resourced schools, with training and a structured curriculum provided. Many regions offer in-person and online tutoring sessions.
Red Cross Youth & Young Adult Programs
Volunteer opportunities through local Red Cross chapters, including blood drives, disaster preparedness education, and Red Cross Club leadership. Some roles carry age minimums.
Ronald Reagan Great Communicator Debate Series
High school debate competition built around constitutional questions, public argument, and civic leadership, with regional events and scholarships.
Rotary Interact Club
Rotary-sponsored service club for ages 12-18 where members run at least two projects a year — one local, one international — with mentorship from a sponsoring Rotary club. Join or start a chapter through your school.
Science Olympiad (Division C)
Teams of up to 15 prepare for 23 events spanning lab science, study topics, and build-and-test engineering, advancing from regionals to state to nationals. Participate through your school's team.
Smithsonian Internships
Internship listings across Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo, spanning collections, science, education, and communications. Each posting states its own grade and age requirements.
Solar Car Challenge
Teams of high school students learn to build a roadworthy solar car, then take part in the Challenge.
Spirit of America Youth Leadership
Four-day residential civics and leadership program at Valley Forge with a free enterprise team challenge. The fee is $850, and many students attend free thanks to donor support. Sessions run from October 2026 through July 2027.
Stanford Math Tournament
Student-run math competition on the Stanford campus with individual, team, and relay rounds, plus a novice division and practice problems published online.
Stockholm Junior Water Prize (U.S.)
Science fair-style contest for water research projects. State winners go on to the national competition.
Student Conservation Association Programs
Paid conservation crews and internships where students work on trail building, habitat restoration, and park service projects in national parks and public lands. Positions list their own age and session requirements.
Student Press Law Center Resources
Free legal and civic education resources for student journalists, including training on press freedom, media law, and newsroom rights.
Student Reporting Labs
Free youth journalism program with lesson plans, editing support, and publication opportunities for student-produced video and audio stories on national broadcasts and the PBS NewsHour site.
Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
Paid summer work and career exploration for New York City youth ages 14 to 24.
The Concord Review
Historical research publication opportunity for strong high school essays, including work on political, constitutional, diplomatic, and social history.
The Congressional Award
Non-competitive, self-paced program where students set personal goals across voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition. Participants log hours toward Bronze, Silver, and Gold certificates and medals.
The Junior Academy
Free online program where you join an international team and work with STEM experts on real-world challenges.
The Stock Market Game
Ten-week online investing simulation where teams manage a virtual portfolio and compete against other schools. Participants learn research, diversification, and risk through a teacher-registered session.
TiE Young Entrepreneurs
In-person academy in Palo Alto where Bay Area students build a startup in teams over about eight weeks and pitch to Silicon Valley judges, with winners advancing toward TYE Global. Seats fill first-come.
UCSC Scholar Immersion Program (SIP)
Summer research with UC Santa Cruz mentors on open-ended projects. The SIP 2027 application fee is $68, and fee waivers are available.
USA Biology Olympiad
Tiered competition starting with an open online exam in February, then a semifinal exam, then a residential selection camp for the national team. Registration is through your school.
USA Computing Olympiad
Four free online programming contests per season, open to any pre-college student and split into four divisions from Bronze to Platinum. Registration is free and rolling.
USACO Guide
Free, community-maintained practice curriculum for competitive programming, organized by topic and difficulty with curated practice problems and an online judge for submitting and checking answers.
USC Unruh Institute High School Summer Internship
Online summer internship researching and writing a legislative policy memo on a climate or sustainability bill, with mentorship and guest-speaker sessions from USC's Center for the Political Future. Open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a 3.5+ unweighted GPA; graduating seniors not eligible. 2027 dates not yet announced — sign up for the program newsletter.
VEX Robotics Competition
Season-long engineering competition where teams build and program a robot for a new game, advancing from local events to regional, national, and world championships.
VEX V5 Robotics Competition
Two-team alliances compete with V5 robots in the 2026-27 game Override, from local fall tournaments through the spring World Championship. You compete as part of a registered team.
VFW Voice of Democracy
Audio essay contest on a patriotic theme. You record your essay and enter through a local VFW post, with scholarships at each level.
Victory Briefs Institute
Two- and four-week residential debate camps in Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and World Schools at the University of San Diego and UT Austin. Registration is rolling once dates post.
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
Classroom-based constitutional civics program culminating in simulated congressional hearings where student teams present and defend policy positions.
We the Students Essay Contest
National essay contest inviting students to connect constitutional principles with a current issue in American civic life.
Wharton High School Data Science Competition
Free sports analytics contest from Wharton. You use real data to answer a sports question.
Whitney Youth Insights
After-school and summer program at the Whitney where New York City teens work with contemporary artists.
Writing Workshops & Teen Poetry Slam
Free weekly spoken-word writing and performance workshops in San Francisco and Oakland, plus an annual Teen Poetry Slam whose finalists represent the Bay Area at Brave New Voices.
Yale Model United Nations
International affairs conference where high school delegates simulate UN committees, research global issues, and negotiate resolutions.
Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!)
Class run by local YEA! chapters where you build a real business. Top students compete for college scholarships and start-up money.
Young Writers Workshops
Multi-genre writing workshops run by The Kenyon Review — two weeks residential on the Kenyon College campus, one-week summer intensives, and six-week online workshops during the year.
Youth & Government
Year-long civic program where you join a local Bay Area delegation and take a role as legislator, attorney, judge, or journalist at statewide sessions. Fees and deadlines are set by each local YMCA.
Youth Crew
Five-month, hands-on service-learning program for ages 15-18 at the Center's Sausalito hospital, working alongside staff on animal care and ocean-conservation education. Applications open in fall for the following year.
Youth Media Programs
Free Oakland-based training in journalism, audio production, and digital storytelling for ages 14-24, no experience needed. The organization paused in late 2024 and relaunched in 2026 — confirm current status before applying.
Youth Service America
Youth civic engagement and service opportunities supporting student-led community projects and participation in national service campaigns.
Youth Stewards
Free, hands-on habitat-restoration program at open space preserves in Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto, doing invasive-plant removal in seasonal cohorts. The next cycle opens in spring.