Linguistics Competitions for High School Students
EC Finder currently lists 18 linguistics competitions for high school students. Of these, 15 are free to participate in and 5 offer virtual participation. Examples include 7EDU Global Academy NACLO Site (Bay Area), BYU NACLO Site, and International Linguistics Challenge.
- 18
- listed
- 15
- free
- 5
- virtual
- 18
- with a listed deadline
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are linguistics competitions for high school students?
- Linguistics Competitions for High School Students are curated extracurricular listings for high school students interested in linguistics. Each listing includes eligibility, cost, and deadline details where known, so you can compare options and find the right fit for your college application profile.
- Are any of these competitions free?
- Yes — 15 of the 18 competitions listed here are free to participate in.
- Can I participate virtually?
- Yes — 5 of the 18 competitions listed here offer virtual or online participation.
- Are linguistics competitions good for a college application?
- Yes — linguistics competitions are a common way for high schoolers to show sustained interest and initiative in linguistics on college applications.
Related Categories
18 activities found·Browse by category
7EDU Global Academy NACLO Site (Bay Area)
Only public Bay Area high‑school NACLO site; good option if your school doesn't host the competition.
BYU NACLO Site
Brigham Young University NACLO competition site; host information and registration for students in Utah and surrounding areas.
International Linguistics Challenge
Multi-round virtual olympiad where students of all experience levels solve linguistics problems, with junior, youth, and senior divisions and a supervised online final.
International Linguistics Challenge (ILC)
International competition with multiple rounds of linguistics/logic problems; closer in style to math/science Olympiads but focused on language.
International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL)
Global olympiad in linguistics and language puzzles; you reach it by performing well in your country's qualifying contest (e.g., NACLO for US/Canada).
International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) - U.S. Teams
One of the 12 International Science Olympiads, with the U.S. sending two four-student teams selected via top NACLO performance to compete in individual and team analytical linguistics contests.
NACLO
Pencil-and-paper contest where high school students solve self-contained linguistic puzzles across world languages; top scorers advance toward the International Linguistics Olympiad team.
NACLO – Montclair State University Site
A regional NACLO testing site at Montclair State University serving New Jersey high schoolers, hosting the Open Round and Invitational Round of the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad.
NACLO – Ohio State University Site
A regional in-person testing site at Ohio State University for the North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO), open to any high schooler who registers, requiring no prior linguistics background.
NACLO – University of Maryland Site
A free regional NACLO testing site hosted by the University of Maryland's Language Science Center, open to students in grades 6-12 (mainly 9-12) to solve linguistics and computational-linguistics puzzles requiring no prior background.
NACLO – University of North Texas Site
A regional NACLO testing site at the University of North Texas open to North Texas high schoolers, offering optional practice sessions before the pencil-and-paper linguistics puzzle competition.
National Greek Exam (American Classical League)
An annual Ancient Greek exam across six levels testing grammar, vocabulary, syntax, and translation, with top scorers on the Attic Prose exam eligible for a renewable $2,000 scholarship.
North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO)
Flagship North American contest where students solve linguistics and computational linguistics puzzles; top scorers can make national teams for IOL.
Online Olympiad in Linguistics (OnLing)
Fully online international linguistics contest with a dedicated school‑age division; problems look like IOL/NACLO style puzzles.
Penn State Language and Linguistics Day
Free annual on-campus event where nearly 100 high schoolers attend hands-on linguistics workshops and compete in a linguistics competition.
Trinity College Cambridge Languages and Cultures Essay Prize
International essay competition open to students in their penultimate year of high school, asking entrants to respond critically to a prompt about language and culture.
University of Washington NACLO Site
Local NACLO competition site at University of Washington; provides on-site support for students in the Pacific Northwest region.
Vocabulary Bowl
Free, global vocabulary mastery competition on Vocabulary.com where individual students or entire schools compete to master the most words.
ECFinder provides links to outside extracurricular opportunities for informational purposes only. Students and families should research each program before applying. ECFinder does not operate or control the listed organizations and is not responsible for their actions or policies.