Financial Advisor's Contest (CCEE)
A California-exclusive competition from the California Council on Economic Education where teams of high schoolers act as financial advisors to a fictional client, mentored over four weeks by a volunteer CFA or finance professional before presenting their recommendations at a virtual competition day.
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NorCal Stock Market Challenge (Junior Achievement)
A one-day, live stock market simulation event hosted by Junior Achievement of Northern California where high school teams build and manage investment portfolios in real time and compete against other regional teams.
California Student Media Festival
The California Student Media Festival is a nonprofit statewide competition open to any California PreK-12 student (public, private, charter, extracurricular, or homeschool) to submit original work in Film/Video, Animation, Photography, Audio (music or podcasting), or Interactive Media, judged in a Secondary (grades 9-12) division. Finalists are celebrated at an annual awards ceremony, with 2026 entries accepted January 19-March 31 and the ceremony held in May.
CATE Creative Writing Student Showcase
The California Association of Teachers of English (CATE) runs an annual statewide creative writing showcase inviting California students, including high schoolers, to submit poetry, short stories, or essays responding to an annual prompt. Local CATE council divisions select top entries, which are published on the CATE website; the 2026 prompt is 'Preserving Narratives, Amplifying Perspectives,' exploring AI and human voice.
CIF Esports Initiative (NASEF California)
The California Interscholastic Federation's official statewide esports league, operated by the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations (NASEF), in which high schools field varsity, JV, and exhibition teams competing in titles like League of Legends, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The season runs from January through a live Grand Finals Championship each April at CSU Dominguez Hills, with over 300 California high schools and 900+ teams participating.
GameGala
Billed as the largest game-specific K-12 contest in the U.S., GameGala started in California in 2018 with 80 participants and has grown into a global virtual competition (hosted by the K12 Ventures Foundation) where students build original games solo or in teams of up to three. High schoolers compete in their own age division for placement awards and special recognitions like the Innovation Award and Best Teamwork.
Get Lit - Words Ignite Classic Slam
One of the largest youth spoken-word poetry competitions in the country, in which middle and high school teams (using the Get Lit curriculum) each memorize and perform a classic poem paired with an original spoken-word response. Teams advance through qualifying rounds to a live finals judged by professional poets and performers.