The Sidgwick Prize
An international essay competition affiliated with Cambridge, open to students aged 13-18 worldwide, who write a 2,000-word essay responding to one of three prompts in a chosen discipline from a list of eight, including Philosophy, Psychology, and Art History. Every entrant receives substantive feedback from academic specialists, and discipline winners receive a cash prize plus a discounted Cambridge summer course.
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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.
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.
International Psychology Olympiad (IPsyO)
A global competition in which high school students demonstrate psychology knowledge and research skills through a qualification test, a reading-based exam module, and a team-based research proposal presentation. Students from around 80 countries, including the US, have participated since its 2021 founding.
Northern California Area Emmy Student Production Awards
The Northern California Area Emmy Awards (National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences chapter) recognizes outstanding student video and broadcast production through its Student Production Awards of Excellence and Merit, including a dedicated 'Crystal Pillar - High School' category. Student entries covering work produced during the eligibility year are judged by television industry professionals, with winners eligible to purchase an engraved Emmy-style Crystal Pillar trophy.
Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival
Brave New Voices is an annual international youth poetry slam festival founded and produced by Youth Speaks, a San Francisco spoken-word organization. Teen poetry teams from across the world compete in spoken-word slam rounds alongside workshops and community events; the 2026 festival (its 29th year) will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area in July.
Building Young Entrepreneurs (B.Y.E.)
A Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurial Development initiative that equips African American youth in Silicon Valley with entrepreneurship skills, guiding participants from idea generation through researching, developing, and pitching a business for startup investment funding.