Young Investors Challenge
A free online investing competition open to US and Canadian students 21 and under, in which participants manage a simulated $100,000 stock portfolio over a 10-week period using live market data, competing for cash prizes across age divisions.
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EVERFI Financial Literacy for High School
A free, standards-aligned digital course series covering saving, credit, investing, and digital banking through scenario-based learning modules. Funded by community business partners and used by schools nationwide, including in California, as a self-paced classroom or homework resource.
Code/Art Game Design Competition for Girls
A national game design competition for female-identifying and gender non-binary students in grades 3-12. Participants design and build an original browser-based game (Scratch, GameLab, p5.js, or MakeCode Arcade) and submit a written reflection, competing for cash prizes by grade division.
Earth Science Week Contests (AGI)
Annual national contests held during Earth Science Week (mid-October), sponsored by the American Geosciences Institute. Students enter the photography, video, visual arts, or essay contest with work tied to that year's Earth Science Week theme.
IEP Assure High School Ad Competition
A nationwide advertising competition where high schoolers create an ad in any format (video, graphic, or social media campaign) for a chance to win a $3,000 scholarship that can be claimed up to four years later.
SPOA + Sony Student Photo Contest
A free national photography contest for students in grades 6-12, run by School Photographers of America in partnership with Sony. Students submit original photos in categories like Action Shot, Candid Photo, and Detail Shot; winners receive cameras donated by Sony.
Cooper Hewitt National High School Design Competition
A free national design competition run by the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt museum, inviting individuals or teams of high schoolers to design a solution to a community-focused annual prompt and submit it virtually for judging, with regional and national recognition.