With the rapid development of AI, computer science has become a popular major in the market, and the demand for computer skills by enterprises has penetrated almost all industries.

Whether artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analysis, software engineering, or network security, students majoring in computer science have broad employment prospects.

The popularity of computer science is not only reflected in the job market but also in college applications. More and more students choose computer science as their first choice, which makes the competition in computer science extremely fierce.

Therefore, for students who are interested in applying for computer science, in addition to having a solid academic foundation, they also need to have excellent practical ability and innovative thinking as well as keen insight into new technologies, and this is indispensable to participate in computer competitions to improve their strength and competitiveness.

Suppose you are a high school student who is passionate about computer science and is considering entering a top university for further studies. Then you can make full use of your spare time during college to participate in these international competitions that will be more helpful to your professional ability and college application.

1. Computational and Algorithmic Thinking

Computational and Algorithmic Thinking is hosted by the Australian Mathematical Federation. The competition adopts a unique "three-stage method" question type, focusing on cultivating students' computational ability and algorithmic thinking.
This event allows mathematics and programming enthusiasts from different countries around the world to compete together and exercise their logical thinking abilities.
Location: Online.
Fee: AUD 8.50
Awards:

• Highly Distinguished Award
  They are given to students who are in the top 2% of their grade or region and who have not received a higher award.
• Merit Award
  They are given to students who are in the top 15% of their grade or region and who have not received a higher award.
• Credit
  Awarded to students who are in the top 50% of their grade or region and who have not received a higher award.
• Participation Award
  Awarded to students who participated in the competition and did not win a higher award.

Competition time:
Registration time: May 13, 2024
Competition time: May 22, 2024
Eligibility: Students in grades 5-12. Students do not need to master any computer programming knowledge or programming language in advance. Suitable for students who want to develop algorithmic thinking and computing skills.

2. American Computer Science League

ACSL is an academic activity officially certified and recommended by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP*) and the American Computer Science Teachers Association. It has received sponsorship support from many world technology giants such as Google and Adobe, helping award-winning students apply for computer-related majors in prestigious universities, especially those aiming for computer majors in American universities.
Location: Online.
Fee: $150
Awards:

• Individual Awards:
  Individual Excellence Award: Get full marks in all four rounds of competition
  Individual High Score Award: Individuals ranked in the top 20% of individual competition points
• Team Comprehensive Award:
  Gold Award: Team ranked in the top 10% of team points
  Silver Award: Team ranked in the top 20% of team points
  Bronze Award: Team ranked in the top 35% of team points
  Division Excellence Award: Top 15% in each division (excluding national awards)
  Note: The winning team can be invited to participate in the All-Star Game (finals) to compete for global awards.

Competition time:

• ACSL Academic Activities 2023-2024 Annual Schedule
  Round 1: December 17, 2023 14:00-16:40
  Round 2: February 17, 2024 14:00-16:40
  Round 3: March 17, 2024 14:00-16:40
  Round 4: April 20, 2024 14:00-16:40
  All-Star: August 2024

Eligibility: Students in grades 3-12. Depending on the selected group, the requirements for students' programming ability are different, which is suitable for students who are interested in computer programming.

3. CCC Canadian Waterloo Computer Competition

The Canadian Waterloo Computer Competition (CCC) is held by the Mathematics and Computer Education Center (CEMC) of the University of Waterloo, the world's largest mathematics school. Due to the excellent reputation of the University of Waterloo in mathematics and computer science and the strictness of the CCC competition inspection standards, the results of the competition have been widely recognized by famous North American universities.
Location: Online.
Fee: 3-18 US dollars
Awards:
Competition time:

• Registration deadline: February 2025
• Competition date: February 2025

Eligibility: Students in grades 7-12. Students need to have certain programming skills and can choose Junior or Senior level according to their abilities.

4. USACO U.S. Computing Olympiad

The USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) is an online computer programming and algorithm event for middle school students organized by the U.S. government. It has gradually developed into a popular online event worldwide and has become an official STEM event with high gold content under the application conditions of American universities. Students who win gold or platinum awards have the opportunity to be admitted to Ivy League schools in advance.
Location: Online.
Fee: Free
Awards:
After each round of competition, USACO will issue honorary certificates to the contestants based on their performance to commend their achievements. The best performers will be invited to participate in the USACO summer training camp, which is a high-intensity programming training camp designed to further improve the players' skills. Players who perform well in the training camp will have the opportunity to represent the United States in the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), which is a top programming competition in the world.
Competition time:
Register on the official website in advance, no registration is required
Competition time: December/January/February/March (4 times per season)
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-12. Students need to have strong programming and algorithmic skills.

5. KAGGLE AI Challenge

Kaggle is an online data science and machine learning community with data scientists and machine learning enthusiasts from all over the world and has a very high recognition in the industry.
Location: Online.
Fee: Free
Award: The competition offers cash prizes ranging from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The amount of the prize usually depends on the difficulty of the competition and the budget of the organizer. In addition to material rewards, participants can also get Kaggle medals (gold, silver, and bronze coins) and rankings, which can enhance personal reputation in the data science community.
Competition time:
The competition time is flexible and can be participated in throughout the year
Eligibility: Suitable for high school students who are interested in data science, data mining, and machine learning, as well as college students with a certain computer background.

6.S.-T. Yau High School Science Award (Computer Science)

The S.-T. Yau High School Science Award is an international competition for high school students around the world (only high school students in mainland China), advocating innovative thinking and teamwork, abandoning test papers and standard answers, and allowing students to participate in the competition by submitting research reports. It has been included in the top-notch independent enrollment plan of Fudan, Tsinghua, Peking University, and other schools.
Location: Combination of online and offline
Fee: Free
Award:

• Good Award:
  The gold medal winner will receive a trophy and certificate, as well as a generous bonus.
  Gold medal winners usually have the opportunity to participate in international science competitions to further showcase their research results.
• Silver Award:
  The silver medal winner will receive a trophy and certificate, as well as a certain bonus.
• Bronze Award:
  The bronze medal winner will receive a trophy and certificate, as well as a corresponding bonus.
• Excellence Award:
  The contestants who performed well but did not win the top three will receive an Excellence Award certificate.

Competition time:

• April 5-July 31: Registration time
• Before September 15: Submit research reports and other materials
• September 16-October 30: Regional review, including preliminary screening, letter review, table review, and regional finals
• December 2-3: Global finals and awards ceremony

Eligibility: Chinese middle school students in grades 9-12. Suitable for students with a good computer foundation and willing to study.

Yau Science Award is a scientific competition based on "scientific research papers" and "professional academic defense". It advocates innovative thinking and teamwork, abandons test papers and standard answers, and participates in the form of submitting papers

Yau Science Award has developed from a single mathematics award to today's mathematics award, physics award, chemistry award, biology award, computer award, and economic and financial modeling award. It plays a huge role in stimulating middle school students' interest in scientific research and cultivating their innovative abilities. This is also one of the reasons why the Yau Award is highly recognized internationally.

Many students who are admitted to top American universities every year have experience in high-quality international scientific research competitions. If they can win awards in the Yau Award, they are more likely to be favored by Ivy League schools.

Registration for the 17th Yau Science Award (Mainland China Division) in 2024 will be fully launched on April 15, and the six major awards of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer, and economic and financial modeling will be opened online at the same time. Registration for the Mainland China Division will be closed on July 31!

Students who want to participate should pay attention to the deadline!

In addition, the Embark tutor team has made a special analysis on how to prepare for the Yau Science Awardin 2024. You can view the Yau Science Award's preparation guide for Mathematics, , Biology, Chemistry and computer subjects here.

One more option - The Embark Exploration Program

Embark Exploration Program is a program for middle school and High school students to work one-on-one with a mentor to explore their academic interests and build a project they are passionate about.

Our mentors from Ivy League schools, MIT, Caltech, Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), top 30 universities in the United States, national key laboratories, the G5 in the UK, Max Planck Institutes in Germany, ETH Zurich in Switzerland, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and other world-renowned universities.

By guiding students through customized research training, Embark has helped them win nearly a thousand awards in major global scientific competitions, facilitating their successful admission to prestigious universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Oxford, and Cambridge.

To learn more, you can reach out to our website.