For high school students who are keen to explore the world of science and technology, participating in STEM competitions is an exciting adventure that not only stimulates their curiosity but also allows them to learn and grow through practice. These competitions provide a platform for students to showcase their innovative thinking, problem-solving skills, and teamwork. Here are some of the highly respected STEM competitions that provide high school students with great opportunities to showcase their talents and enhance their skills.

The Best STEM competitions for high school students

CTB Harvard Global English Forum

CTB is suitable for students of any major. Participating students can arbitrarily combine DIY topics across disciplines, give full play to their academic advantages, and show unique perspectives and views. IvyMaker's CTB research directions over the years include but are not limited to business, finance, economics, mathematics, computer science, statistics, biology, chemistry, and other majors.

Eligibility criteria and fees:

Students who register for China Thinks Big (CTB) must be in grades 9-12 and can choose to participate individually or in a team of less than 10 people. After registration, you can choose your topic and enjoy academic tutoring resources, online tools, and expert feedback. The participation fee is RMB 1,490 per person (approximately USD 215 per person), including all services. If you already have a mature project and paper, you can submit it for free before the deadline. After being reviewed and approved, you can participate in the CTB national or global forum at no charge.

Rewards and recognition:

Exchange and discuss with domestic and foreign experts and scholars. Some excellent papers selected for the CTB collection can obtain joint recommendation letters from the jury and the organizing committee. Students participating in CTB will have the opportunity to have in-depth exchanges and discussions with experts and scholars from home and abroad. Those excellent works selected for the CTB collection will receive a joint recommendation letter issued by the jury and the organizing committee, which will undoubtedly add luster to the student's academic resumes. In addition, excellent papers will be included in the CTB electronic library and the project name and paper abstract will be displayed.

Global Youth Climate Science Olympiad Competition

The Global Youth Climate Science Olympiad Competition is committed to inspiring young people around the world to actively respond to the thorny challenges of climate change, encouraging young people to explore solutions, and helping them grow into future leaders and innovators.

Eligibility and judging rules:

Anyone aged 25 and under can participate in the competition. The competition is divided into three age groups: under 16, 17-19, and 20-25; single or two-person teams; regardless of age, participants will participate in the same preliminary rounds and answer the same type of question statements; each age group will only compete and award within that age group.

Awards and honors:

The first and tenth-ranked contestants will receive cash awards, up to US$5,000. Each finalist will receive a bronze certificate, and the top 20 and top 10 will receive silver and gold certificates respectively; the top 10 teams will receive a sponsored trip to Dubai, UAE during the United Nations Climate Summit COP28, and the grand prize winner will also have the opportunity to speak at the COP28 awards ceremony.

VEX Robotics Competition

The VEX Robotics Competition , also known as the VEX Robotics World Championship (VEX Robotics Competition), was founded in 2003 by REC (American Robotics Education and Competition Foundation), the world's largest robot competition platform. The competition aims to expand young students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, stimulate learning potential, improve and promote young people's teamwork spirit, leadership, and problem-solving skills, and help them discover their value by promoting educational robots and integrating multiple disciplines such as applied physics, mathematics, computer programming, digital prototypes, and design.

Eligibility and competition format:

The VEX Robotics Competition is divided into three levels: primary school, middle school, and university, corresponding to the three stages of VEX-IQ, VEX-VRC, and VEX-U. VEX IQ: Mainly tests the robot's use of ABS plastic equipment and the convenience of disassembly and assembly. Suitable for children aged 8-14 from the first grade of elementary school to junior high school; VEX-VRC : Mainly a full-metal robot, with high requirements for hand strength and hands-on ability. Suitable for junior high school to high school teenagers aged 11-18; VEX-U: Mainly industrial-grade metal robots, with very high requirements for various abilities. Suitable for college students over 18 years old with a certain foundation. The competition revolves around different season themes each year, but what remains unchanged is that each game generally lasts 3 minutes, divided into 15 seconds for automatic program scoring and 2 minutes and 45 seconds for manual. The VEX robot live competition is divided into two games: team collaboration and skill challenge. The winners are selected through the comprehensive results of these two games.

Awards and recognition:

The VEX robot competition will eventually select 4 major awards, namely: Excellence, Champion, Design, and RobotSkillsChampion, in addition to a wide variety of judging awards. The VEX Robotics World Championship has received attention and sponsorship from many well-known companies around the world and has a global influence. At the same time, its award-winning results have also been recognized by many well-known international universities and are a stepping stone to world-renowned universities.

S.-T.Yau High School Science Award

The S.-T. Yau High School Science Award is a science innovation award for middle school students initiated by the mathematics master Mr. Yau in 2008. The competition is open to middle school students around the world, covering six basic subjects: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, and economic and financial modeling. It advocates innovative thinking and teamwork, abandons test papers and standard answers, and allows students to participate in the competition by submitting research reports.

Eligibility and competition subjects:

High school students around the world can form teams freely. Each team consists of 1-3 middle school students from the same school and is led by 1-2 instructors. The competition subjects are mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, and economic and financial modeling.

Benefits of participating:

The finals have gold, silver, bronze, and winning awards for all 6 subjects, as well as the highest award - the Science Gold Award. In addition, the organizing committee can issue recommendation letters for the winning students of the finals for university applications.

Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition

Regeneron Science Talent Search aims to encourage and reward high school students for their outstanding achievements in science and mathematics. The competition is sponsored by Regeneron and attracts the most outstanding young scientists from across the country to participate each year. Regeneron STS provides a platform for students to showcase their research results and innovative ideas and interact with professionals in the scientific community.

Eligibility and content:

Students in grade 12 of high school in the United States and all U.S. overseas territories, as well as U.S. citizen students living abroad, are eligible to apply . Students currently in grade 11 can start preparing for the project first, and apply for the application in the second half of the year, the first semester of grade 12, that is, the last year of high school. All participants must submit online a personal independent research paper title, an original scientific paper of up to 20 pages with independence, originality creativity, etc.

Award settings:

There are scholar awards, school awards, and finalist awards in the competition. Each award has a scholarship of up to $250,000.

If you are interested in this competition but don't know how to start your own research, you may wish to contact Embark. We will match you with a suitable mentor and provide STS one-on-one online guidance to help you stand out in the STS competition.

International Exhibition of Inventions Nuremberg Competition

The International Exhibition of Inventions of Nuremberg in Germany is one of the three largest invention exhibitions in the world. It is the oldest invention exhibition and the world's latest product launch stage. It enjoys the highest authority and reputation in the exhibition industry due to its fair evaluation, large scale, and enthusiastic participants. It is the world's latest invention product launch stage. The results of award-winning students are recognized by universities and the Ministry of Education in the world.

Eligibility and project requirements:

Participants must have inventions and innovative works (innovative objects, models, and plans are all acceptable); they must submit exhibition boards, 200-word Chinese and English introductions of the project, and a 3-minute video explaining the work as required. All entries must be reviewed and approved by the Expert Review Committee of the China Innovation Delegation or the Regional Service Center before they can represent the national team in the International Invention Competition.

Project requirements:

1. Except for clothing projects, new inventions, new products, patented products and proprietary technology projects in other fields can be exhibited.

2. The participating projects should be ingeniously conceived, beautifully designed, innovative, practical, closely related to people's lives, highly applicable, and able to solve practical problems and meet environmental protection and energy-saving requirements.

3. Projects that have applied for international patents will be given priority.

4. Projects with intellectual property disputes or infringements of intellectual property rights are not allowed to participate in the exhibition.

Awards and honors:

The competition has various invention awards.

The GENIUS Olympiad Competition

GENIUS Olympiad is co-sponsored by the Terra Science Education Foundation and the University of Rochester Institute of Technology in the United States. It is an international competition for junior and high school students around the world with the theme of global environmental protection. The works are designed with professional knowledge in the fields of science, robotics, creative writing, business, art, music, short videos, etc. as the medium to promote public attention to environmental issues and global sustainable development.

Eligibility and team requirements:

13 years old and above, students in grades 8 to 12. Have a strong research interest in science and environmental issues, and have relevant research project results; the official language of the competition is English, and students are required to have a good level of English listening and speaking and be able to communicate in English without barriers. You can participate individually or in a team, with no more than 2 people on each team

Awards and recognition:

All finalists will receive an official certificate issued by the competition organizing committee, and the winners will also receive a level certificate and a commemorative gift.

How to Prepare for STEM Competitions

In high school, participating in STEM competitions is not only a test of intelligence but also a test of perseverance and planning ability. Although most competitions are held in the spring, preparation during the summer vacation is the key to success. This allows students to focus on deepening their knowledge and innovative projects while enjoying more independent time.

At this time, the guidance of mentors is particularly important. Embark provides each student with a one-on-one mentor service . These mentors come from top industries and have a deep academic background and research experience. They not only impart professional knowledge but also guide students to learn how to manage time efficiently and improve their problem-solving skills.

The benefits of participating in STEM competitions are far more than academic achievements. Students can practice teamwork and improve communication skills in the competition. Under the guidance of mentors, they can also learn how to apply theoretical knowledge to practical projects. These valuable experiences will become a solid foundation for their future academic and professional careers.

For those middle school students who have scientific dreams, Embark is not only a stage for them to realize their dreams but also a guide on their path of growth. If you want your children to achieve outstanding achievements in STEM competitions, Embark will do its best to help you.

Take action now to explore the endless possibilities of the Embark Exploration Program and let us help your child succeed!