Top 8 STEM Competitions for International Students
If you’re an ambitious student planning to apply to some of the world’s top universities for a STEM program, you know that the extracurriculars you take up during high school can play a crucial role. Participating in these competitions shows college admissions officers that you’re dedicated to your field of choice and that you’re willing to go the extra mile for your education. And, it’s not just about winning! Participation itself holds great value as part of your application and resume.
As an international student, it can be difficult to find competitions across the globe that you can participate in. That’s why we’ve curated a list of the best STEM competitions for international students that you can consider!
1. Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
ISEF is one of the most well-known international STEM competitions in the world. Participating in this competition is a solid way to ensure you stand out to college admission committees. Students in grades 9-12 must first participate in a Regeneron-affiliated science fair regionally, and submit research projects in their chosen subject to win a chance to attend ISEF.
Over 600 individual and team participants are awarded cash prizes during the competition, with the grand prize of a $75,000 scholarship awarded to the winner, followed by $50,000 each to two runner-ups.
Fields: Biochemistry, Systems Software, Technology Enhances the Arts, Materials Science, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Environmental Engineering, and more.
Cost/Prizes: $25 registration fee. Winners receive up to $75,000, with a total of $9 million in additional prizes.
Location: Columbus, Ohio (2025).
Program dates: May 10-16, 2025.
Application deadline: Applications for 2025 will close on November 7, 2024.
Eligibility: Students from grades 9-12 or equivalent who have participated in a regional ISEF-affiliated fair.
ExploraVision is an innovative STEM challenge that asks students to tackle real-world problems using STEM-focused solutions. Working in teams of two to four, participants delve into a technology relevant to their lives, research on elevating its potential, and explore its applications. The competition encourages students to push the boundaries of their chosen technology, envisioning its potential, its applications 20 years into the future, and the scientific breakthroughs necessary to bring that tech to reality.
ExploraVision is competitive, with a rigorous judging process. All entries that make the cut advance to the regional round, where only 24 exceptional projects are chosen to move on to the national level. Since its launch in 1992, ExploraVision has had over 450,000 participants — the champion wins a trip to Washington D.C. for the Awards ceremony.
Field: Technology.
Cost/Prizes: There is no entry fee. Winners will receive:
Up to $240,000 in savings bonds for the winning team and one runner-up.
An all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, for the ExploraVision Awards Weekend.
A technology/science-related gift for each regional winning student.
Location: Virtual.
Program dates: Regional winners are announced by April, and national winners by May of every year. The award function is usually held in June.
Application deadline: Applications are typically open till January of every year.
Eligibility: High school students from the U.S. and Canada.
3. Harvard/MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT)
The Harvard/MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT) is an undergraduate-run tournament that challenges talented high school students with math problems. This competition encourages students to think out of the box and explore the world of mathematics beyond the standard school curriculum.
Participants will compete in two tournaments, each featuring individual tests, a team round, and a guts round. They must adhere to strict rules prohibiting the use of calculators, notes, or electronic devices. Teams typically consist of 4-6 members in November and 6-8 members in February, and must be from the same geographic region within 150 miles.
Field: Mathematics.
Cost/Prizes: Individual registration costs $10, and team registration costs $80.
Prizes will be awarded to:
The top ten overall individual scorers.
The top ten scorers on each individual test.
The top five teams in the Team Round.
The top five teams in the Guts Round.
The top ten teams overall will be named the Sweepstakes winners.
Location: Harvard or MIT campuses, depending on the tournament season you participate in.
Program dates: November 9, 2024 at Harvard or February 15, 2025 at MIT.
Application deadline: Registration for the November and February tournaments are open from August 25, 2024 to September 22, 2024.
Eligibility: Students below the age of 21 who have not completed secondary education in their local jurisdiction.
The Imagine Cup is an annual student competition conducted by Microsoft. It's a global platform for aspiring tech entrepreneurs to showcase their skills and tackle real-world challenges using technologies such as AI, cybersecurity, and machine learning.
For the competition, you will have to design and propose a concept that addresses one of Microsoft’s AI for Good Initiatives. You will first have to define the specific AI techniques most suited to address the problem, plan the development process, and outline the functionalities of the solution. Finally, teams must translate their design into a working prototype such as a mobile app, a software program, or a hardware device that utilizes AI, followed by rigorous testing, iterations and adjustments.
The competition may be structured differently based on the country/region you are representing, so be sure to read your local country/region competition rules.
Fields: Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, machine learning.
Cost/Prizes: No cost. Winners are awarded cash prizes as well as Microsoft products up to $2000.
Location: Virtual.
Program dates: To be announced for 2025.
Application deadline: Registrations typically close in May.
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 13-18.
The Genius Olympiad is an international competition open to students across various fields. The requirements differ for each category. Students participating in STEM categories must present either a research paper or model.
In this competition, students compete by developing and presenting projects that address real-world environmental challenges. Projects can explore various environmental disciplines like sustainable energy, pollution control, waste management, or conservation efforts. These projects are then judged by a panel of experts based on originality, scientific merit, feasibility, and potential impact, with finalists presenting their work at a live event. Winning projects receive recognition, scholarships, and the chance to showcase their solutions to a wider audience.
Fields: STEM (engineering, robotics, science) and non-STEM (creative writing, business, music, design, and more) subjects.
Cost/Prizes: There is a $50 fee to register a project and a $425 fee if the project is selected for the finals. All finalists are awarded scholarships to Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. Participants are awarded grand, gold, silver, and bronze medals in different categories.
Location: Rochester Institute of Technology, NY.
Program dates: Typically held around June every year.
Application deadline: Varies according to the chosen subject.
Eligibility: All students in grades 9-12 (between 13-17 years of age).
6. Breakthrough Junior Challenge
This STEM competition combines creativity and science. Participants in this competition must create a short inventive video (up to 2 minutes long) explaining an idea in the fields of physics, mathematics or life sciences.
Participants are judged on the basis of creativity, difficulty, illumination, and engagement. The student participant of the winning video gets awarded a $250,000 post-secondary scholarship while their teacher receives a $50,000 cash prize. A special prize of $100,000 is also awarded to a Breakthrough winner.
Field: Life sciences, physics, and mathematics.
Cost/Prizes: No cost. Scholarships of up to $250,000 are awarded to winners, along with a cash prize for the teacher of the winning student.
Location: Virtual.
Application deadline: June 25, 2024.
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18.
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition is an annual challenge in the field of synthetic biology. It brings together student teams from around the world to tackle real-world issues through innovative biological systems. These projects are aimed at addressing pressing problems in areas like medicine, agriculture, and environmental sustainability.
Participants must first brainstorm and choose a real-world problem to address and design a biological system that tackles the chosen issue. Next, they must conduct experiments to build and test the system, as well as comprehensively document the entire project journey.
Field: Biology.
Cost/Prizes: No cost. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded to multiple outstanding teams (there is no limit to the number of medals awarded). Grand Prizes are awarded to 2 to 3 winning teams from each category, namely, Undergraduate, Overgraduate, and High School.
Location: Virtual. Final event to be held in Paris.
Program dates: October 23-26, 2024.
Application deadline: Closed for 2024. Dates for 2025 to be announced soon.
Eligibility: The competition is open to high school, undergraduate, and graduate (over age 23) students who are interested in biological research.
8. World AI Competition for Youth (WAICY)
This global AI competition invites students to dive into the world of AI and challenge themselves. Designed to encourage students to innovate, it challenges students to apply AI in problem-solving, generate AI-driven art, and explore the realm of AI Large Language Models. With virtual and in-person submission options, WAICY offers an accessible platform for high schoolers interested in AI. The competition features three tracks, each with distinct focuses and submission criteria, catering to various skill levels: AI Showcase, AI Generated Art, and AI LLM Prompt Engineering.
Since it was established in 2018, the competition grown, with over 3,200 participants from 58 countries in its last edition, contributing 600 projects. Participating and winning in such competitive challenges could definitely boost your credentials. Participating in the WAICY can help you create a network of peers and international challenge sponsors across the world. By embracing AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Midjourney, participants fortify their profiles for the future. Individual or team participation is encouraged, with teams comprising 3-5 students.
Fields: Artificial intelligence.
Cost/Prizes: No cost. WAICY awards the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place submissions and recognizes two more for each track for each level of schooling (high school, middle school and elementary). There are also 3 unique awards in each track for each category of schooling – the AI Excellence award, the Impact Excellence award, and the Design Excellence award, all based on the judgment rubrics of the competition.
Location: The competition’s in-person option takes place at the Pennsylvania State University. There is a virtual option as well.
Program dates: To be announced for 2025.
Application deadline: Registration for the in-person event typically closes in December, and in November for the virtual event.
Eligibility: All K-12 students across the world can participate.
If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI!
Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!
Image Source - ISEF Logo