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Competitions for 9th Graders

Nichable lists 200 competitions open to 9th graders (freshmen). 20 of them cost money. Each one is checked against the organization's own page. Soonest deadlines first.

NASA Space Apps Challenge

NASA Space Apps Challenge
Competition· Nationwide
DeadlineNov 14

USA Biology Olympiad

Center for Excellence in Education
Competition· Costs money· Remote
DeadlineNov 15
Competition· Remote
DeadlineNov 20

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow

Samsung Electronics America (with MIT Solve)
Competition· Remote
DeadlineNov 23

New Jersey High School Regional Science Bowl

U.S. Department of Energy / Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Competition· Princeton, NJ
DeadlineNov 23

Maryland/DC Regional High School Science Bowl

U.S. Department of Energy / Montgomery College
Competition· Rockville, MD
DeadlineNov 23

Berkeley Math Tournament Online

Berkeley Math Tournament (UC Berkeley)
Competition· Costs money· Remote
DeadlineNov 27

FRA Americanism Essay Contest

Fleet Reserve Association
Competition· Remote
DeadlineDec 1
Competition· Remote
DeadlineDec 1

American Rocketry Challenge

National Association of Rocketry and Aerospace Industries Association
Competition· Nationwide
DeadlineDec 6
Competition· Remote
DeadlineDec 8

NFTE World Series of Innovation

Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
Competition· Remote
DeadlineDec 13

Rubincam Youth Writing Competition

National Genealogical Society
Competition· Remote
Opening soon · Due Dec 15, 2026

Minnesota High School Science Bowl

Minnesota Academy of Science
Competition· Costs money· Saint Paul, MN
DeadlineDec 15
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 5, 2027

The Earth Prize

The Earth Foundation
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 10, 2027

Profile in Courage Essay Contest

John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 11, 2027

Diamond Challenge

Horn Entrepreneurship
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 14, 2027

ESU National Shakespeare Competition

English-Speaking Union of the United States
Competition· Nationwide
DeadlineJan 15, 2027

Essay Prize

Horizon Academic
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 17, 2027

Cosmo Hacks

Cosmo Hacks
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 18, 2027

C-SPAN StudentCam

C-SPAN (StudentCam)
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 20, 2027
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 22, 2027

Toshiba ExploraVision

Toshiba / NSTA
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 27, 2027

National German Exam

National German Exam (American Association of Teachers of German)
Competition· Costs money· Remote
Opening soon · Due Jan 27, 2027

National Japanese Exam

American Association of Teachers of Japanese
Competition· Costs money· Remote
Opens Jan 4, 2027 · Due Jan 29, 2027

USA-North America AI Olympiad

USA Artificial Intelligence Olympiad
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 31, 2027
Competition· Remote
DeadlineJan 31, 2027

National Spanish Exam

National Spanish Exam
Competition· Costs money· Remote
DeadlineFeb 1, 2027
Competition· Remote
DeadlineFeb 1, 2027

Energy Art Challenge

KidWind (Gale Force Education)
Competition· Remote
Opening soon · Due Feb 1, 2027

New York City History Day

Center for Brooklyn History
Competition· Brooklyn, NY
Opens Jan 6, 2027 · Due Feb 3, 2027
Competition· Costs money· Remote
DeadlineFeb 4, 2027

National Geographic Slingshot Challenge

National Geographic Society
Competition· Remote
DeadlineFeb 5, 2027

National Ag Day Video Essay Contest

Agriculture Council of America
Competition· Remote
Opening soon · Due Feb 5, 2027

New Hampshire Science and Engineering Exposition (NHSEE) High School Expo

New Hampshire Science and Engineering Exposition Association
Competition· Costs money· Concord, NH
DeadlineFeb 7, 2027

West Virginia Young Writers Contest

West Virginia Department of Education / Central WV Writing Project
Competition· Charleston, WV
Opening soon · Due Feb 12, 2027

High School Fed Challenge

Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Competition· Remote
DeadlineFeb 15, 2027
Competition· Remote
DeadlineFeb 16, 2027

National Latin Exam

National Latin Exam (American Classical League)
Competition· Remote
DeadlineFeb 20, 2027

Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition

Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition
Competition· Remote
DeadlineFeb 21, 2027

SPJ/JEA High School Essay Contest

Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) / Journalism Education Association
Competition· Costs money· Remote
Opening soon · Due Feb 21, 2027

Research Symposium

Virginia Junior Academy of Science
Competition· Woodbridge, VA
Opening soon · Due Feb 21, 2027

eCYBERMISSION

U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program
Competition· Remote
DeadlineFeb 24, 2027
Competition· Remote
Opening soon · Due Feb 28, 2027

Living Oceans Foundation Science Without Borders Challenge

Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
Competition· Remote
Opening soon · Due Mar 1, 2027

World of 8 Billion Student Video Contest

Population Education (Population Connection)
Competition· Remote
DeadlineMar 3, 2027

Ninth Circuit Civics Contest

U.S. Courts for the Ninth Circuit
Competition· Remote
Opens Jan 6, 2027 · Due Mar 5, 2027

Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest

Gallery Collection (Prudent Publishing)
Competition· Remote
DeadlineMar 8, 2027

Essay Contest

Stossel in the Classroom
Competition· Remote
DeadlineMar 12, 2027

Student Video Contest

Stossel in the Classroom
Competition· Remote
DeadlineMar 12, 2027
Competition· Remote
Opens Jan 5, 2027 · Due Mar 15, 2027

NTID/RIT Digital Arts, Film and Animation Competition

National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at RIT
Competition· Remote
Opens Jan 11, 2027 · Due Mar 19, 2027
Competition· Atlanta, GA
Opens Dec 14, 2026 · Due Mar 22, 2027

World Food Prize Iowa Youth Institute

The World Food Prize Foundation
Competition· Ames, IA
Opening soon · Due Mar 24, 2027
Competition· Remote
Opening soon · Due Mar 31, 2027

O'Connor Institute Civics Challenge

Sandra Day O'Connor Institute
Competition· Remote
DeadlineApr 16, 2027

Community Impact Contest

Bill of Rights Institute
Competition· Remote
DeadlineApr 19, 2027

Purple Comet! Math Meet

Art of Problem Solving Foundation
Competition· Remote
Opening soon · Due Apr 23, 2027

Ronald Reagan Oratory Competition

Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute
Competition· Remote
DeadlineApr 28, 2027

Common questions

Can 9th graders apply to these competitions?

Yes. Each of the 200 competitions here accepts 9th grade by its own grade range, or sets no grade limit. Many also limit where you live or which school you attend, so read the listing before you apply.

Do these competitions cost money?

20 of the 200 listed here charge tuition or a required fee, stated on the organization's own page, and are marked "Costs money". The other 180 don't list a cost.

How do I apply?

Each listing is run by its own organization and you apply on that organization's site. A free Nichable account shows each listing's deadline and how to apply, and lets you save and track them.