5 High School Competitions That Will Impress Top Universities in 2027 (With Deadlines)

Every single year, admissions officers at Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Harvard and other Ivy League colleges read thousands of applications that have perfect grades. So how do they really pick the right applicants for their cohort?

What separates the strongest ones from the rest of the applicants is the evidence of independent thinking. There are very few ways in which students can prove their capability to think critically and one of them is securing a strong result in a respected international competition.

However, there is a problem with that. When you search for “competitions for high school students” you will come across a list of 50+ options, many of which are paid ones, and many contests that universities don’t recognise or have never heard of. To tackle this problem, we’ve shortlisted 5 international competitions for high school students that are open worldwide, run by credible organisers, and have a strong value in university applications.

How We Chose These 5 Competitions

We used 4 main filters to shortlist competitions:

• Open Globally: Must not be limited to US citizens or a single school system
• Credible Organisers: Must be organised by an established institution, university, foundation or long-standing scientific society.
• Free or Low Cost: To ensure these competitions are accessible to all our students.
• Transferable Skills: Through these competitions you must learn a skill such as research, argumentation, innovation, communication, etc that actually matters at university level.

Each competition below helps to grow different types of skills, so students can choose which one suits them best.

The Best Competitions for College Applicants

1. Regeneron ISEF: The Top STEM Competition for High School Students

The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair is the world’s largest pre-college science competition that brings together more than 1,600 students from more than 60 countries to compete for over US$9 million in rewards. ISEF 2027 will take place in Los Angeles from 8-14 May 2027, across 22 research categories.

How to enter: You can’t apply directly. Students in grades 9-12 must first compete at an ISEF-affiliated regional or national science fair, which selects the projects that travel to the finals.

Timeline: Dates vary by affiliated fair, and qualifying fairs conclude by mid-April. Check your local fair’s entry deadline well in advance. The finals will take place in Los Angeles from 8-14 May 2027.

Top Prize: The George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award is worth US$100,000. Two Regeneron Young Scientist awards are worth US$75,000 each.

Sapiente Insight: Top winning projects show a clear understanding of their limitations, variables and statistics. Students who have published their research in a student journal definitely enjoy a better edge over others who have not done research before. Read our blog on how to choose a research topic and develop a strong research question for learning how and where to start research.

2. John Locke Essay Competition 2027: The Best Essay Competition for High School Students

Run by the John Locke Institute, an independent educational organisation in Oxford (not Oxford University), the Global Essay Prize asks students to answer one question in up to 2,000 words. Categories include Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology, Theology and Law, plus Public Policy, International Relations, and Science and Technology, added in 2026.

How to enter: This competition is open to students under 19 in any country. Register on the official John Locke Institute website before the registration deadline. Pick one question and upload your essay. Students can submit multiple essays within one category or across different categories. It's free for students who register and submit on time. Late registration and late entry options carry a fee.

Timeline: In 2026, questions were released and registration opened on 2 February, registration closed on 31 March, and essays were due on 31 May. The 2027 dates haven't been announced yet, so expect a similar early-February launch.

Top Prize: The best essay overall earns an honorary Junior Fellowship and a US$10,000 scholarship towards the Institute’s summer schools.

Sapiente Insight: Those students who win this competition write essays that read like a mini research paper, built on credible sources and a clear argument. Start reading in your subject now, read the AI policy carefully, and learn to tell a reliable source from a weak one.

3. Conrad Challenge 2026-2027: For Science and Innovation

It was founded in memory of Apollo 12 astronaut Pete Conrad. The Conrad Challenge asks student teams to design an innovation that solves a real-world problem in areas such as aerospace, cybersecurity, energy and environment, health and nutrition, and water.

How to enter: Form a team of 2-5 students aged 13-18 with an adult coach. Every team member and the coach have to register on the official Conrad Challenge website, then the team submits a Lean Canvas outlining its idea.

Timeline: The Activation Stage deadline was 29 October 2026, so the initial entry deadline has already passed. For teams already participating, Innovation Stage submissions are due 7 January 2027, and finalists present at the Innovation Summit from 21-24 April 2027.

Cost: Free to register and submit the Lean Canvas. The Innovation Stage costs US$499 per team, and finalists should budget for travel to the Summit.

Top prize: The title of Pete Conrad Scholar, plus scholarships and opportunities rather than cash prizes.

Sapiente insight: This is a team competition, so it's ideal for students who want to build leadership as well as STEM skills. Judges reward ideas that show evidence, so research the problem before designing the solution.

4. Diamond Challenge 2027: The Best Entrepreneurship Competition for High School Students

This competition has been run by Horn Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware since 2012; the Diamond Challenge helps students turn an idea into an actual business or social venture. It has over 16,000 alumni from 111 countries.

How to enter: Form a team of 2-4 high school students aged 14-18 at the submission deadline, with an adult advisor aged 21 or older (teammates can come from different schools). Choose the Business Innovation or Social Innovation track, then submit a written concept and a 60-second introductory video on the official Diamond Challenge website.

Timeline: Registration opened on 16 September 2026, and submissions are due 14 January 2027 at 5pm EST. Finalists are announced in March, and the Summit runs 29-30 April 2027.

Cost: Free to enter. Finalists attending the Summit in person should budget for travel.

Top prize: A prize pool of more than US$100,000, with US$12,000 for first place in each track.

Sapiente insight: Judges want evidence that your problem is real. Customer interviews, surveys, and data analysis are research skills, and they are exactly what turns a good idea into a winning pitch.

5. Breakthrough Junior Challenge: For Science Communicators

This challenge was created by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, the team behind the “Oscars of Science”; this global competition rewards students who can explain a big scientific idea in a clear, creative, and engaging way.

How to enter: Students aged between 13 and 18 create an original video of up to two minutes explaining a concept or theory in physics, mathematics or the life sciences, and submit it on the official Breakthrough Junior Challenge website. Entries will go through peer review, an expert panel and a public vote.

Timeline: The 2026 cycle opened on 11 May and closed on 15 September 2026. The 2027 cycle is expected to open around May, which gives students months to master a concept and practise filming.

Cost: Free to enter.

Top prize: A US$250,000 college scholarship for the winner, US$50,000 for their inspiring teacher, and a US$100,000 science lab for their school.

Sapiente insight: Videos that win in this competition combine scientific innovation and accuracy with engaging storytelling. So, explaining a complex idea in a simple, engaging manner is one of the most underrated skills in university interviews too.

A Parent’s Guide to High School Competitions

• Keep it student-led: Judges can spot adult-written work, and most competitions have strict and rigid integrity and AI rules that all students must follow to meet the eligibility criteria.
• Check the organiser: Before paying any entry fee, always look for known judges, past winners and a university or foundation that’s conducting the competition.
• Plan for finals: Entry is mostly free for large competitions, but finals can involve travel costs.
• Choose depth over volume: One or two competitions done properly can impress universities far more than six rushed competitions where students don’t really gain any value.

The Common Thread: Research Skills

Did you notice a common pattern hidden behind all the above competitions? Every competition on this list rewards the same core ability: asking a sharp question, finding credible evidence, and communicating it clearly. That’s research, and it’s the skill universities value most.

At Sapiente Education, students work one-to-one with mentors from Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, MIT, etc to publish original research projects, write papers and prepare for competitions like these. Check out our Research & Publication programme for more details.