Discover STEM-themed competitions for you and your students to enter in this academic year
There is a great range of science competitions out there that your students can enter. Competitions come in all shapes and sizes, including essay writing, photography and video competitions, and can be local or national events.
Besides the array of downloadable materials you can make use of in your lessons, as homework or part of a science club, the benefits of taking part include learning how to work in a team, grasping how lessons apply to real-world problems, and there could even be some extra cash to bag!
You can jump straight to the lists of science-writing competitions, or more arty competitions (such as photography and drawing prizes), or simply read on to discover what’s open to you and your students this academic year.
These competitions have been ordered by closing date. Listing a competition does not serve as an endorsement by the RSC. Last updated: 6 May 2025.
UKBC Biology Challenge
Age: 13–15
Registration: 28 April – 7 May 2025
The Biology Challenge is a fun, annual competition open to students aged 13–15 in the UK. The challenge compromises of two, 25-minute, multiple-choice papers, and students need to complete both papers to be considered for an award category.
The questions set cover the school curriculum, but also caters to budding biologists whose knowledge has been enhanced by reading books and magazines, watching natural history programmes and taking a keen interest in all things biology.
Practice papers are available to help students prepare. The competition is free to enter for UK schools and participants receive an e-certificate that recognises their category of achievement.
Find more information and register your school to take part on the Biology Challenge website.
E.ON Trailblazing Heroes Competition
Age: 11–14
Submissions: open now
Deadline: 23 May
A competition seeking to encourage young people to think about sustainability and get inspired by individuals, either globally or locally, who are making a difference. It’s a chance to inspire students to think about their future career and the impact they want to make on the world, develop their research and communication skills and win some amazing prizes.
Entrants need to answer set questions about a sustainability trailblazer who inspires them. Entry forms with questions, plus resources to share with students to introduce the competition either in class or homework time, are all available freely via the E.ON website.
IET Faraday Challenge
Age: 12–13
Registration: open now
Deadline: 30 May 2025
Faraday Challenges are cross-curricular STEM activity days for UK schools run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology. This annual competition draws on students’ practical science and engineering skills, asking them to work in teams to solve real-world engineering problems and think creatively. Schools can host Challenge Days and invite teams from local schools to join them or apply to join a day at another school. Planning for these events starts early, so plenty of time to get organised for the day.
Teams should be made up of six students aged 12–13 years old (England and Wales Year 8, Scotland S1/S2, Northern Ireland Year 9). Schools may host a challenge day themselves or attend one hosted at another school.
Students win prizes for themselves and a trophy for their school. There is also a national league table and the top teams from across the UK go through to the national final, with the chance to win a cash prize of up to £1000 for their school. Plus, by taking part students will also meet the criteria for achieving a CREST Discovery Award.
Science writing competitions
Numerous essays competitions run each year covering all aspects and areas of STEM. Below is just a selection of some of the competitions out there. Entries into science writing competitions make great additions to UCAS applications, and they get students thinking about science, too.
- The Oxford Scientist Schools’ Science Writing Competition (700-word essay that teachers submit; ages 15–18; registration for 2025 opens in April; prize includes being published in the magazine and feedback).
- The Woolf Essay Prize (academic essay open to entries from any subject area; age 16–18 women; deadline 9 June 2025; winners receive up to £300 in book vouchers).
Cambridge Chemistry Challenge
Age: 19 or younger
Registration: open now
Deadline: 1 June 2025
This competition — aimed at Year 12 students but available to younger students — is designed to stretch and challenge students beyond the curriculum interested in chemistry and is excellent experience for anyone considering chemistry for further study.
Students sit a 90-minute written paper under exam conditions in school, which is sent out to schools in advance. Mark schemes are available to teachers, and for schools submitting more than five scripts, these should be marked by the teacher. Scripts of students scoring over 50% are then submitted. Students who perform well receive a certificate and the best performers are invited to join a residential camp at the University of Cambridge at the end of August.
The website contains lots of past papers and mark schemes, which are a valuable resource for teachers. Full details are on the website.
The Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition
Age: 16–18
Registration: opens soon for entry period two
Deadline: 30 September 2025 for entry period two
The Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition, run by Cambridge Assessment, is an exciting extra-curricular activity for teams of aspiring scientists who are studying with the Cambridge IGCSE or O Level science programmes.
Teams of three to six students choose a topic and work on a scientific investigation over 20–25 hours. The competition encourages investigations with some practical or community relevance and an eye on sustainability.
Projects may involve laboratory work and should include creative and collaborative working, critical thinking and reflection. Students should be given the opportunity to present their results to a wider audience, perhaps at a science fair or other school event.
Teachers provide initial project evaluations and the best are put forward for consideration by a panel of experts. The winning team receives a certificate and is featured on the competition website. The competition runs twice a year, so keep abreast of all the dates on the website.
TeenTech Awards
Age: 11–16
Registration: open for 2026
The TeenTech Awards encourage students to see how they might apply science and technology to real-world problems across several different categories, from food and retail through the future of transport to wearable technology. Students identify an opportunity or a problem, suggest a solution and research the market.
Students can work in teams of up to three people and there are lots of award categories. All submitted projects receive feedback and a bronze, silver or gold award. The event is well supported with training sessions for teachers and students, so everyone knows what to expect and what the judges will be looking for!
The best projects go forward to the TeenTech Awards Final for judging and the winning school in each category will receive a cash prize.
Science meets art
If you have some students who would be hooked by the artistic side of science, check out these competitions:
- RSB Photography Competition (open to all ages; open now, deadline 19 June; £500 top prize for under 18s)
- The BioArtAttack 2D (Nancy Rothwell Prize 2025) (specimen drawing (ages 7–18; open now, deadline 3 July; first prize is £50 and invitation to take part in an experience day event at the Royal Veterinary College)
Top of the Bench
Age: 14–16
Registration: enquire via your RSC local section
Top of the Bench (TOTB) is an annual practical chemistry competition that has been running for over 20 years. It’s a long-standing favourite for students and teachers, and provides an opportunity for students to put their teamwork and practical skills to the test.
From 2025 onward, the national final for Top of the Bench has been discontinued. However, you can still get involved in your region; RSC local sections organise a range of school engagement activities, including local Top of the Bench competitions.
Find more information on the TOTB homepage.
Back soon
Competitions on hiatus
Unsung Heroes of Science video competition
Age: 16–18
The International Unsung Heroes of Science video competition from Hertford College, University of Oxford is open to all 16–18 students. Entrants are tasked with making a two-minute video sharing the story of a scientist whose contributions were overlooked. Entries can be submitted by individuals or in teams of up to three.
The competition is taking a break in 2025, but is expected to return in 2026.
Deadlines passed:
Stockholm UK Junior Water Prize
Age: 15–20
Submissions: open now
Deadline: 5 May 2025
This prize challenges young people in STEM to develop innovative yet practical solutions to the global water crisis. Entrants decide on a topic or problem that they want to investigate and undertake background research and experimental work before submitting a full written report.
Students whose reports are shortlisted get to present their work virtually to the judges. The winning UK entry receives £1500 cash prize and a fully funded trip to represent the UK and their school at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition in Sweden in August and be in with a chance to win the international grand prize of US$15,000!
Learn more on the website.
British Science Week poster competition
Age: 3–14
Registration: open now
Deadline: 17 April
British Science Week runs every year in March (7–16 March 2025). Alongside numerous activities and events across the country, there will be a themed poster competition – and this year’s theme will is change and adapt.
Entrants can explore a wide range of ideas covered by the broad theme. Judges are on the look out for an innovative angle or creative interpretation of the theme; clear, accurate and informative content; and effective, engaging communication. This competition is a great way for students to practise their communication skills. There are numerous prizes up for grabs that cover all age categories.
Entrants can be teams or individuals from any organisation, although schools are limited to five entries. Find out more on the website, including activity packs and other resources to make the most of British Science Week.
MathWorks Math Modeling challenge
Age: 16–19 (England and Wales only)
Registration: closed, opens for 2026 in November 2025
Deadline: 24 February 2025
The M3 Challenge is an internet-based applied maths competition that inspires participants to pursue STEM education and careers. Working in teams of three to five students, participants have 14 consecutive hours to solve an open-ended maths-modelling problem based around a real issue during the challenge weekend.
The problem typically has a socially conscious theme – equity, the environment, conservation or recycling, energy use, health, and other topics that young people care about. The challenge gives students the opportunity to use maths modelling processes to represent, analyse, make predictions and otherwise provide insight into real-world phenomena. For example, 2023’s problem centred around modelling the impacts of e-bikes to better understand if they are likely to become part of a global, more sustainable energy plan.
Numerous free resources, including modelling and coding handbooks, videos and sample problems are available to help teams prepare for the event.
The competition’s final presentation and awards ceremony event is held in New York City in late April – an all-expense paid experience for the finalist teams. These top teams will be awarded scholarships toward the pursuit of higher education, with members of the overall winning team receiving $20,000 (»£16,000).
For rules, resources and to register, visit the competition website.
Big Bang Young Scientists and Engineers Competition
Age: 11–18
Registration: closed
Closes: 26 March 2025
The Big Bang Competition is open to young people aged 11 to 18 in state-funded education or who are home educated or who enter as part of a community group. Private school participants can get involved as part of a collaboration with state-school peers.
Participants complete project-based work, focusing on investigation, discovery and use of scientific methods. Students choose their own STEM topic and work to submit their project as a written report or short video. The possibilities are endless!
Students can include their involvement in the competition in their extracurricular activities on UCAS forms and personal statements and have a chance of winning a range of awards and cash prizes.
Find out how to get started and get inspired with past projects on the Big Bang website.
Slingshot Challenge
Age: 13–18
Registration: closed
The Slingshot Challenge is run by National Geographic and is an exciting opportunity for students to get involved with the global programme. Students can enter in teams of up to six. Individual entries are welcomed although all entries are expected to involve collaboration with peers, stakeholders, and/or marginalized communities.
Students work to prepare a short, 1-minute video, from topics with an environmental focus. Training sessions for teachers and resource/tool kits are available from the website and the providers can offer feedback and technical support ahead of official submissions.
Videos are expected to put forward compelling, evidence-based information and be engaging for the audience. A small number of motivating prizes are awarded each year to the student of up to $10,000.
For full details see the Slingshot Challenge website.
Royal College of Science Union (RCSU) Science Challenge
Age: 14–18
Registration: closed
Imperial College London’s RCSU Science Challenge is all about science communication – requiring students to demonstrate their skills in debate and reasoning and teach the public about science and its consequences. Questions on a given theme are set by eminent scientists – who even read the shortlisted entries, so there’s a real chance students’ work will be seen by world-leading academics. This year’s theme is A Space Odyssey.
Students can answer one of the questions in either written or video form of up to 1000 words or three minutes, 30 seconds, respectively. Find more information about taking part on the challenge website.
UK Chemistry Olympiad 2026
Age: 16–18 (recommended)
Registration: opens September 2025
Deadline: January 2026
Run by the RSC, the UK Chemistry Olympiad is designed to challenge and inspire older secondary-school students, by encouraging them to push themselves, boost their critical problem-solving skills and test their knowledge in real-world situations. Explore past papers to get an idea of the types of questions involved.
There are three rounds that culminate with the prestigious International Chemistry Olympiad, which will take place this year in the United Arab Emirates. Round 1, a written test taken in your school, takes place in January each year. Students then receive bronze, silver or gold certificates depending on their scores. Up to 30 students will then be selected to move on to the second round – a training weekend at the University of Nottingham. Four students will then be chosen to represent the UK in the international competition, taking place this year in July.
To get started, register your school or college. Do this and find out more information about preparing on the Olympiad homepage.
Imperial College Science & Innovation Competition
Age: 4–adult
Registration: opens September 2025
Deadline: pre-register by December 2025
The Science & Innovation Competition, run by the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College, aims to motivate primary and secondary-aged children to engage with science, to encourage them to work as part of a team and engage in fun activities. Adults are also welcome to enter.
Teams of two to four people are asked to develop a new and innovative scientific solution to help achieve one of the United Nation’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development. To enter, teams need to create a five-minute film that describes the science behind their idea. Finalists are invited to take part in an event during spring 2024 at Imperial College, London (date to be confirmed). Learn more on the website.
Global essay competition: Young voices in the chemical sciences for sustainability
Age: 35 and under
Registration: closed
An annual essay competition on the role of the chemical sciences in sustainability, organised by the International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD) in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The competition is open globally to entrants under 35 years of age. The theme for the 2023 competition is: From waste to wealth: how chemical sciences can sustainably transform waste into valuable products.
Essays will be grouped into seven regions for shortlisting and selection of winners, based on the entrant’s country of normal residence. Each regional winner will receive a prize of US$500 and their entries will be published in RSC Sustainability. The shortlisted essays will be collected in an annual compendium, Young voices in the chemical sciences for sustainability, available on the IOCD’s website. Individual shortlisted entries will also be featured from time to time on IOCD’s website.
Essays will be judged on how well they highlight the importance of scientific approaches grounded in the chemical sciences for solving sustainability challenges. Entrants should take a broad, global perspective, and reflect on the intersection of science, society and policy aspects, rather than describing a particular scientific advance in great technical detail. Essays must not exceed 1500 words of body copy.
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