10 Innovation Competitions for High School Students
MD: This blog lists 10 innovation competitions for high school students.
If you’re in high school and want to explore how ideas turn into real solutions, an innovation competition is a practical place to start. These contests typically ask you to identify a problem and propose a solution — which could be a product, a service, or a strategy. Along the way, you’ll learn how to break down your idea into steps, test it, and communicate it clearly.
Most of the competitions in the list below also involve teamwork, time management, and presenting your work to judges or peers. These are valuable skills that apply to many fields, from tech and business to science and public policy.
Why should I participate in an innovation competition?
For starters, innovation competitions give you structured opportunities to think critically and apply your knowledge outside of school.
They also help you build skills in problem-solving, communication, and collaboration, which can be great additions to your resume as you apply to future internships or research projects.
For students interested in STEM, business, or entrepreneurship, these contests also provide relevant experience you can include in your college applications. They demonstrate initiative, creativity, and the ability to follow through on an idea — all qualities that admissions officers look for.
To help you find a good fit, we’ve compiled a list of 10 solid innovation competitions for high school students.
10 Innovation Competitions for High School Students:
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free!
Deadline: February 16
Contest Dates: February 16 to May 8
Eligibility: Open to high school students from all across the globe
You learn how to shape your idea into a business plan by thinking through how it works, who it helps, what it costs, and how it is different from others. You do not need to build a full startup. You create a short pitch video and share it with judges who come from a mix of professional backgrounds. This helps you practice how to explain your thinking clearly and present your work in a focused way.
You also get to see what other students are doing around the world, learn from their projects, and connect with people working on similar challenges. Top entries can win cash prizes that you can use to build on your idea or support other goals.
Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
Location: Virtual
Cost: 10,000 yen per team
Deadlines: March 21
Contest Dates: May 17 (Final Round)
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible
The Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (GYEC) is a 12-hour online competition where you and your team work on solving real-world problems with creative business ideas. You’ll focus on issues like sustainability, education, and social impact, and create solutions using technology. To join, you’ll need a team of 3 to 8 students with different skills, business, tech, science, marketing, or communication.
On competition day, you'll get a challenge to solve, and you’ll need to submit a two-page plan and a three-minute video pitch in English. The judges will look at how creative your solution is, how you’ve thought through the finances, your marketing ideas, and how well you present your work. Winners receive a trophy and a certificate, while everyone gets a certificate of participation and feedback on their ideas. If you do well, you could represent your country in the global finals.
Business Professionals of America - BPA
Location: Conferences vary in location (different cities around the US)
Cost: Membership fees vary
Deadlines: Varies per competition
Dates: Dates vary by competition
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible
The BPA Workplace Skills Assessment Program (WSAP) gives you the chance to put your business and leadership skills to the test in a competition tailored to your interests. With over 90 competitions in areas like finance, tech, and marketing, you’ll find a challenge that fits your interests and pushes you to grow.
In your chosen event, you’ll work on tasks like creating business plans, solving problems, or designing marketing materials. Plus, some events give you the chance to learn directly from professionals, getting advice that can help you grow in your career.
Location: Virtual (Finalists make their pitch in Space Center Houston, TX)
Cost: Free
Deadlines: November 15
Dates: November - April
Eligibility: Students between 13 and 18 can apply!
The Conrad Challenge is a global competition where you and your team can tackle real-world problems in areas like Aerospace, Cyber-Technology, Energy, and Health. It’s all about using science, technology, and creative thinking to come up with solutions. In the competition, you’ll begin by forming a team, brainstorming ideas, and developing a plan. Then, you’ll bring your project to life, create a video, and set up a website to present your solution.
Finally, the top teams get the chance to pitch their projects live at the Innovation Summit. The winners even walk away with scholarships and the chance to be named Pete Conrad Scholars. Last year, over 4,000 students from more than 50 countries joined in, making this a solid opportunity to showcase your skills and innovation.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Deadlines: May 2
Dates: May 2 to May 16; May 23 (Winner announcements)
Eligibility: All students between 13 and 19
For the SAGE USA National Competition, each team participates in a 20-minute session, which includes a 13-minute live video presentation and a 7-minute Q&A. You will also submit a 4-page annual report that covers your business’s operations, impact, and achievements. While using slides and visuals is optional, they can help support your pitch. A one-minute warning will be given at the 12-minute mark.
You will need to communicate your idea, as product demos are allowed but not a central part of the presentation. Judges won’t handle or inspect physical items. You’ll also need to show how your venture meets five key criteria, such as your decision-making process, challenges faced, and measurable outcomes, based on the official judging rubric.
Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
Location: Virtual with a presentation at UPenn
Cost: Free
Deadline: September 13
Dates: September - April
Eligibility: All high school students can apply!
The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is a free, hands-on finance challenge for high school students worldwide. You’ll work in teams of 4–7, with the support of a teacher, to use a stock market simulator and build a mock portfolio. Throughout the competition, you’ll learn key skills like risk management, market analysis, strategy, and teamwork.
Over ten weeks, your team will work on building and analyzing your portfolio, developing pitches, and submitting two key deliverables to qualify for the semi-finals. The top 10 teams will pitch their ideas at the Global Finale held at UPenn.
Location: Virtual and in-person (locations vary year on year).
Cost: $50 (application fee) + $500 (participation fee)
Dates: June
Application Deadline: March 10
Eligibility: High school students in grades 8-12 in the U.S. and internationally.
The Genius Olympiad is a global competition focused on social and environmental responsibility, open to high school students in grades 8–12. You can submit projects in areas like Art, Writing, Business, and Robotics, all with a focus on solving environmental problems. If you're interested in entrepreneurship, you can take part in the Business category and plan an eco-friendly venture.
You’ll work individually or in pairs to develop a business plan (up to 15 pages) and a 2-page executive summary. Then, you’ll present your project in a 10-minute pitch using PowerPoint or Prezi, and you’re encouraged to bring models, mock-ups, or prototypes to support your idea. Finalists will be invited to present their projects at the GENIUS Olympiad event.
Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition
Location: Online
Cost: Free!
Deadline: May 12
Dates: May 12 - August 12
Eligibility: Anyone over the age of 13
In the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition, you can pitch either a new business idea or a project for an existing business or organization. The key requirement is that your pitch must address one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The competition has three phases.
Along the way, you will complete two online courses, Brains versus Capital and Sustainable Entrepreneurship, and use an Entrepreneurial Design Canvas to shape your pitch. In the final round, a panel of experts will judge your idea based on its practicality, innovation, impact, and sustainability. Since the competition is open to everyone, you may be competing with older students or professionals.
Ithaca College High School Investment Competition
Location: Online
Cost: An entry fee is required; the specific amount is not specified.
Deadline: November 10
Dates: The registration deadline is November 10, and the competition concludes in March
Eligibility: All students in grades 9-12
The Ithaca College High School Investment Competition is a business and finance challenge for high school students interested in learning about the stock market. In teams of 3–6 students, with one adult advisor, you’ll get $1,000,000 in virtual money to build your investment portfolio.
You can trade up to 500 times using stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, and commodities. The teams with the best-performing portfolios will win cash prizes: $3,000 for 1st place, $2,000 for 2nd, and $1,000 for 3rd. If you're a senior and apply to Ithaca College, you may also receive a fee waiver.
Location: Virtual pitching rounds with a final presentation at the University of Delaware
Cost: Free!
Deadline: January 16
Dates: May 1-2
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 14-18 can participate in teams of 2-4 people
The Diamond Challenge, run by the University of Delaware, gives high school students a chance to build and pitch startup ideas. You can choose between two tracks: Business Innovation or Social Innovation. Business Innovation is about ideas that can generate revenue, while Social Innovation focuses on solving social or environmental problems.
The competition starts with a concept submission and pitch deck. If selected, your team advances to the pitching round, either at a live event or online. Top teams are invited to the Limitless Summit, a multi-day event with workshops, networking, and the final round of the competition.
You’ll get feedback from mentors, connect with other student entrepreneurs, and compete for a share of $100,000 in cash prizes. Winning teams have launched real ventures, like Refil, a system that recycles 3D printing waste into usable filament, which won the Business Innovation track in 2024. You can read our review of the Diamond Challenge here!
If you’re looking for an incubator program that helps you innovate and build a startup in high school, consider the Young Founders Lab!The Young Founders Lab is a start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X.
You can access the application link here!