Want a team competition that’s about science instead of sports? Science Olympiad (SciOly) is one of the best options out there. Whether you’re a returning competitor or brand new, this guide covers how the competition works and how to do well in it.
How Science Olympiad works
- Joining an existing team: many schools already have a team. If yours does, go to an interest meeting to learn how it’s run. Showing interest early improves your chances of making the competing roster.
- Starting a new team: if your school doesn’t have one, you can start it with a teacher or coach to sponsor it. A teacher’s role can range from active coaching to just handling logistics, so clarify what they’ll do before you commit.
- You don’t have to be a STEM kid: SciOly isn’t only for future scientists. Alumni go on to all kinds of fields, and there’s something in it for a wide range of students.
- Team structure: a team is up to 15 members, and each event has two or three participants depending on its complexity. Balancing who covers which events, and working around scheduling conflicts, is a big part of building a good team.
Preparing for events
How you prep depends on the event, but it always starts with reading the rules closely. Study events (written tests) reward flashcards and annotated notes. Lab events mean getting comfortable with the equipment and splitting up tasks. Build events call for brainstorming designs together and testing them in rounds.
Competition day
On the day, get good rest, pack what each event’s rules require, wear something comfortable, coordinate equipment with your teammates, and make sure any builds are packed securely for the trip.
- Communicate with your team.
- Talk through equipment and materials for each event ahead of time. Make a shared checklist a few weeks out, assign who brings what, and do a final check the night before.
- Set up a quick way to reach each other during the competition for last-minute issues.
- Sort out funding.
- Competing costs money: registration, travel, uniforms, equipment, and study materials. For a school or team with limited resources, that’s a real hurdle.
- Ask your school administration, local businesses, community groups, and parents for sponsorship. Make the case with the educational upside: STEM learning, teamwork, leadership, and academic growth.
- Run fundraisers like bake sales, car washes, or a crowdfunding campaign. When you pitch sponsors, show your team’s achievements and goals and what their support makes possible.
- Look into grants from government agencies, educational foundations, or corporate programs aimed at STEM and extracurriculars.
The competition levels
- Invitationals: high schools and colleges host unofficial invitational tournaments. They’re great early-season practice and a low-stakes way to get used to the competition setting.
- Regionals, states, and nationals: teams advance based on performance. Some states skip regionals and go straight to state. Nationals brings together the top teams from each state, and highly competitive states can send more than one team.
How SciOly differs from other olympiads
- Subject range: SciOly spans the whole of STEM (biology, physics, chemistry, engineering, earth science) through events like Anatomy and Physiology, Towers, and Forensics. By contrast, the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) or International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) each focus on one subject.
- Team vs. individual: SciOly is a team of up to 15 students who split events between them. The IMO and IPhO are individual competitions where you compete on your own.
- Event variety: SciOly mixes written exams, hands-on experiments, and engineering builds. Other olympiads lean more on problem-solving or theory within their subject, such as the IMO’s focus on mathematical proofs.
- National vs. international: SciOly runs mainly at the U.S. national level, with teams representing states or regions. The IMO, IPhO, and International Biology Olympiad (IBO) are global competitions that bring students together from around the world.
The bottom line
Science Olympiad stands out for its interdisciplinary approach, team structure, and wide range of events. It shares the usual goals of academic competitions, but its emphasis on collaboration and hands-on work across many sciences makes it different from the single-subject olympiads.
Once you’re done with SciOly season, it’s worth looking at summer programs too:
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