Science Olympiad facts for kids

Science Olympiad logo

Science Olympiad, also called SciOly, is a fun team competition in the United States. Students compete in 23 different events about science. These events cover many areas like earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Each year, over 7,800 teams from middle schools and high schools in all 50 U.S. states take part. Some international teams also join Science Olympiad events in the U.S.

There are different levels of the competition: invitational, regional, state, and national. Invitational events are like practice rounds, often run by high schools or universities. Teams that do well at regional events move on to the state level. The best one or two teams from each state then get to compete at the national level. Winners receive awards like medals, trophies, and even scholarships. There are also programs for younger elementary students, but they are less common and can be set up differently by each school.

History of Science Olympiad

How Science Olympiad Started

The very first Science Olympiad happened on November 23, 1974. It was held at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, North Carolina. Dr. Barnes and Dr. David Wetmore created this event. Fifteen schools from North and South Carolina participated. It was a full day of competitions and demonstrations for high school students. They had events in biology, chemistry, and physics. There were fun events like beaker races and serious ones like science quizzes.

Growing Across the United States

An article about Science Olympiad's success was published in 1978. Mr. John C. "Jack" Cairns, a teacher in Delaware, learned about the North Carolina event. He worked with Dr. Douglas R. Macbeth to start the first Science Olympiad in Delaware in 1977. Gerard Putz saw an article about it and suggested making it a national program. After test competitions in Michigan in 1983 and 1984, Putz and Cairns took their idea to a national science conference. The first National Tournament took place at Michigan State University in 1985. Representatives from 17 states attended. Since then, the program has grown a lot, with 60 teams in each division at the National Tournament.

International Teams in SciOly

Teams from Japan

Since 2012, a special team from Japan has been invited to the national tournament. This is part of a partnership with Science Olympiad and Japanese education groups. The top team from the Japan High School Science Championships gets to travel to the U.S. to join the Science Olympiad National Tournament. These Japanese teams are called Global Ambassador Teams. They compete in some events but are not officially ranked against the U.S. state teams. Japan continues to send a team, including for the 2024 National Tournament.

Other Countries Participating

While Japan's teams are the most well-known, other countries sometimes join tournaments too. Canada had teams in the U.S. national tournaments from 1995 to 1998. Canadian teams still sometimes compete in U.S. tournaments. Peru also sends teams to U.S. Science Olympiad events. Their participation is often organized by United Technologies for Kids (UTK), a group that helps with STEM education in Latin America. Peru has not yet attended a national tournament.

Science Olympiad Divisions

Science Olympiad has three main age groups, called divisions:

• Division A: For elementary school students (grades K–6).
• Division B: For middle school students (grades 6–9).
• Division C: For high school students (grades 9–12).

The national, state, and regional tournaments are usually for Divisions B and C. Division A teams often have their own separate competitions. Students in 6th and 9th grades can sometimes choose which division to compete in. For example, a 6th grader can be in Division A or B. A 9th grader can be in Division B or C. Teams have rules about how many older students can be on a team. For Division B, a team can have up to five 9th graders. For Division C, a team can have up to seven 12th graders. Students can only be on one team at a time.

Events and How They Change

Types of Science Olympiad Events

In Divisions B and C, teams can compete in up to 23 main events. These usually happen on one day. A team has no more than 15 members. Events fit into five main types:

• Life, Personal, and Social Science
• Earth & Space Science
• Physical Science & Chemistry
• Technology & Engineering
• Inquiry & Nature of Science

Events can be:

• Knowledge-based: These involve taking written tests on subjects like earth science, physics, astronomy, or biology. Two or three team members usually take these tests. Examples include Anatomy and Physiology, Meteorology, and Codebusters.
• Hands-on: These events involve doing experiments or working with physical objects. Two participants usually perform these tasks. Examples are Experimental Design and Write it Do it.
• Engineering-based: For these events, participants build a device before the competition. On the day of the event, they test their device to complete specific tasks. Two team members work on these. Examples include Bridge, Flight, and Roller Coaster.

Most events allow two team members. If one member can't make it, the other can still compete. Sometimes, a backup team member can step in.

How Events Are Updated

The list of events and their rules change every year. This keeps the competition fresh and fair. It also helps prevent more experienced teams from having too much of an advantage. Events often rotate, staying in the competition for at least two years. For example, a vehicle event might be Electric Vehicle for two years, then Mousetrap Vehicle for two years, and so on. States can also choose to have their own special events instead of some national ones.

2023–2024 Events

Trial and Pilot Events

Sometimes, regional and state tournaments have "trial" or "pilot" events. These are events that might become official national events in the future. At regional and state levels, these events can count towards a team's score. At the National Tournament, there are also trial/pilot events, but they don't count towards the team's overall score. However, ribbons and medals are usually given for these events.

Trial vs. Pilot Events

The terms "trial event" and "pilot event" are often used to mean the same thing. However, at the National Tournament, there can be a difference. For example, in 2010, medals were only given to the top 3 in Trial events, not Pilot events. Also, Trial events are usually closer to becoming official events in future years than pilot events. Most Trial events from recent National tournaments have become official events within a few years.

Team Structure in Science Olympiad

Teams are usually formed by a school. A team can have up to 15 students and some alternate members. Some states allow more students per team. For middle school teams at nationals, only five 9th graders are allowed. For high school teams, only seven 12th graders are allowed. Homeschool groups can also form teams.

It's important that all team members help with their events. This is especially true for building events. It's against the rules for alternate members to do all the building while official team members only do the thinking. Judges can ask questions about a device to make sure everyone on the team contributed. Everyone involved is expected to be honest and follow this rule.

Scoring in Science Olympiad

How Teams Are Ranked

The winner of the competition is the team with the lowest overall score. Each school is ranked in every event based on that event's rules. For knowledge events, the team with the most correct answers gets 1st place, the next highest gets 2nd place, and so on. If teams have the same score, tiebreaker questions are used. For non-testing events, scoring depends on specific rules in the Science Olympiad rule book. Some events rank teams by highest score, while others might use the lowest score (for example, in a building event where a lower time or distance is better).

The team's overall score is found by adding up their ranks from all events. For example, a 1st place finish gives 1 point, 2nd place gives 2 points, and so on. The team with the lowest total score wins. However, some state competitions score differently. They might give more points for higher places (like 13 points for 1st, 12 for 2nd) and the team with the most points wins.

Breaking Ties

There are a few ways to break a tie (draw) if teams have the same overall score:

• Medal Count: The National Tournament uses this method. The team with more first-place medals wins. If they have the same number of first places, they look at second-place medals, and so on.
• Pre-selected Tie-breakers: Before the competition, organizers choose a few events as tie-breakers. If two teams tie overall, the team that ranked higher in those specific tie-breaker events wins.
• Trial/Pilot Events: Sometimes, a team's score in trial or pilot events can be used. The team with the best combined score in these events would win the tie.
• Event-specific Tie-breakers: Some events have special tie-breaker questions built into their tests. These are used to break ties only for that specific event, not for the overall competition rank.

Competition Levels

Science Olympiad competitions happen at the regional, state, and national levels. Usually, the top few teams from regional events move on to the state competition. The exact number depends on the state and how many teams are competing. In most states, the top team from the state competition goes to the national competition. Some states with many teams get a second spot at nationals. Currently, 120 teams compete at the national level each year (60 from Division B and 60 from Division C).

Invitational Tournaments

Many states also hold invitational tournaments. These are like "practice rounds" for the official qualifying tournaments. They are hosted by individual middle schools, high schools, or colleges. Invitationals usually happen in January or February, but can be earlier or later. Teams can even go to invitationals in different states. Some invitationals are very competitive, like the one hosted by MIT, which has about 70 teams from many states. These events help teams get extra practice before regional, state, or national competitions. In 2014, Yale University started hosting a tournament run by former Science Olympiad participants.

National Tournament

What Happens at Nationals

The National Science Olympiad competition takes place in late May at a different university each year. Teams earn a spot at nationals by being one of the top one or two schools in their state's Division B or C competition. Some states get a second spot based on how many teams they have. A total of 60 teams from each division (120 teams total) are invited. For example, in 2012, a team from Japan was invited as a Global Ambassador Team. They competed in some events, but their scores were not counted against the U.S. state teams.

The competition officially starts on Friday night with an opening ceremony. This often includes a speech from a famous scientist. After that, there's a "Swap Meet." This is a fun chance for teams to meet each other and trade state souvenirs like hats, T-shirts, and key chains.

Saturday is the main competition day. Events are held in different time blocks. Each study event lasts 60 minutes, with a 15-minute break between blocks for students to move to their next event.

Awards Ceremony

On Saturday night, a formal Awards Ceremony is held. After a short speech, medals are given to the top six teams in each event. All the event scores are added up to find the overall national team winner. Trial events are not included in this final score. The top ten teams in each division receive trophies and plaques.

Sometimes, scholarships are given to the top teams in certain events. For example, at the 2005 and 2010 competitions, first-place event winners received full four-year tuition waivers to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In 2006, Indiana University offered $7,000 annual scholarships to Division C first-place winners who attended their university. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also given special awards, like a trip to their facility in Atlanta, Georgia, for first-place winners in the Disease Detectives event.

National Locations and Champions

This table shows where the National Science Olympiad has been held and which schools won the Division B and C championships each year.

		Division B		Division C
Year	Location	School	State	School	State
1985	Michigan State University	Slauson Intermediate School	MI	Seaholm High School	MI
1986	Michigan State University	Slauson Intermediate School	MI	Seaholm High School	MI
1987	Ohio State University	Gompers Secondary School	CA	Irmo High School	SC
1988	Delaware State University	Irmo Middle School	SC	Haverford High School	PA
1989	University of Colorado, Boulder	Irmo Middle School	SC	Irmo High School	SC
1990	Penn West Clarion	Irmo Middle School	SC	Irmo High School	SC
1991	Penn Valley Community College	Grandville Junior High School	MI	La Jolla High School	CA
1992	Auburn University	Jenison Junior High School	MI	La Jolla High School	CA
1993	University of Southern Colorado	Thomas Jefferson Middle School	IN	Grand Haven High School	MI
1994	University of Arizona	State College Junior High School	PA	Grand Haven High School	MI
1995	Indiana University	State College Junior High School	PA	Harriton High School	PA
1996	Georgia Institute of Technology	Thomas Jefferson Middle School	IN	Troy High School	CA
1997	North Carolina State University	J.C. Booth Middle School	GA	Grand Haven High School	MI
1998	Grand Valley State University	J.C. Booth Middle School	GA	Solon High School	OH
1999	Chicago Museums and University of Chicago	J.C. Booth Middle School	GA	Troy High School	CA
2000	Eastern Washington University	J.C. Booth Middle School	GA	Troy High School	CA
2001	University of Colorado, Colorado Springs	J.C. Booth Middle School	GA	Harriton High School	PA
2002	University of Delaware	Rising Starr Middle School	GA	Troy High School	CA
2003	Ohio State University	J.C. Booth Middle School	GA	Troy High School	CA
2004	Juniata College	J.C. Booth Middle School	GA	Fayetteville-Manlius High School	NY
2005	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Community Middle School	NJ	Harriton High School	PA
2006	Indiana University, Bloomington	J.C. Booth Middle School	GA	Troy High School	CA
2007	Wichita State University	Community Middle School	NJ	Troy High School	CA
2008	The George Washington University	Solon Middle School	OH	Troy High School	CA
2009	Augusta State University	Solon Middle School	OH	Centerville High School	OH
2010	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Solon Middle School	OH	Centerville High School	OH
2011	University of Wisconsin–Madison	Solon Middle School	OH	Solon High School	OH
2012	University of Central Florida	Solon Middle School	OH	Solon High School	OH
2013	Wright State University	Solon Middle School	OH	Solon High School	OH
2014	University of Central Florida	Beckendorff Junior High School	TX	Troy High School	CA
2015	University of Nebraska–Lincoln	Solon Middle School	OH	Troy High School	CA
2016	University of Wisconsin–Stout	Daniel Wright Junior High School	IL	Mira Loma High School	CA
2017	Wright State University	Daniel Wright Junior High School	IL	Troy High School	CA
2018	Colorado State University	Solon Middle School	OH	Troy High School	CA
2019	Cornell University	Kennedy Middle School	CA	Troy High School	CA
2020	North Carolina State University	Tournament not contested due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Arizona State University	Kennedy Middle School	CA	Mason High School	OH
2022	California Institute of Technology	Sierra Vista Middle School	CA	Mason High School	OH
2023	Wichita State University	Kennedy Middle School	CA	Adlai E. Stevenson High School	IL
2024	Michigan State University	Kennedy Middle School	CA	Monta Vista High School	CA
2025	University of Nebraska–Lincoln	Sierra Vista Middle School	CA	Seven Lakes High School	TX

Division A: Elementary School Program

Division A is for elementary school students, usually up to 6th grade. Schools that want to start a Science Olympiad program for younger kids can find help on the National Science Olympiad website. There is no national fee to join Elementary Division activities. Each school or community can set up their program to fit their needs. This could be a fun science night or a competitive tournament. Some elementary programs have been around for a long time and have created helpful resources for other schools.

Study Resources for Science Olympiad

You can find many helpful study resources on the official Science Olympiad website. This website has lots of information about the competitions and how to prepare. You can also find practice tests there. The rules manual for the 2023–2024 season is also available on the site.