7 Great Contests for Kids: Creative and Academic Contests for Children

If you want to get your children excited about learning, helping them enter contests might be just the way to do it. The chance to test their skills and win a prize is great motivation to dive deeper into a topic. Here are some fun annual contests with topics ranging from Science and Math to English and Fine Arts to inspire your children and show them that learning is fun.

STEM Contests for Kids

STEM contests focus on encouraging kids' interests in science, technology, engineering, and math. Here are some fun STEM contests that are offered every year:

1. First Lego League's Annual Challenge

First Lego League uses a popular children's toy, Legos, to encourage interest in science. Each year, the First Lego League chooses a real problem that the world is facing, like food safety, water shortages, or recycling. The contestants form teams to work together to find innovative solutions to these problems and share them with others, and then make presentations to judges describing their solutions. 

They must also create a robot from Lego Mindstorms pieces and program it with a computer to play in the robot games portion of the competition.

Which Kids Can Enter? 

Entry is open worldwide to teams of 2–10 children and their supervising adults. Different regions have different age limits; in the United States, children must be between 4–16 years of age to participate. See the full First Lego League's Challenge Rules for more details.

How Are the Winners Selected?

Entries are judged by how well the robots perform during the games, how well the team adheres to the First Lego League's Core Values, how well the project follows the principles of solving a real-world problem and sharing it with others, and more criteria. See the judging criteria for more details.

What Can the Children Win?

The kids who enter this contest receive awards in various categories including a Champion's Award for the highest-scoring entry, and other awards for the best robot design, the most innovative project, for the most passionate adult volunteer, and more. The prizes include cash worth up to $20,000, trips to events, and more.

How Can Kids Enter This Contest?

Kids can enter the First Lego League's Challenges by participating in tournaments held around the world. See this list of events to find a tournament near you.

2. MATHCOUNTS Competition Series

MATHCOUNTS is a competition series created by a group of corporations, foundations, and individuals to encourage fun and friendly competition with math. Founders and sponsors include the National Society of Professional Engineers, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and more.

Which Kids Can Enter?

Students enrolled full-time in the sixth, seventh, or eighth grades in public, private, charter, virtual, or home schools in the United States can participate in MATHCOUNTS competitions. Each school can put together a team of four participants and up to six additional individuals to compete. You can read the full rules of the MATHCOUNTS Competition Series for more details.

How Are the Winners Selected?

Students compete in teams to solve high-level math problems. Some of the rounds are also timed. The individuals who perform the best advance to higher levels of competition until a national winner is finally selected.

Which Prizes Can the Children Win?

Various prizes are awarded on a local and national level. Examples include small cash prizes, trips, and scholarships.

How Can Kids Enter This Contest?

Schools host MATHCOUNTS competitions locally, usually in December or January. The highest-placing students continue on to chapter, state, and even national competitions. If your school does not participate in MATHCOUNTS, you can speak to a math teacher about forming a team. Parents can also act as coaches but need the school's permission to join the MATHCOUNTS program.

3. The Arcturial Foundation's Modeling the Future Competition

The Arcturial Foundation's Modeling the Future Competition is challenging high school students to use their math skills to solve real-world problems — and win money while they do it.

Which Kids Can Enter?

Entry into the Modeling the Future Competition is open to Juniors and Seniors in high schools in the United States who are taking advanced math classes including statistics, probability, pre-calc, and calculus. Homeschooling teenagers can also participate. See the rules for more details.

How Are the Winners Selected?

• The children are presented with a real-world scenario and asked to use their math skills to solve it. Judges judge the following criteria to evaluate the results: Executive summary, background information, data methodology, mathematics methodology, risk characterization, recommendations, and overall communication.

Which Prizes Can the Children Win?

A pool of $60,000 in college scholarships, as well as other prizes, are available to win.

Writing, Music, and Art Contests That Children Can Enter

Writing contests give kids an excellent reason to work on their composition skills. If there was ever a good reason to learn how to structure a compelling essay, cite sources, or write a lyrical poem, these contests are it!

4. EngineerGirl's Writing Contest for Kids

EngineerGirl offers an annual writing contest with an engineering theme. Past themes have included coming up with an improvement to your town's infrastructure or engineering a solution to help animals and humans share the planet more effectively.

Encourage your child to check out the current year's theme and write a response that fits. Your child can also include a single image, chart, or PDF file to support their essay. See the contest website for detailed entry instructions.

Which Kids Can Enter?

Entry is open to girls and boys who live around the world who are in elementary school, middle school, or high school. There's one eligibility category for each of those groups). See the contest rules for more information.

How Are the Winners Selected?

The entries will be judged on the basis of how well they communicate, fit to the contests' requirements, how accurate the entries are are, and how well they show analytical thinking, creativity, and originality.

What Prizes Can the Children Win?

Three winners of EngineerGirl's Writing Contest will receive cash and publication on the site. 17 additional winners for the best solutions to various engineering problems will each win publication and a special prize.

How Can Kids Enter This Contest?

Check the website for deadlines then submit your entry through the online submission form.

5. Toyota Dream Car Art Competition

Toyota's Dream Car Art Contest is one of the world's largest art contests for kids. It asks children to come up with a concept for a dream car and then to bring those dreams to life by drawing their car concept. 

Creative car ideas from past competitions have included a car that could restore ice to the polar icecaps or one that could drive around a child's mouth, cleaning teeth as it went.

Which Kids Can Enter?

National Toyota Dream Car Art Contests are held in various regions around the world, and age limits vary by region. In the United States, there are three age categories: 7 and under, 8–11, and 12–15. Check your region for more details.

How Are the Winners Selected?

The children's entries are judged on the basis of expressiveness of message, uniqueness, and artistry. Winners of the national competitions continue on to compete in the world competition in Japan.

Which Prizes Can the Children Win?

Prizes for the Toyota Dream Car Art Competition include awards and even the chance for the kids to visit Japan to enjoy a cultural program with their parents.

How Can Kids Enter This Contest?

Visit the Toyota Dream Car Art Competition website to find deadlines and entry methods in your region.

6. US Kids Magazine's Annual Cover Art Contest

Every year, US Kids Magazine calls for children to submit their original artwork for a chance to appear on the cover of their magazines. 

Which Kids Can Enter?

Children in two different age groups can enter. Kids aged 2–6 can enter to be on the cover of Humpty Dumpty Magazine, while kids between the ages of 6–12 can enter to appear on Jack and Jill Magazine's cover. All entrants must be residents of the United States and must have their parents' permission to enter. See the US Kids Magazine Cover Art Contest Rules for more details.

How Are the Winners Selected?

The winners in each category will be selected by a panel of judges.

Which Prizes Can the Children Win?

Winners in each category will have their artwork appear on a cover of the corresponding magazine, and their school will also receive a cash prize.

How Can Kids Enter This Contest?

Kids can submit their artwork online or by mail. They also need to include an official entry form with their parents' signature to enter.

7. The National Young Composers Challenge 

Budding composers are challenged to create an original musical composition of up to five minutes in length to enter the National Young Composers Challenge. The composition can be for a full orchestra or for a small ensemble of two to six instruments. See the rules for more details.

Which Kids Can Enter? 

Entry into the contest is open to residents of the United States aged 13–18.

How Are the Winners Selected?

A panel of judges will select three winners in each of the two categories: full orchestra and chamber ensemble compositions.

Which Prizes Can the Children Win?

Each winning composition will be performed and recorded by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. Each orchestral winner will receive $1,000 in cash and a professional recording of their composition. Each chamber ensemble winner will receive $500 and a professional recording.

How Can Kids Enter This Contest?

To enter, register online and then submit four copies of the composition in WAV or MP3 format and one audio CD of your composition by mail.