5 STEM Competitions & Programs for Girls

Why Should Girls Do STEM?

STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education fosters creativity, resilience, and intellectual curiosity, in addition to other important benefits. Participating in these competitions allows girls to engage with STEM subjects in an interactive and challenging way. STEM education in high school can motivate girls to pursue related majors in college, and to seek careers in STEM after graduating, empowering them to build innovative solutions for the futures of their communities.

Despite the growing demand for STEM professionals, traditional education often fails to provide hands-on, real-world experiences that truly prepare students for STEM careers. Many schools focus on standardized tests and rigid curriculums, leaving little room for creativity, mentorship, or passion-driven projects. This is especially true for girls, who often lack access to female role models in STEM and may feel discouraged from pursuing these fields.

By engaging in STEM competitions, research mentorships, and project-based learning, girls can gain real-world experience, build confidence, and develop critical problem-solving skills—key qualities for success in both academia and professional STEM careers.

What Percentage of STEM Majors Are Female?

Despite the benefits of STEM education, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics found that only 35% of STEM graduates worldwide from 2018-2023 were women. Their data suggest that this disparity is largely due to negative, gender-based stereotypes that come up as early as high school or even middle school. According to the American Association of University Women, women hold only 25% of computer and mathematical occupations, and only 17% of engineering occupations in the United States. Globally, the percentage of women computer scientists has dropped by 15% since 1995 — from 37% down to just 22%. 

Thankfully, there are organizations working tirelessly for gender equity in STEM. However, in the face of negative stereotypes and other obstacles, motivating girls to stick with STEM throughout high school remains one of the primary challenges for equity in education.

What Motivates Girls in STEM?

Many organizations describe the same persistent phenomenon that gets in the way of girls’ paths to STEM careers: they often find it difficult to imagine themselves in leadership roles within fields dominated by men. How are organizations combating this issue?

At Polygence, we believe that mentorship and hands-on learning are key to bridging the gender gap in STEM. Through personalized research mentorship programs, girls can explore coding, engineering, AI, and medical research with the guidance of PhD-level mentors—many of whom are accomplished women in STEM. By working on real-world research projects, students gain both the confidence and technical expertise needed to excel in STEM competitions, internships, and college applications.

If you’re passionate about STEM but unsure where to start, Polygence provides the structure and mentorship to help you turn your interests into a standout research project—one that can even be submitted to top STEM competitions like the Regeneron Science Talent Search, MIT Women’s Technology Program, or the Society of Women Engineers challenges.

Inspiring STEM Programs & Competitions

With that in mind, here are five programs and competitions to inspire girls to dive into STEM. If these opportunities interest you, you may also want to see our picks of STEM summer programs for girls and STEM programs for girls in NYC!

1. Girls Who Code

Eligibility: students who identify as girls or nonbinary and who are currently in:

• Grades 3-5 and 6-12 (“Clubs”)

• Grades 9-11 (“Summer Immersion Program”)

• Grades 9-12 (“Pathways”)

Girls Who Code is an organization working to reduce the gender gap in technology through programs that values bravery, sisterhood, and activism. They offer three free educational programs for high schoolers to develop their coding skills and build their confidence:

• Clubs take place after school for 1-2 hours per week.

• The Summer Immersion Program is a virtual, two-week program on game design taught by industry leaders.

• Pathways is a six-week, independent study program covering web development, cybersecurity, data science, and artificial intelligence. 

In addition to their educational programs, Girls Who Code organizes annual competitions open to students aged 13-14 (middle school) and 15-18 (high school). These competitions are opportunities to win prizes and earn much-deserved recognition for your coding and computer science skills!

2. Black Girls Code

Eligibility: Girls and women of color aged 7-25 (varies by program)

Black women currently make up only 2% of the technology industry. Black Girls Code, founded in 2011, is working to change that. Their mission is to empower black girls to believe that they belong in tech by giving them the tools they need to succeed and to lead. Each year, Black Girls Code organizes dozens of online and in-person workshops. Participants develop creative and original projects on topics like AI and Music Composition, Webcam Game Development, and much more. During the summer, they also run in-person camps in locations throughout the U.S. in 2-week and 3-day (“bootcamp”) formats.

3. MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP)

Eligibility: Current 11th grade students, especially those who:

• Identify as women,

• Attend a school with few STEM classes and resources,

• Have no family members with college degrees,

• Have limited financial resources, and/or

• Have been discouraged from pursuing STEM in the past as a result of their background or identity

The MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP) is a prestigious and highly selective program focused on empowering young women in STEM. It is considered one of the world’s premiere engineering education programs for high school students, period. The rigorous four-week mechanical engineering program takes place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is capped at around 20 students per year. WTP only accepts applications from current 11th graders (rising high school seniors) in the United States.

4. Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Competitions

Eligibility: Girls aged 13-18

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) was founded in 1950 with the aim of empowering women to become pioneers and leaders in engineering fields. With learning and mentorship opportunities throughout the year, their free SWENext and SWENext Clubs programs inspire girls in elementary, middle, and high school to “see themselves in STEM.”

SWE recognizes SWENext members’ successes through awards and challenges like their “STEM in Action” prize. Applicants for awards must be members of SWENext. Applications can take the form of a poster or video presentation submitted online. For more information and tips on how to apply, check out their Award Submissions Guide.

5. National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP)

The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) connects girls with STEM resources with the goal of bridging aspiration and achievement. In addition to their workshops and national conferences on STEM education for girls, mentorship remains one of the core resources at the center of the NGCP’s efforts. Citing research from MicKinsey & Company, they write that connecting girls to STEM mentors “shapes personal growth, fosters confidence, and paves pathways to success.” While NGCP primarily serves educators and practitioners, girls and young women can refer to Connected Girls, their curated directory of STEAM opportunities.

How Polygence Can Help You Stand Out in STEM

At Polygence, our aim is to launch you into the STEM career that matches your passions and goals. Through project-based learning and personalized mentorship from women in STEM, you’ll develop skills in coding and research, discover and prepare for prestigious STEM programs and competitions, and explore interdisciplinary career paths. 

We’ve built our rigorous 1-on-1 research mentorship program to connect you with the resources you need to flourish as a researcher, while keeping the structure flexible to fit your interests and schedule. You choose the project and the outcome; your PhD-level research mentor will help you get there. Alternatively, if you prefer a compact timeline (6 weeks) in a small seminar format, our Pods program connects you with a mentor and a handful of like-minded peers for an introduction to research methods in your chosen STEM field.

Partner with Polygence today to chart a path towards STEM success!

Learn more about how Polygence can support your daughter’s interests in STEM research and help her stand out for positive college admissions results, or request a consultation with one of our research coaches.