Top 10 Data Science Competitions for High School Students

If you’re a high school student passionate about crunching numbers, extracting insights, and solving real-world problems, diving into data science might be the perfect path for you. Data science competitions and algorithmic challenges can allow you to hone your data science skills with real-world problems so in this blog, we will help guide you through ten of the best data science competitions available for high school students to take part in.

How to Decide Which Type of Data Science Competition is Right for You?

Before jumping into selecting competitions, it is important to consider what type of data science challenge best aligns with your interests and expertise. Some of the categories of data science competitions that exist include:

1. Hack-a-thons: These are ideal for people who enjoy quick problem-solving and competitive coding under pressure.

2. Research Challenges: These are best suited for students who are interested in exploring, in-depth, real-world problems over an extended period of time.

3. Visualization Competitions: These are perfect for students with an interest in creating compelling code and data visualizations.

4. Machine Learning Competitions: These competitive programming challenges are tailored for students who want to apply advanced algorithms to solve complex problems

Now, let’s dive into the ten best data science competitions for high school students.

What Are the Top 10 Data Science Competitions for High School Students?

#1 Kaggle Competitions

• Hosting Institution: Kaggle

• Location: Online

• Awards: Varies by competition

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: Dependent on specific competition

• Competition Date: Ongoing

Kaggle, considered by many to be the mecca for data scientists, hosts many competitions that cover a diverse range of fields, including image classification, NLP, and predictive modeling. Challenges are always available and fairly informal, so participants can enter with a range of experiences. Kaggle not only offers a platform for skill development, but also serves as a gateway to potential job opportunities, so this is a great place to start for some competitions.

#2 National Science Bowl

• Hosting Institution: US Department of Energy

• Location: Washington, DC

• Awards: Trophy and trip to Washington, DC

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: December

• Competition Date: January - March

The National Science Bowl, hosted by the US Department of Energy, stands as a pinnacle of intellectual competitions for high school students passionate about data science. Students form teams that answer questions in a variety of science fields, including biology, chemistry, physics, and more. There is also a data science category where students are tested to see how they evaluate and analyze datasets. 

#3 DataCamp

• Hosting Institution: DataCamp

• Location: Online

• Awards: Cash prize, learning experience, bragging rights

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: Dependent on competition

• Competition Date: Ongoing

DataCamp is a unique platform that offers not only programming and algorithmic challenges but also many learning opportunities. It is a beginner-friendly environment for those interested in starting a career in data science, but who may be lost on where to begin. DataCamp offers tutorials, assessments, and practice before you enter a real competition to hone your skills and put forth your best performance in the competition. 

#4 Temple University OwlHacks

• Hosting Institution: Temple University

• Location: Philadelphia, PA

• Awards: Cash prizes

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: Rolling

• Competition Date: September 23 - 24

Temple University’s OwlHacks is a celebration of creativity, collaboration, and innovation. This annual event gathers technologists, programmers, and problem-solvers from diverse backgrounds to embark on a 24-hour coding marathon. With a focus on inclusivity and skill development, OwlHacks presents teams with “tracks,” which are subject areas in which you can build a solution. 

#5 DrivenData Competitions

• Hosting Institution: DrivenData

• Location: Online

• Awards: Cash prizes

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: Dependent on competitions

• Competition Date: Ongoing

DrivenData Competitions are tailored toward more experienced data scientists with an interest in the areas of climate change, health, and education. For high schoolers interested in data science’s applications in areas related to social change, DrivenData’s competitions are the perfect choice for you. Furthermore, DrivenData’s coding competition winners’ solutions end up being adopted by top partners such as NASA, Microsoft, and Meta AI. 

#6 Machine Hack

• Hosting Institution: Machine Hack

• Location: Online

• Awards: Varies by competition

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: Dependent on specific competition

• Competition Date: Ongoing

Machine Hack is very similar to Kaggle, in that it allows data scientists from all over the world to come together. There are a plethora of competitions being hosted at all times, and data scientists ranging from novice to expert can take part in these coding competitions to learn by doing. Machine Hack also has a place for competitors to share ideas with experts and get their opinions on what they’re doing. 

#7 St. Joseph’s University’s High School Analytics & Data Visualization Competition

• Hosting Institution: St. Joseph’s University

• Location: Virtual or on campus

• Awards: Cash prizes

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: Rolling

• Competition Date: January 30 - March 16

St. Joseph’s University invites high school students to unlock the power of data science at the High School Analytics & Data Visualization Competition. This dynamic event, hosted annually, serves as a platform for budding data enthusiasts to showcase their analytical prowess and creativity. Participants delve into real-world datasets, employing statistical methods and visualization techniques to extract meaningful insights. Students can connect with industry professionals, receive mentorship, and gain exposure to the diverse applications of data analytics. 

#8 BitGrit Competitions 

• Hosting Institution: BitGrit

• Location: Online

• Awards: Cash prizes, bragging rights

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: Dependent on competition

• Competition Date: Ongoing

BitGrit offers a variety of competitions for high school students, ranging from bird species classification to weather forecasting. No matter your interest in data science applications, BitGrit will have a competition for you. The best part of BitGrit is the ability to look at past competitions, so if you’re not interested in actively competing and would like to simply learn and practice, you can look at their past programming competitions to get practice with real-world problems. 

#9 AICrowd

• Hosting Institution: AICrowd

• Location: Online

• Awards: Cash prizes

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: Dependent on competition

• Competition Date: Ongoing

AICrowd hosts competitions in collaboration with notable companies and institutions, including Amazon, MIT, Sony, Carnegie Mellon, and more. With these collaborations, participants get the chance to work with individuals at these top institutions if their solution is the chosen winner. Similar to Kaggle and BitGrit, AICrowd competitions span a wide array of skill levels, so you can practice as a beginner or work on a challenging problem as an expert to potentially help companies. 

#10 Congressional App Challenge

• Hosting Institution: US House of Representatives

• Location: Washington, DC

• Awards: National recognition, gift cards

• Cost: Free

• Entry Deadline: November 1

• Competition Date: N/A

Spanning across the entire United States, the Congressional App Challenge invites students to unleash their creativity, design, and coding skills to develop applications that address real-world issues. The programming competition not only serves as a prestigious avenue for recognition but also offers winners the unique honor of having their work displayed in the U.S. Capitol.
Embark on your data science journey with these thrilling competitions that not only showcase your programming skills but also provide opportunities for networking, mentorship, and in some cases, internships. Choose the competition that best aligns with your interests, and let the data exploration begin!