For students, parents & schools
Competitions and olympiads for school students 2026-27
6 open now; next date: 3 Dec 2026 (SOF International Science Olympiad (ISO/NSO)). Olympiads, science, innovation and essay competitions and national honours for students from Class 1 to Class 12, with the exam dates, fees, prizes and the official link.
Last checked 2 Nov 2026. 22 items listed.
Showing 15 current items and 7 closed for this year.
- Open
SOF International Science Olympiad (ISO/NSO)
Science Olympiad Foundation
- Classes
- 1-12
- Prizes
- Awards listed on the SOF ISO awards page; Level 2 for top 5% (Classes 3-12).
- Fee
- See official site
- Exam / event
- 3 Dec 2026
- Mode
- school-based
Level 1 dates: 30 Oct, 19 Nov, 3 Dec 2026. Register through school at least 30 days before the chosen date.
- Open
SOF International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO)
Science Olympiad Foundation
- Classes
- 1-12
- Prizes
- Cash awards, medals and certificates for top international ranks; zonal and school-level awards. Level 2 for top 5% (Classes 3-12) in Feb 2027.
- Fee
- Rs 170
- Exam / event
- 10 Dec 2026
- Mode
- school-based
Level 1 dates: 23 Oct, 26 Nov, 10 Dec 2026. Schools register at least 30 days before their chosen date.
Official page Last verified 2 Nov 2026 - Open
SOF International Computer Science Olympiad (ICSO)
Science Olympiad Foundation
- Classes
- 1-10
- Prizes
- See SOF awards page.
- Fee
- See official site
- Exam / event
- 17 Dec 2026
- Mode
- school-based
Dates: 24 Sep and 17 Dec 2026. Single level.
- Open
SOF International Commerce Olympiad (ICO)
Science Olympiad Foundation
- Classes
- 11-12
- Prizes
- See SOF awards page.
- Fee
- See official site
- Exam / event
- 19 Jan 2027
- Mode
- school-based
Dates: 30 Nov 2026 and 19 Jan 2027. Single level.
Official page Last verified 2 Nov 2026 - Open
SOF International Social Studies Olympiad (ISSO)
Science Olympiad Foundation
- Classes
- 3-10
- Prizes
- See SOF awards page.
- Fee
- See official site
- Exam / event
- 19 Jan 2027
- Mode
- school-based
Dates: 30 Nov 2026 and 19 Jan 2027. Single level.
- Open
SOF International Hindi Olympiad (IHO)
Science Olympiad Foundation
- Classes
- 3-10
- Prizes
- See SOF awards page.
- Fee
- See official site
- Exam / event
- 22 Jan 2027
- Mode
- school-based
Dates: 23 Nov 2026 and 22 Jan 2027. Single level.
- Upcoming
Unified International Cyber Olympiad (UICO)
Unified Council
- Classes
- 2-10
- Prizes
- See official site.
- Fee
- See official site
- Exam / event
- 27 Dec 2026
- Mode
- offline
Mock test 20 Dec 2026, final 27 Dec 2026.
- Upcoming
Unified International English Olympiad (UIEO)
Unified Council
- Classes
- 1-10
- Prizes
- See official site.
- Fee
- See official site
- Exam / event
- 3 Jan 2027
- Mode
- offline
Mock test 27 Dec 2026, final 3 Jan 2027.
- Upcoming
Unified International Mathematics Olympiad (UIMO)
Unified Council
- Classes
- 1-10
- Prizes
- See official site.
- Fee
- See official site
- Exam / event
- 10 Jan 2027
- Mode
- offline
Mock test 3 Jan 2027, final 10 Jan 2027.
- Upcoming
NSTSE (National Level Science Talent Search Examination)
Unified Council
- Classes
- 1-10
- Prizes
- Merit or participation certificates for all; topper recognition (amounts not listed on the page).
- Fee
- Rs 350 individual; Rs 150 per student through school
- Exam / event
- 24 Jan 2027
- Mode
- offline
Mock test 17 Jan 2027, final 24 Jan 2027. Registration last date not published on the schedule page.
- Dates not announced
ATL School Innovation Marathon
Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog
- Classes
- ATL schools
- Prizes
- Not stated in the 2026 calendar.
- Fee
- free
- Mode
- school-based
2026 ATL calendar lists it in July; registration details on the MyATL dashboard.
- Dates not announced
National Children's Science Congress (Karnataka)
KSCST for DST/NCSTC
- Classes
- Ages 10-17
- Prizes
- District winners go to state level; state winners are recommended for the national congress.
- Fee
- free
- Mode
- offline
2026-27 theme: Science and Innovation for Sustainability. Teams of two students + one guide teacher. Register through the district link.
- Dates not announced
Pariksha Pe Charcha
Ministry of Education (MyGov)
- Classes
- 6-12
- Prizes
- Selected participants take part in the Prime Minister's interaction (details on MyGov).
- Fee
- free
- Mode
- online
2026 edition ran 1 Dec 2025 to 11 Jan 2026. 2027 dates not announced yet.
- Dates not announced
Rashtriya Bal Vaigyanik Pradarshani (State/National Science Exhibition)
NCERT with State Governments
- Classes
- School students (see state circular)
- Prizes
- State-level selection to the national exhibition.
- Fee
- free
- Mode
- offline
Entries go district -> state -> NCERT. 2026-27 theme/dates not shown on the page.
Official page Last verified 2 Nov 2026 - Dates not announced
Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan (VVM)
Vijnana Bharati with NCERT and others
- Classes
- 6-11
- Prizes
- 2025-26 edition: state Rs 5,000/3,000/2,000 per class; national Rs 25,000/15,000/10,000 per class; plus camps and certificates.
- Fee
- Rs 200 per student (2025-26)
- Mode
- online
Exam in 14 languages incl. Kannada. 2026-27 dates not shown on the official pages we could open.
Closed for this year (7) — usually open again next year
- Closed
IOQM - Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics
Mathematics Teachers' Association (India) with HBCSE
- Classes
- 8-12
- Prizes
- Qualifiers go on to RMO and INMO, the route to the Indian team for the International Mathematical Olympiad.
- Fee
- See official site
- Register by
- 27 Jul 2026
- Exam / event
- 6 Sept 2026
- Mode
- offline
2026 exam held 6 Sep 2026; RMO cutoffs published 22 Oct 2026. Next cycle registration usually from June.
- Closed
Dr Homi Bhabha Balvaidnyanik Competition
Greater Bombay Science Teachers' Association
- Classes
- 6 and 9
- Prizes
- Gold medal + Rs 3,000 (top 10% of finalists), silver medal + Rs 2,000 (next 60%), bronze medal + Rs 1,000 (rest), plus certificates.
- Fee
- Rs 520 (English medium) / Rs 420 (Marathi medium) via school; Rs 700 individual
- Register by
- 10 Aug 2026
- Mode
- offline
Open to all states; outside Maharashtra a centre needs 50+ registered students from the school. 2026-27 exam dates not published yet.
- Closed
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar
Ministry of Women & Child Development
- Classes
- Ages 5-18
- Prizes
- Medal, certificate and citation (honour), presented by the President of India.
- Fee
- free
- Register by
- 15 Aug 2026
- Exam / event
- 26 Dec 2026
- Mode
- online
Categories: bravery, social service, environment, sports, art & culture, science & technology. 2026 winners announced 26 Dec 2026.
- Closed
INSPIRE-MANAK
Department of Science & Technology with NIF
- Classes
- 6-12
- Prizes
- Award amount not stated in the 2026-27 notice; selected ideas go to district, state and national exhibitions.
- Fee
- free
- Register by
- 15 Sept 2026
- Mode
- school-based
Schools nominate up to 5 student ideas a year. 2026-27 nominations ran 15 Jul to 15 Sep 2026.
- Closed
Veer Gatha Project 6.0
Ministry of Education and Ministry of Defence (MyGov)
- Classes
- 3-12
- Prizes
- Super 100 national winners get Rs 10,000 each; district and state winners recognised.
- Fee
- free
- Register by
- 31 Oct 2026
- Exam / event
- 28 Dec 2026
- Mode
- school-based
Poem, essay, painting or video. Submissions closed 31 Oct 2026; national evaluation 8-28 Dec 2026.
Official page Last verified 2 Nov 2026 - Closed
SOF International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO)
Science Olympiad Foundation
- Classes
- 1-10
- Prizes
- See SOF awards page.
- Fee
- See official site
- Exam / event
- 3 Nov 2026
- Mode
- school-based
2026-27 dates: 22 Sep, 6 Oct, 3 Nov 2026.
Official page Last verified 2 Nov 2026 - Closed
SOF International English Olympiad (IEO)
Science Olympiad Foundation
- Classes
- 1-12
- Prizes
- Cash awards, medals and certificates for top international ranks; zonal and school-level awards.
- Fee
- Rs 170
- Exam / event
- 17 Nov 2026
- Mode
- school-based
Level 1 dates: 30 Sep, 27 Oct, 17 Nov 2026; registration for the last date closed ~30 days before. Level 2 in Feb 2027 for qualifiers.
Official page Last verified 2 Nov 2026
Frequently asked questions
Are olympiads worth it for school students?
They are optional. A good olympiad gives practice with harder questions and a sense of where the student stands beyond the class. Pick one or two in subjects the child enjoys rather than many; the school's own exams come first.
Can a student register individually, or only through the school?
It depends on the competition. Many olympiads, such as the SOF olympiads, are school-based: the school registers its students and the exam is held at the school. Some exams also accept individual registration. Each card shows the mode, and the official page explains how to register.
How much do these competitions cost?
Fees differ. Some are free, such as many government competitions, and olympiad fees are usually a few hundred rupees per subject. Each card shows the fee as stated on the official page when it was given there.
What prizes do winners get?
As stated by each organiser: medals and certificates are common, some give cash awards or scholarships, and national honours such as the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar recognise children's achievements. The prizes listed are copied from the official pages; the organiser's page is final.
Why is a competition shown as closed?
Its registration or exam date for this year has passed. Most competitions here run every year, so check the official page for the next round.
Also see: Scholarships for school students · Marks percentage calculator · All free tools and guides
This list is kept by Sajre Edutech, Dharwad, the company that makes EduTechMonitor school management software.