Top 10 Data Science Competitions for High School Students
5 minute read
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.
Deciding 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:
Hack-a-thons: These are ideal for people who enjoy quick problem-solving and competitive coding under pressure.
Research Challenges: These are best suited for students who are interested in exploring, in-depth, real-world problems over an extended period of time.
Visualization Competitions: These are perfect for students with an interest in creating compelling code and data visualizations.
Machine Learning Competitions: These competitive programming challenges are tailored for students who want to apply advanced algorithms to solve complex problems
Do your own research through polygence
Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own.
Now, let’s dive into the ten best data science competitions for high school students.
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.
Dig deep into that code
Interested in Computer Science? We'll match you with an expert mentor who will help you explore your next project.
#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.
Polygence Scholars Are Also Passionate About
#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!