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8th grade competition plan, 2026–27
Dates checked against official sources. Printed Oct 25. Check the live page for changes.
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| Competition | Key dates | How to enroll | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YMCA Texas Youth & GovernmentLeadership | District conference registration closes: Oct 25 District 5 conference, Dallas: Nov 7 | Through a registered club. A club advisor registers the club, then each student completes program registration with parent authorization. | Program fee plus district and state conference fees; amounts vary by district. Financial assistance available… | |
| Congressional App ChallengeCoding | Register and submit app: Oct 26 | Students register themselves online, alone or as a team of up to 4. | No fee listed on the official site | |
| Conrad ChallengeInnovation | Registration and Lean Canvas due: Oct 29 Innovation Stage (online) due: Jan 7 | A team of 2–5 registers in the Conrad portal, with an adult coach. | Free to start · $499 for the Innovation Stage (financial aid available) | |
| YMCA Minnesota Youth in GovernmentLeadership | Regular registration closes ($599): Oct 30 LAUNCH pre-conference training, 10 AM–3:30 PM: Oct 31 | Through a delegation. The delegation director registers students; delegations may add local fees. | $599 regular registration (2026–27), plus any local delegation fees | |
| Technology Student Association (TSA)Technology | Chapter affiliation deadline (late fee after this date): Nov 1 Regional association notification deadline: Dec 1 | Through the school. Students join their school's TSA chapter and the chapter advisor affiliates them with National and Texas TSA and enters them in contests. | Chapter dues plus regional and state conference fees, set by the chapter. Materials for build events vary. | |
| MATHCOUNTSMath | Early-bird registration (postmarked): Nov 3 Regular registration (postmarked): Dec 15 | The school's MATHCOUNTS coach signs students up. Students don't register themselves. | $42 per student early bird, $48 regular. No extra fee if they advance. | |
| Letters About Literature (Texas)Writing | Submission portal opens: Nov 4 Entries due, 6:00 PM Central: Jan 27 | Students or parents can submit directly, or a teacher can submit a whole class. No school sign-up is needed. | Free | |
| Bebras Computing ChallengeCoding | Challenge window begins (Nov 9–20): Nov 9 Challenge window ends: Nov 20 | A teacher registers as a school coordinator and enters the students. Homeschool parents can register as a coordinator for their own homeschool. | Free | |
| Future City CompetitionEngineering | Project Plan parts 1–2 due (North Texas): Nov 10 City Essay due (North Texas): Dec 8 | An educator (teacher, after-school leader or homeschool educator) registers the organization and team. Students don't register on their own. | $25 registration per organization; model must be built from recycled materials on a small budget | |
| FBLABusiness | Area 7 Fall Leadership Conference, Fort Worth (other areas Oct 14–Nov 14): Nov 14 Area 7 Area Leadership Conference, Fort Worth (other areas Jan 11–30): Jan 30 | Through the school. Students join their school's FBLA chapter and the chapter adviser registers them for area, state and national conferences. | National, state and chapter dues plus conference fees. Amounts are set by the chapter. | |
| HOSA Future Health ProfessionalsHealth | Texas affiliation deadline, high school members: Nov 15 Online testing registration deadline (optional fall tests): Nov 18 | Through the school. Students join their school's HOSA chapter and the chapter advisor affiliates them with Texas HOSA and registers them for conferences. | $25 affiliation per member, plus $35 for the area conference and $90 for state. ILC is $150 plus travel. | |
| UIL A+ AcademicsAcademics | Participation registration due (schools): Nov 20 Last day for Set A meets: Nov 30 | Your school registers with UIL each year and picks students for each event. Families can't enter directly. | Usually free to students; UIL provides test materials to districts at no charge | |
| Scripps National Spelling BeeSpelling | $199 school enrollment rate ends: Nov 30 School enrollment closes: Jan 29 | A teacher or administrator enrolls the school. Parents and students can't enroll directly. | $199 per school (paid by the school); free to students | |
| Scholastic Art & Writing AwardsArt & writing | Entry and fee deadline (Region-at-Large South): Dec 2 Regional Announcement Day: Jan 27 | Students enter directly through the online portal. A teacher is linked to each entry, but the school does not have to run anything. | $15 per entry, $40 per senior portfolio. Fee waivers available, no proof of need required. | |
| TMSCA Math & Science MeetsMath | Gear-Up online meet registration closes: Dec 4 Qualifier 1 (MS) / HS meet 11: Feb 20 | Schools join TMSCA and coaches register students for each meet. Families can't enter a student directly. | School pays membership and meet entry fees; some schools pass small per-meet fees to families | |
| The Earth PrizeEnvironment | Registration phase ends: Jan 10 Submissions close: Jan 31 | Students sign up themselves, solo or as a team of up to 5. No teacher needed. | Free | |
| AMC 8Math | Test week (Jan 21–27) begins: Jan 21 | A host school registers with MAA. Students sign up with the host, not with MAA. | Small fee, set by the host school | |
| Science OlympiadScience | Apple Valley Regional (Div B/C), Apple Valley HS: Jan 30 Minnetonka and Mounds View Regionals (Div B/C): Feb 6 | Schools register teams through their state Science Olympiad chapter. Students join their school's team. | Set by your state chapter | |
| National History DayHistory | Metro Senior regional registration due (event Mar 8, tentative): Feb 22 Metro Junior West registration due (event Mar 13, tentative): Feb 25 | Students enter through their school and the local contest. In Texas it's run by Texas History Day. | Not listed on the national site. Ask your local contest. | |
| Minnesota State Science & Engineering FairScience | Twin Cities Region science fair: Feb 26 Twin Cities Region deadline to register for State (zFairs, 11 PM): Mar 7 | Through your school or regional fair. Homeschoolers and students whose school has no fair contact their Regional Director through the Minnesota Academy of Science. | — | |
| NSDA Speech & DebateSpeech & debate | National Tournament, Phoenix, AZ: Jun 13 | Through the school. A coach registers the school with NSDA and enters students in tournaments. | School membership $349 per year. Tournament entry fees vary and are often covered by the school. |
Also open to 8th graders
CyberPatriot · Doodle for Google · FIRST Tech Challenge · NorthSouth Foundation Spelling Bee · South Asian Spelling Bee · Technovation Girls · Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge · USACO. Dates are on each official site and on runup.pro.