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9th grade competition plan, 2026–27

Dates checked against official sources. Printed Oct 25. Check the live page for changes.
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CompetitionKey datesHow to enrollCost
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.
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
AMC 10Math
AMC 10 A test day: Nov 5
AMC 10 B test day: Nov 13
A host school registers with MAA. Students sign up with the host, not with MAA.Small fee, set by the host school
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
DECABusiness
District CDC registration closes (chapter advisor enters students): Nov 12
District testing window begins (Nov 30–Dec 2): Nov 30
Through the school. Students join their school's DECA chapter and the chapter advisor registers them for every conference. There is no individual sign-up.Chapter dues plus conference fees. Amounts are set by the chapter; travel to state and ICDC adds more.
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.
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
UIL High School AcademicsAcademics
Invitational meets (Set A) begin: Jan 8
Invitational meets (Set B) begin: Feb 12
Your high school enters students. The school's academic coordinator registers the campus with UIL and picks the district roster.Usually free through the school; invitational meets charge small entry fees that schools often cover
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
Diamond ChallengeEntrepreneurship
Submissions due: Jan 14
A team of 2–4 students applies online.Free
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
Science Fair (Dallas Regional → Texas → ISEF)Science research
Dallas regional fair, Fair Park: Feb 20
Students enter through their school science fair. The school sends winners to the regional fair.Regional fee not listed · $50 per student at the Texas fair
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 9th graders

CyberPatriot · Doodle for Google · FIRST Robotics Competition · FIRST Tech Challenge · Junior Science and Humanities Symposium · PhysicsBowl · Technovation Girls · USACO. Dates are on each official site and on runup.pro.