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GENIUS Olympiad

GENIUS Olympiad

GENIUS Science

OpenScienceSTEMOlympiad

About the Program

GENIUS Science invites one or two students to investigate environmental problems and present research with results. The current discipline page and research-paper template set a maximum of 20 pages including every section. The template requires AI-use, student-role and external-contribution statements, even where no AI or outside assistance was used. The Science Guide covers Environmental Quality, Ecology and Biodiversity, Resources and Energy, Human Ecology and Social Sciences, and Innovation. It requires IRB documentation for research involving human subjects. Finalists give a poster presentation in English; models and prototypes are optional.

The official 2027 tentative schedule, application rules and Finalist Guide, linked from the official guides page, were checked November 4, 2026. Finals are June 7–12, 2027 at St. John Fisher University in Rochester. The homepage states applications open December 2026; the tentative schedule adds December 15 without an explicit year beside that opening. An exact opening date remains unconfirmed.

Applications and the USD75 project fee are due March 1, 2027. The homepage gives 9 a.m. US EST, whereas the tentative schedule gives 11:59 p.m. EST; the cutoff time remains inconsistent. For eligible US/EU fair projects, the homepage gives April 16 and the schedule April 15, so that extension date is unresolved. Finalist announcements are scheduled for March 25. Participant registration and full participation payment are due May 5, 2027; May 10 on the homepage concerns trip/travel registration, not participant registration. Optional-trip and travel-information deadlines also differ between the homepage and guide; those services need separate confirmation.

The published participation charge is USD695 per student/chaperone, or USD495 when arranging and paying for separate hotel accommodation. Travel and affiliate charges can be additional. The Finalist Guide says GENIUS does not provide attendance scholarships or fee waivers. The website’s RIT award scholarships concern later university study, depend on admission and published eligibility, and do not pay for attending GENIUS. Future-cycle dates are not verified.

Eligibility

Discipline guidance lists ages 13–18, not yet enrolled in university at the time of finals; general application rules also require grades 8–12 or equivalent. Applicants worldwide follow the official country route: where a National GENIUS Olympiad operates, apply through that affiliate; direct applications are allowed where none operates. Science projects may have one or two students. Research results are required; concepts without results are not accepted. Submit an English PDF research paper of at most 20 pages including all sections, using the current template. Required sections include an AI-use statement, student roles and external contributions. For human-subject research, the Science Guide requires IRB documentation.

Eligible Countries

All countries

How to Apply

Follow the official country application route; submit the required English research-paper PDF and USD75 project fee. Use the linked current research-paper template: 20 pages total, Calibri/Arial/Helvetica size 10 or 11, single or 1.15 spacing and margins at least 0.8 inch or 2cm. Finalists present a poster and explain the research for up to seven minutes to each judge, followed by two to three minutes of questions; presentations are in English without translators.