Back to Programs
GENIUS Olympiad

GENIUS Olympiad

GENIUS Speech

OpenScienceSTEMOlympiad

About the Program

GENIUS Speech is an individual English public-speaking competition. The explicit 2027 section names The Environmental Cost of Artificial Intelligence as its topic. Students should consider AI’s environmental costs and benefits, responsibilities of governments, companies and consumers, and implications for their own country or community. Submit a speech video up to three minutes. The current finals instructions give a three-minute speech and four-to-five-minute question period; the same page retains an older section labeled 2026 De-Extinction with six-to-seven-minute questions. The requirements here follow the explicit 2027 section. Its recording FAQ permits sitting or standing, and students may improve their speech before finals.

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. Speech projects are individual and presented in English. The explicit 2027 topic is The Environmental Cost of Artificial Intelligence; address the guiding questions and the effects on your own country or community. The application speech is at most three minutes. Finals require a speech of up to three minutes followed by four to five minutes of questions; posters, PowerPoint and notecards are not allowed.

Eligible Countries

All countries

How to Apply

Follow the official country application route and submit the USD75 fee plus a YouTube link viewable by link to an English speech of up to three minutes on the 2027 topic. The current recording FAQ permits sitting or standing and encourages business or business-casual attire. Finalists deliver the speech in person, without notecards or PowerPoint, and answer the judging panel’s questions. Students may refine their research and speech before finals.