There are lots of wonderful academic competitions out there. You can go prove you’re the best writer, or the best physicist, or the best speller.

Academic Decathlon® isn’t about any of that, though. It’s not about demonstrating how good a student you already are. It’s about daring to push your limits, to master college-level material and to practice skills, like public speaking, that might be wholly new to you. It’s about the people you’ll meet along the way—the coaches who will mentor you, the competitors who will challenge you, and the teammates who will become your lifelong friends.

As a Decathlete, you'll participate in five different types of events.

• Super Quiz™

In the Super Quiz™, you and your teammates will take turns solving tough multiple choice challenges in front of a live audience. At the national finals, you'll collaborate with two of your teammates to figure out the best answer to each question before time runs out. (You'd better have a plan for when you disagree!) The exact format of the Super Quiz™ varies from state to state, but it is always the last event, the loudest, and the most intense: a high-stakes celebration of all the subjects you've learned.

• Speech

In the prepared speech, you'll speak for up to four minutes on any topic you'd like. A word of advice: choose early, practice often. Afterward, you'll be asked to speak off the cuff for up to two minutes on a topic you haven't seen before. If you've never given a speech, don't worry: you're not alone. Many Decathletes cite learning to speak in public as one of their most transformative experiences in the program.

• Interview

In the interview, you'll have seven minutes to answer questions about a subject you shouldn't need to research very much: yourself. Learning to listen closely and to present yourself in a compelling way is another skill that will benefit you for the rest of your life, whether it's during your college interviews, on the job, or at dinner with your future parents-in-law. Be ready to answer questions about your background, your interests, and your goals, and never forget to thank your judges for volunteering.

• Essay

You'll have fifty minutes to write the strongest paper possible. To get ready, you'll want to practice outlining and writing compelling arguments related to six of the seven Academic Decathlon® subjects—excluding only math. The more clearly you can learn to write, the more persuasive you'll be—and the more you've studied the theme, the more evidence you'll be able to cite on whatever topic you face on competition day.

• Tests of Knowledge

The Decathlon is more a marathon than a sprint. To round out the events above, you'll take seven multiple choice exams, one in each of the Academic Decathlon® subjects: Art, Music, Social Science, Science, Economics, Literature, and Mathematics. You'll find yourself developing better critical thinking and test-taking skills that will serve you well on everything from the SAT to your college finals. In the short run you'll also have the chance to win something much shinier: medals in every subject. The more well-rounded you are, and the further you go outside your comfort zone, the more you'll win—a chance, even in a team sport, to demonstrate individual excellence.

See competition website

This competition has not yet listed it's awards.

Website: www.usad.org

Managing Organization: The United States Academic Decathlon Association

Contact:

info@usad.org
712.326.9589

Eligibility:
The United States Academic Decathlon® is a ten-event scholastic competition for teams of high school students. Each high school enters a team of nine students: 3 "A" or Honor students (3.750 - 4.00 GPA), 3 "B" or Scholastic students (3.00 - 3.749 GPA), and 3 "C or below" Varsity students (0.00 - 2.999 GPA).

There are lots of wonderful academic competitions out there. You can go prove you’re the best writer, or the best physicist, or the best speller.

Academic Decathlon® isn’t about any of that, though. It’s not about demonstrating how good a student you already are. It’s about daring to push your limits, to master college-level material and to practice skills, like public speaking, that might be wholly new to you. It’s about the people you’ll meet along the way—the coaches who will mentor you, the competitors who will challenge you, and the teammates who will become your lifelong friends.

As a Decathlete, you'll participate in five different types of events.

• Super Quiz™

In the Super Quiz™, you and your teammates will take turns solving tough multiple choice challenges in front of a live audience. At the national finals, you'll collaborate with two of your teammates to figure out the best answer to each question before time runs out. (You'd better have a plan for when you disagree!) The exact format of the Super Quiz™ varies from state to state, but it is always the last event, the loudest, and the most intense: a high-stakes celebration of all the subjects you've learned.

• Speech

In the prepared speech, you'll speak for up to four minutes on any topic you'd like. A word of advice: choose early, practice often. Afterward, you'll be asked to speak off the cuff for up to two minutes on a topic you haven't seen before. If you've never given a speech, don't worry: you're not alone. Many Decathletes cite learning to speak in public as one of their most transformative experiences in the program.

• Interview

In the interview, you'll have seven minutes to answer questions about a subject you shouldn't need to research very much: yourself. Learning to listen closely and to present yourself in a compelling way is another skill that will benefit you for the rest of your life, whether it's during your college interviews, on the job, or at dinner with your future parents-in-law. Be ready to answer questions about your background, your interests, and your goals, and never forget to thank your judges for volunteering.

• Essay

You'll have fifty minutes to write the strongest paper possible. To get ready, you'll want to practice outlining and writing compelling arguments related to six of the seven Academic Decathlon® subjects—excluding only math. The more clearly you can learn to write, the more persuasive you'll be—and the more you've studied the theme, the more evidence you'll be able to cite on whatever topic you face on competition day.

• Tests of Knowledge

The Decathlon is more a marathon than a sprint. To round out the events above, you'll take seven multiple choice exams, one in each of the Academic Decathlon® subjects: Art, Music, Social Science, Science, Economics, Literature, and Mathematics. You'll find yourself developing better critical thinking and test-taking skills that will serve you well on everything from the SAT to your college finals. In the short run you'll also have the chance to win something much shinier: medals in every subject. The more well-rounded you are, and the further you go outside your comfort zone, the more you'll win—a chance, even in a team sport, to demonstrate individual excellence.

See competition website

This competition has not yet listed it's awards.

Website: www.usad.org

Managing Organization: The United States Academic Decathlon Association

Contact:

info@usad.org
712.326.9589

Entry Fee:

Eligibility:
The United States Academic Decathlon® is a ten-event scholastic competition for teams of high school students. Each high school enters a team of nine students: 3 "A" or Honor students (3.750 - 4.00 GPA), 3 "B" or Scholastic students (3.00 - 3.749 GPA), and 3 "C or below" Varsity students (0.00 - 2.999 GPA).

Deadlines go here