Guides · For teachers
STEM competitions for your school, compared
The cost, equipment and time each program asks of a school — side by side, so you can pick the one that fits your students and your calendar.
In short
For a school with no budget or lab, NASA TechRise, eCYBERMISSION and Stellr Campaigns are free and need no equipment. Robotics programs — FIRST and VEX — suit schools with build space and a hardware budget. Science Olympiad covers the widest range of subjects. Future City, StellarXplorers and Stellr put students in front of working STEM professionals.
Choose by constraint
Start from what you have
No budget
NASA TechRise, eCYBERMISSION and Stellr Campaigns are free to enter. StellarXplorers is free for Title I schools.
No lab, kit or build space
eCYBERMISSION, Stellr Campaigns and Stellr live Challenges need none. StellarXplorers needs only Windows PCs.
Students who want to build a robot
FIRST (LEGO League, Tech Challenge, Robotics Competition) or VEX — budget for hardware and build space.
Fits inside class time
Stellr Campaigns run in class over 4 or 10 weeks. TSA TEAMS is a single competition day.
Contact with working professionals
Stellr, Future City, StellarXplorers and eCYBERMISSION all put STEM professionals in front of students as mentors or judges.
Side by side
The 2026–27 programs compared
Checked on 24 September 2026 against each program’s own website. Fees and dates change every season — confirm with the organizer before you commit. Where a program doesn’t publish a figure, we say so rather than guess.
| Program | Grades | Team | Cost to enter | Equipment | Format and time | Industry professionals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science OlympiadScience Olympiad, Inc. | Div B 6–9 · Div C 9–12 | Up to 15 | National dues plus state fees, paid through your state — varies by state | 23 events per division, including lab and build events | Season of one-day tournaments: invitational → regional → state → national | Varies — check with your state organization |
| FIRST Robotics CompetitionFIRST | 9–12 | No maximum; many teams are 10–20 | $6,500 season fee (includes the Kit of Parts and first event) | Build space for a full-size robot | Season-long; game released January, events February–April | Optional volunteer mentors, including engineers |
| FIRST Tech ChallengeFIRST | 7–12 | Many teams are 8–12 | $350 season fee, plus about $1,500 in robot parts; event fees set locally | Robot kit and a place to build | Season-long league and qualifier events | Optional volunteer mentors, including engineers |
| FIRST LEGO League ChallengeFIRST | 4–8 | Small teams plus 2 adult coaches | $285 registration; $900 for the traditional team package | LEGO robot set, laptop or tablet, practice table | Season-long; robot game plus an Innovation Project | Varies — check with your region |
| VEX robotics (V5RC / VIQRC)Global Robotics & Science Foundation | Elementary through high school | Varies — check with the organizer | Season and per-event fees — check with the organizer | VEX robot hardware and field elements | Season of in-person qualifiers leading to a world championship | Varies — check with the organizer |
| TSA TEAMSTechnology Student Association | Middle and high school | 4–6 | $300–$500 per school, by number of teams | A laptop with internet per team, plus a design/build kit | One competition day (Jan–Feb): design/build, test, essay and math modeling | Varies — check with the organizer |
| StellarXplorersAir & Space Forces Association | Mainly high school; middle school may compete | 2–6 plus a team director | $250; waived for Title I schools | 64-bit Windows PCs and free satellite-design software | Online qualifying rounds (Oct–Jan) of six hours each; in-person national finals | Yes — optional volunteer technical mentors |
| Future City (middle school)DiscoverE | 6–8 | 3 or more | $25 per organization; model materials capped at $100 | Recycled materials and space to build a scale model | September to February, about 2–3 hours a week; regionals in January, national finals in February | Yes — volunteer engineer mentors and STEM-professional judges |
| NASA TechRiseNASA, via Future Engineers | 6–12 | 4 or more, led by a school employee | Free; 60 winning teams receive $1,500 and a flight kit | None to enter | Written experiment proposal (due November); winners build a balloon payload | Yes — technical advisors support winning teams |
| eCYBERMISSIONU.S. Army Educational Outreach Program | Rising 6–9 | 2–4 plus an adult advisor | Free | None required | Fully online submission and judging (registration Aug–Feb) | Yes — STEM professionals judge and mentor |
| Stellr CampaignStellr Education | 9–12 | Groups; a school can enter as many as it likes | Free (Educator membership) | None — no lab, no kit | In class or as a club, over 4 or 10 weeks; one written proposal per group | Yes — a judging panel returns written feedback on every proposal |
| Stellr live ChallengeStellr Education | 7–12 | Individuals or groups of 2–12, formed into “engineering companies” on the day | Per participant, varies by event; scholarships available | None — all material provided; a laptop helps but isn’t required | One day, in person, no preparation required | Yes — judges from aerospace, engineering and science industries |
VEX changed organizers in May 2026: VEX-branded events now run through the Global Robotics & Science Foundation, and the REC Foundation runs a separate RECF Robotics Competition that does not qualify teams for VEX Worlds. Check which your region runs before registering.
Where Stellr fits
An engineering company, not a science fair
Stellr competitions are industry simulations. Your students become an engineering company answering a client’s Request for Proposal — for a settlement in space or a net-zero town on Earth — and are judged by working professionals. Run it in class as a free Campaign, or bring a team to a one-day live Challenge. Nobody needs a lab, a kit or an engineering degree, you included.
FAQ
Common questions
- Which STEM competitions are free for schools?
- Of the programs compared here, NASA TechRise, eCYBERMISSION and Stellr Campaigns are free to enter. StellarXplorers waives its $250 fee for Title I schools. Future City costs $25 per organization for middle school.
- Which STEM competitions need no lab or equipment?
- eCYBERMISSION, NASA TechRise (to enter), Stellr Campaigns and Stellr live Challenges need no lab or kit. StellarXplorers needs only Windows PCs. Robotics programs such as FIRST and VEX need robot hardware and build space.
- Do I need an engineering background to coach a STEM competition?
- Usually not. FIRST says anyone can join regardless of technical experience, StellarXplorers and Future City pair teams with volunteer mentors, and Stellr Campaigns and Challenges are designed to be run by teachers with no engineering background.
- What is an industry-simulation design competition?
- Students act as a professional engineering company responding to a client’s Request for Proposal: they split into departments, research and design a solution, and submit or present a proposal judged by industry professionals. Stellr’s Space and Environmental Design Challenges use this format.
Sources
- Science Olympiad: soinc.org · soinc.org · soinc.org
- FIRST Robotics Competition: firstinspires.org · firstinspires.org
- FIRST Tech Challenge: firstinspires.org · firstinspires.org
- FIRST LEGO League Challenge: firstinspires.org · firstinspires.org
- VEX robotics (V5RC / VIQRC): events.vex.com · recf.org
- TSA TEAMS: tsaweb.org · tsaweb.org
- StellarXplorers: stellarxplorers.org
- Future City (middle school): futurecity.org · futurecity.org
- NASA TechRise: futureengineers.org
- eCYBERMISSION: usaeop.com
- Stellr Campaign: stellreducation.org
- Stellr live Challenge: stellreducation.org
Bring a real engineering challenge to your class
The core Campaign material is free: the Request for Proposal, the Mission Handbook and teacher and student guides.