eIditarod 2010

Surfaquarium is hosting the e-Iditarod again this year for students in K-8. (Students learn about the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, follow a team, and as many of the posted activities as their own teacher wants. Sewing booties for the huskies? creating maps? estimating times or distances?)

Registration opens 1/9/2010. The Iditarod runs in March, starting March 6th in 2010 - and certificates for students are usually ready for you to print by the end of March.

In order to participate in the project, you must

• be willing to post to checkpoint blogs
• have Internet access to the official Iditarod website in your classroom
• commit to participating in the project through the end of the Iditarod Race

To register:

Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eiditarod/

Click on the button on that page

Use your Yahoo ID or get a free Yahoo ID to login

Follow the directions to join

Once you join the eIditarod YahooGroup you are registered for the project

It's that easy!

Math contests

There are quire a few very organized competitions including:

Algebra in Action
http://www.colstate.edu/mathcontest/problem.php?CategoryID=1&LinkID=Current

Middle School Madness
http://www.colstate.edu/mathcontest/problem.php?CategoryID=2&LinkID=Current

As far as I know, homeschoolers are accepted, although I know that is *some* competitions, homeschoolers may need to find a team to join. The only other "homeschool caution" is that sometimes there are strict grade definitions, and sometimes they care about things like the number of community college courses one has taken, etc. so do look at each contests rules. I suspect that one may want to keep the came grade level for all competitions

Annual Contests

last updated 2009:

At least these all seem to be annual.

• No Name-Calling Week's Creative Expression Contest :
  No Name-Calling Week: January (January 26- 30, 2009. )
  Deadline has varied November - February, February 13, 2009.
  The contest is an opportunity for students to submit essays, poetry, music, original artwork, or other pieces that convey their experiences and feelings about name-calling, and their ideas for putting a stop to verbal bullying in their schools and communities. Prizes will be awarded in two categories: individual students - primary (ages 5-10) and secondary (ages 11-15).
  
  
• Jeopardy! Kids Challenge: Registration usually opens in December for their annual pre-screening test: Starting 12/2008, it's for those born between 3/31/96 and 3/30/99. Passing their online test does not make your kid eligible to appear on Jeopardy! or guarantee him or her a spot for a tryout on Jeopardy! This is a preliminary screening only. The rest of the audition procedure is described on the Test Information page. Before registering to take the online test, please review the eligibility & technical requirements online. 12/30/08: Registration has started. www.jeopardy.com/onlinetests/kids2009/index.php The test is:
  

  Test date:	Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
  Login opens:	7:30PM ET / 6:30PM CT / 4:30PM PT
  Test starts:	8:00PM ET / 7:00PM CT / 5:00PM PT

• The First Freedom Student Competition
  Registration & entries due in November.
  National essay contest, offering high-school students an opportunity to compete for a $3,000, $1,500 and $750 award, as they examine religious freedom, its history, current importance, and relevance in their lives. The competition is open to students in the continental United States and U.S. territories, and to American schools and American home-schooled students worldwide. We invite 9th - 12th grade students at all levels of academic placement to participate.
  
  
• Team America Rocketry Challenge
  Registration for 6th annual was September 5 - November 30. Final entries to be postmarked by 1 December 2008. The objective was to design and build a safe and stable one-stage model rocket that reaches an altitude of 750 feet, stays aloft for 45 seconds, and returns 1 raw egg unbroken. The egg must be placed in the rocket perpendicular to the direction of flight! Scores were based on how close the portion of the entry containing the eggs comes to the designated target duration of 45 seconds and the designated target altitude of 750 feet.
  
  
• annually in October- National Chemistry Week sponsors a poster contest for grades K-12. Local deadlines vary, but usually precede or coincide with the celebrated week, October 21-27, 2007. Prizes range up to $250. Read the rules in this pdf (In North Jersey, the deadline is October 13, 2007.) Contact Jeannette E. Brown, NJACS Poster Contest Coordinator, at (908) 239-1515 or visit www.njacs.org)
  
  
• Annually, Earth Science Week (October 14-20, 2007)
  To learn more, visit Earth Science Week Contests or http://www.agiweb.org/direct/.
  
  
• Portraits of Learning 2008: Digital photography contest for students in grades K - 12. How does the photo reflect their photo of view? Submissions usually accepted between January and mid-October. The competition challenges the K-12 students to capture - and share - their unique vision of the world. The best digitally enhanced photo wins a special prize from Adobe. Other prizes include a digital camera, Adobe Photoshop Elements and more.
  
  
• Compete in ThinkQuest. Topic usually posted in August. Students, ages 9-19, form a team and recruit a teacher to act as coach. Once the coach enrolls the team, students work together to create an innovative website on any topic within a broad range of educational categories. Diverse teams and globally relevant themes are encouraged.
  
  
• Mandelbrot competition - closed for this year. Register by August next year for a round by round math competition for students. (no calculus)
  
  
• Portraits of Learning 2008: Digital photography contest for students in grades K - 12. How does the photo reflect their photo of view? Dates not yet announced, but usually submissions are accepted between January and mid-October.
  
  
• Let's Get Real™ is a competition that gives young students the opportunity to solve real-life issues faced by the sponsoring corporations and provides the corporate sponsors the opportunity to meet talented students. For questions or comments, contact your State Coordinator or Program Coordinator. (In December 2008, for New Jersey it was: Ms. Jennifer Liss at jliss@mansfieldschool.com
  Let's Get Real has 3 business challenges for students in grades 6 - 12 - adult coordinator of at least 21 is needed. Proposals due January 25.
  
  1. How can The Hershey Company measure and reduce/offset its current CO2 footprint?
  2. Component Reel Traceability- develop tracking system to allow us to locate every reel of parts in our surface mount manufacturing area.
  3. PPL Challenge: Clean, Renewable and Alternative Energy at PPL (aside: They have energy cells already in PA & NJ)
     
     
• January and February registration for Math League Math Contests for Grades 4 through 8, and Algebra 1 students. Over 1 million students from the United States and Canada participate in Math League Contests each year. Every contest has questions from different areas of mathematics. The goal is to encourage student interest and confidence in mathematics through solving worthwhile problems. Many students first develop an interest in mathematics through problem-solving activities such as these contests. Schools compete in statewide or multistate league competitions.(annual, High school registrations were due October 15, 2007) Contest problem books, $12.95 each; contest registration ~$30 per grade.
  
  
• National Peace Essay Contest: 2007-2008 Topic: Natural Resources and Conflict. The deadline for the 2007-2008 National Peace Essay Contest is February 1, 2008. (Annual competition). For grades 9 - 12, see site for details.
  
  
• KIDS PHILOSOPHY SLAM. 2008 Topic: Is global warming the greatest challenge facing humankind? Postmark Deadline for all entries: February 1, 2008. Entering the Kids Philosophy Slam is easy! Since everyone has experiences in life, the Kids Philosophy Slam asks kids to write, create poetry, music or create artwork about their personal experiences regarding a philosophical question posed each year. Any student from Kindergarten through 12th grade can enter, including special education students, there is a $25 entry fee for schools and a $2 entry fee for home school students per household.
  
  
• (entries postmarked by February 15, 2008) Girls Going Places^® Entrepreneurship Award Program is Guardian's annual initiative designed to reward the enterprising spirits of girls ages 12 to 18. Guardian awards prizes to 15 girls who demonstrate budding entrepreneurship; are taking the first steps toward financial independence; and make a difference in their schools and communities. (annual)
  
  
• The U. S. Department of State sponsors the "Doors to Diplomacy" educational challenge - to encourage middle school and high school students around the world to produce web projects that teach others about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy. Each student team member of the winning "Doors to Diplomacy" Award team receives a $2,000 scholarship, and the winning coaches' schools each receive a $500 cash award. Additional prizes may be provided by sponsors. Homeschooled students 12 - 19 years old are welcome. Registration ends Feb. 28, 2008. (annual)
  

  Projects must be completed by March 15, 2008, and winners will be announced in May 2008. Every team that enters a project will receive a special "Doors to Diplomacy" certificate recognizing their achievement. Each student member of the two winning teams – one American and one international – will also receive a $2,000 scholarship, and the winning coaches’ schools will each receive a $500 cash award. For a complete description and information about eligibility and judging criteria, visit http://globalschoolnet.org/gsndoors/.

• In partnership with the World Future Society, the theme for CyberFair 2008 is "Learn and Unite!" International Schools CyberFair is an award-winning authentic learning program used by schools and youth organizations around the world. Youth conduct research and publish their findings on the Web. Recognition is given to the best projects in each of eight categories. This White House-endorsed program encourages youth to become community ambassadors by working collaboratively and using technology to share what they have learned. Students evaluate each other's projects by using a unique online evaluation tool. Registration ends Feb. 28, 2008. (annual)
  
  
• Annual - 2009 guidelines expected in late summer or early fall? Young environmentalists (ages 13 to 16) may enter the competition for the Volvo Adventure award. Teams of two to five young people work on a practical action project that will improve their school or community environment. Many winners have registered one year and entered the following year. Topics (with suggestions) can touch on biodiversity (plants and animals), waste (reduce waste or recycle), water (improve its quality), energy (reductions or sustainability), transport (reduce traffic congestion), or any other environmental area. The best entries will be asked to join an international conference to present their ideas in Sweden and compete for the final prizes. All of the ideas and action plans will be published and presented to the United Nations Environment Programme.
  
  
• April? 2008 Holocaust Remembrance Project Essay Contest - Upload entry by April 30, 2008. Students responding to this year’s writing contest should study the Holocaust and then, in an essay of no more than 1,200 words: (a) analyze why it is so vital that the remembrance, history and lessons of the Holocaust be passed to a new generation; and (b) suggest what they, as students, can do to combat and prevent prejudice, discrimination and violence in our world today. See contest rules below for complete details and submission requirements. (Annual competition.)
  
  
• NASA is usually running something for the school year. In 2007-2008 it was the NASA Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber. K-12 students will designed, analyzed, built and assessed plant growth chambers that could be used on the moon. Registrants received a packet of cinnamon basil seeds that flew on the STS-118 space shuttle mission and a control packet of seeds that have not flown. The seeds were available to the first 100,000 registrants.
  
  
• Invent Your World Scholarship from the Lemelson Foundation: The Lemelson Foundation is offering a $20K scholarship for inventions that create a positive change. Good or bad, small or big, inventions have defined our modern world. Just think what life would be like without light bulbs, telephones, cars, airplanes, and computers!
  What's next? That's up to you! Ask yourself: What can you invent to make life easier, the planet greener, and the world better?
  Come up with an invention -- a new or adapted technology -- and enter the Invent Your World Challenge.
  Ashoka GenV and the Lemelson Foundation will support 50 young inventors in using their inventions to create positive change -- by providing mentorship, seed funding, networking opportunities, and even a $20,000 scholarship. Invent Your World! Enter today! Ideas are reviewed on an on-going basis and projects can be launched anytime. Do not wait until Round One's deadline - December 31, 2008 - to submit your idea.