Immerse Competitions Hub · 2026–27

Our Competitions for High School Students

Each year, Immerse Education’s global academic competitions give ambitious high school students the chance to explore their chosen subjects beyond the classroom and present their ideas to world-class judges.

Whether through research, public speaking, case studies, or insightful writing, participants can showcase their critical thinking, strengthen their academic profiles, and compete for life-changing scholarships.

Why Should I Enter The Competition?

Win prestigious scholarships

Outstanding entries across our competition categories are awarded fully-funded or partial scholarships to our premium residential programmes in global academic hubs and our online research streams.

Build application evidence

Every competition requires a tangible output – an essay, a recorded talk, a project pitch, or a structured article. Entering gives you a credible piece of work you can explicitly reference in university personal statements, references, and interviews.

Master 21st-Century Competencies

Moving through our entry frameworks explicitly sharpens future-proof skills like critical thinking, communication, creativity, and conscientiousness – giving you a measurable head start before university.

Support from Oxbridge experts

As soon as you register interest in a competition, we’ll share resources crafted by subject matter experts to help you put your best foot forward. On top of that, you’ll receive invites to masterclasses with our world-leading tutors to further support your entry.

Gain expert validation

Whether entering our essay competition, public speaking competition or innovation contest, your ideas will be judged against rigorous criteria reviewed by accomplished academics and industry practitioners who know exactly what elite universities look for.

Ready to make your mark?

Registration is free and takes under five minutes.

Who can enter?

Our academic competitions for high school students are open to motivated, curious learners aged 13–18 from all over the world. Where relevant, the prompts for our competitions are split by age to ensure the perfect level of challenge.

No prior specific qualifications are required – we value promise, original insights, and a genuine motivation to grow.

Ages 13–15

Discover & explore

Discover foundational academic themes, practise structured argument, and express your subject curiosity.

Ages 16–18

Research & reason

Build university-level research depth, deploy advanced evidence-based reasoning, and tackle complex global or professional issues.

What can I win?

Runners-up

Partial Tuition Awards: High-scoring finalists receive partial tuition scholarships (up to 75%) to secure their place on an Immerse Education programme.

Winners

Grand Prize: 100% Scholarships: The highest-performing entrants across selected rounds win fully-funded places on our flagship residential summer schools in locations like Cambridge, London, New York, San Francisco, and Singapore, or a fully-funded position on our Online Research Programme. All scholarship awards are subject to our standard terms and conditions.

Participation award

All participants who complete and submit a valid entry receive a certificate of participation, providing authoritative evidence of academic enrichment to share with your school teachers and college counselors.

See What’s Possible

Watch our past competition winners share their journeys, scholarship experiences, and advice for future applicants directly on our YouTube channel.

Competition calendar

Our competitive tracks run throughout the academic year, aligned with specific pathways and learning formats:

The Immerse Essay Competition

Launch: August 3, 2026

Deadline: October 25, 2026

Write an undergraduate - style essay on a prompt from your favourite subject, inspired by Oxford and Cambridge syllabi.

Scholarship prize

Academic Insights programme

go to competition

The TED Summer School Competition

Launch: November 2, 2026

Deadline: January 16, 2027

Built with the TED-Ed team: submit a short talk or script on an idea worth spreading. For storytellers and future leaders.

Scholarship prize

TED Summer School place

go to competition

The Future Innovators Scholarship

Launch: 1 February 2027

Deadline: 28 March 2027

Identify a market gap and pitch an innovative solution by video or in writing. Our platform for STEM and innovation contests.

Scholarship prize

Career Insights programme

go to competition

The Immerse Blog Competition

Launch: April 5, 2027

Deadline: May 30, 2027

Our most flexible track. Submit a structured article or short review to win a funded place on the Online Research Programme.

Scholarship prize

Online Research Programme

go to competition

See what's possible

Hear from past winners in their own words

Watch scholarship winners share their journeys, experiences and advice for future applicants.

The Admissions & Entry Sequence

Participating in an Immerse competition follows a structured path designed to prepare you for high-level academic performance:

Apply & Register

Select your competition track and complete the free registration form to access your prompt pack and submission brief. Top tip: explore our four pathways first, and select the competition that aligns with the programme you’d most like to win a scholarship for! Here’s a quick guide

Choose Your Question or Prompt

Identify your focus area or winning idea – one you’re enthusiastic about, as you’ll be exploring it in depth. For the Future Innovators competition, you’ll also have to decide between a video or written entry. If you need help picking, keep your eyes peeled for our webinars and emails – they’ll contain a lot of advice to help you get started.

Draft & Refine

Develop your response using our clear structural entry guidelines, focusing on original insight and rigorous argument.

Submit Your Entry

Upload your final paper, article, or recorded talk to the secure Immerse submission portal before the round deadline.

Evaluation & Certification

Your entry undergoes anonymized review by our academic panel. All valid entrants receive official certificate recognition, and scholarship awards are issued to top-performing profiles.

FAQs

How are submissions evaluated?

All entries are evaluated through a rigorous, anonymized grading process. Submissions are assessed against predefined criteria including structure, clarity of argument, original thinking, effective deployment of evidence or narrative data, and academic or professional relevance.

Can I enter more than one competition in a year?

Yes. You are welcome to submit entries to different competition rounds within the same year (e.g., submitting an academic essay in October and a public speaking entry for the TED competition in November), provided you meet the age eligibility requirements at the time of submission.

Important Note: Your most recent competition result will overwrite any previous results. If you have already won a scholarship, you must utilise it before entering another competition round, or your new result will replace it.

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How much does it cost to enter an Immerse competition?

Entering our competitions is completely free. There are no registration or submission fees at any stage of the competitive rounds.

Are these competitions open to international students?

Yes. All Immerse Education competitions are entirely global. We welcome high school students from any country, provided you have a level of English fluency sufficient to research, write, or present your ideas clearly.