New Jersey Science Olympiad

NJSO is an annual, free-to-enter in-person STEM competition open to New Jersey students from elementary to high school. It involves regional events leading to a state final, testing knowledge and skills through diverse science and engineering challenges.

The New Jersey Science Olympiad (NJSO) is a prestigious STEM academic competition for elementary, middle, and high school students across New Jersey. Organized by the New Jersey Science Olympiad Steering Committee since 1993, it promotes hands-on and minds-on challenges aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, fostering problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and real-world applications. The competition features multiple regional tournaments culminating in an in-person state final at Middlesex College or other venues like NJIT.

Competition Details

Judging Criteria

Teams earn points for each event based on their performance, with scoring largely determined by event rankings—typically, the team placing first earns the fewest points, and scores accumulate cumulatively across all events. The team with the lowest total score wins. Advancement from regional tournaments to the state finals depends on the teams' overall rankings at their regional competitions. Awards are given to top teams and individuals, recognizing excellence across a broad range of STEM events emphasizing both theoretical and practical skills.