Washington Science Olympiad

Washington Science Olympiad is a K-12 STEM competition with 10+ in-person tournaments annually, engaging 3,000+ students from 160+ schools statewide. It culminates each April with a state championship hosted by WSO.

Washington Science Olympiad (WSO) is a comprehensive statewide K-12 STEM competition organized by the Washington Science Olympiad Board, part of the national Science Olympiad network. Established in the 1990s, it is Washington's premier STEM team tournament featuring over 160 schools and 3,000 students annually. WSO promotes science education through a series of regional and state tournaments covering diverse STEM fields, culminating in an April state championship with opportunities to advance to the national level.

Competition Details

Judging Criteria

Each event has specific rubrics based on the event type: some are written tests, others involve hands-on labs, device building, or engineering challenges. Teams earn points based on performance in these events. The cumulative score of all events determines the team’s ranking at regionals and state. The top-performing teams at regionals qualify for state. At the state tournament, the team with the lowest total points wins the championship. The winning team(s) at state may qualify to represent Washington at the National Science Olympiad.