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2020-2021 Season September 7, 2020

We're excited to share that Science Olympiad will continue with distance learning. For the 2020-2021 Science Olympiad season, all Regional Tournaments and the State Tournament in Southern California will follow the Mini Science Olympiad model where students will be able to compete from home. To support our teams, we have also removed the limit on the number of teams per school that can participate at our tournament and lowered the membership dues to $260 per team this year. The events for the tournaments will be announced after reviewing the alternate events recommended by National Science Olympiad.

What is Science Olympiad?

Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. Southern California Science Olympiad - a chapter of Science Olympiad - hosts, manages, or supports over 8 Invitational, 9 Regional, and 1 State Tournaments in Southern California.

Science Olympiad Tournaments are like academic track meets.

At a Science Olympiad Tournament, students work together in teams of up to 15 to compete in 23 events. The events change from year to year, covering fields and topics including: anatomy and biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, geology, mechanical and structural engineering, and technology. Some events entail taking a test, while others involve doing hands-on labs, or even building and bringing a device to the tournament. The list of 2019-2020 Events and their descriptions can be found here.

Each Science Olympiad season begins in September, when the Event Rules are released and Registration opens. Teams then spend several months preparing for their Regional Tournament in winter or spring of the next year (dates vary depending on the exact Regional). The top teams from each Regional go on to compete at the Southern California State Tournament in April, vying for the title of State Champion and the opportunity to represent Southern California at the National Tournament in May.

Middle school students setup their Boomilever, a wooden structure, for strength testing at the 2019 Southern California State Tournament.
Photo Credit: Emily Miaou
A student analyzes a hair sample in the Crime Busters event at the 2019 Southern California State Tournament.
Photo Credit: Emily Miaou

Teams and Events are split into three "Divisions". Teams in Divisions B or C only compete against other teams in the same Division.

Division A (Grades 4-6)

Division A is the elementary school Division. Division A events are specific to the tournament. Division A teams do not compete against each other, but rather strive to meet pre-defined levels of requirements in each event.

Division B (Grades 6-9)

Division B is the middle school Division. Division B events are usually easier and feature less advanced topics than Division C events.

Division C (Grades 9-12)

Division C is the high school Division. Division C events are usually harder and feature more advanced topics than Division B events.

6500+

Students

445

Teams

341

Schools

10

Counties

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