CS & Robotics

Please use this information as a planning guide of various programs and tentative application dates. If you are aware of any additional programs we can add to our list to maximize student possibilities please forward to conleya@asmsa.org.

** The deadlines for red highlights have already passed and will be updated after they publish their 2025 dates/costs. Please familiarize yourself with available programs so you can identify your interest, know the requirements, and be ready to apply when the application is published and/or comes back around the following year.

Congressional App Challenge

Program Grades: High school students

The Congressional App Challenge is the most prestigious prize in student computer science. Students use any programming language to design a new app. Students may register as individuals or as teams of up to four.


Application Opens: August 28, 2024

Application Deadline: October 24, 2024

Program Dates: The competition will launch in late Spring 2025.

See Mr. Seward for more information.

Wolfram Summer Research Program

Program Grades: Ages 14-17

A project-based research opportunity for motivated high-school students to move beyond the cutting edge of computational thinking and artificial intelligence.


Application Opens: November 2024

Application Deadline: 

Early Decision: January 17, 2025

Regular Decision: April 15, 2025

Program Dates: June 25, 2025 – July 12, 2025

Program Costs: $4500; financial aid available

NYU Collegiate Seminar Program

Program Grades: Juniors

The NYU Collegiate Seminar Program offers high school juniors the opportunity to experience college-level classes at a top-tier research university. Selected students will participate in one or more two-hour seminar-style classes taught by leading NYU faculty in a variety of academic subjects.


Application Opens: September 16, 2024

Application Deadline

Deadline for Nomination: October 28, 2024

Final Application Deadline: November 8, 2024
Program Dates: Varies by program
Program Costs: Free

BEST Robotics Competition

Program Grades: High school students

The BEST Robotics Competition is a national six-week robotics competition held in the fall. Teams design and build a machine that can perform certain, specific tasks in three minutes.


See Mr. Seward for more information.

VEX Robotics Competition

Program Grades: High school students

Teams build, design, program, and compete with their robots at tournaments held year-round at the regional, state, and national levels.


See Mr. Seward for more information.

picoCTF 2025

Program Grades: High school students

This is a two-week long CTF competition. Competitors have to reverse-engineer, break, hack, decrypt, and think creatively and critically to solve the challenges and capture digital flags. Challenges increase in difficulty as players progress. Programming knowledge is recommended.


Registration Opens: February 1, 2025

Registration Deadline: March 14, 2025

Program Dates: March 7-17, 2025

Program Costs: None

Air Force Association Cyber Patriot

Program Grades: High school students

Teams of high school and middle school students take on the role of newly hired IT professionals tasked with managing the network of a small company. Teams are given a set of virtual operating systems and must find and fix cybersecurity vulnerabilities while maintaining critical services.


Application Opens: April 1, 2025

Application Deadline: October 2, 2025

Program Costs: $205

See Mr. Seward for more information.

National Robotics Challenge

Program Grades: High school students

The National Robotics Challenge is composed of twelve contest categories. A robot may only be entered in one contest category per year, unless otherwise noted in a contest category section of this manual.


Application Opens: Unknown

Application Deadline: March 1, 2025

Program Dates: April 3-5, 2025

Program Costs: $85 per team/school plus $15 per robot