Student teams from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, and Kennedy Middle School in Cupertino, California, took top honors at the 39th Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament at Wichita State University on Saturday, May 20, 2023. This is the first time in Science Olympiad’s 39-year history that Stevenson High School has captured the title.

"I am so proud of the achievements of these winning teams and I know their schools and communities will welcome them home like champions,” said Jenny Kopach, Science Olympiad CEO. “These students and teachers exemplify the best America has to offer, and I see bright futures ahead for all.”

One of the nation’s most prestigious science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions, Science Olympiad brings together 120 winning middle school and high school teams advancing from state-level competitions this past spring. Rigorous hands-on and lab events led by experts from government agencies, top universities, industry and Science Olympiad state chapters cover topics in engineering, physics, epidemiology, astronomy, chemistry, meteorology and coding.

See a full list of 2023 national tournament award recipients and official tournament results, including event-by-event scoring.

In advance of the tournament, five $10,000 Founders’ Scholarships were presented to outstanding high school seniors Nosakhare Iyoha of Spring Early College Academy in Texas; Sani Deshmukh of Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota; Anu Iyer of Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas; Ken Husty Tungpalan of Waipahu High School in Hawaii; and Nina Kini of Valencia High School in California. See more about the scholarship and the founders, Dr. Gerard and Sharon Putz of Michigan and Jack Cairns of Delaware.

Teams from Raymond Park Middle School in Indianapolis, Indiana and Clinton High School in Clinton, South Carolina earned the 2023 Science Olympiad Spirit Award (including $2,000 for their team), which recognizes schools whose team members exhibit sportsmanship, teamwork, team spirit and respect that exemplifies the spirit of Science Olympiad competition. In addition, Highlands Intermediate Middle School in Pearl City, Hawaii and Syosset High School in Syosset, New York, won the Corteva Agriscience Enterprise Awards, recognizing a breakout performance by a team at the National Tournament.

As part of its Character and Citizenship in the Community (the 3Cs) and Smart to Be Good initiatives, Science Olympiad teams are participating in a national service project to honor the city hosting the tournament; Science Olympiad set a goal to raise least $15,000 for Arts Partners’ Generation STEAM, a Wichita-based nonprofit that teaches creativity through building and mentoring.
 
Science Olympiad is supported nationally by Wichita State University, NASA’s Universe of Learning Astrophysics STEM Learning & Literacy Network, Avantor Foundation, Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation, Corteva Agriscience, Combined Federal Campaign, Double Good, Google, Lockheed Martin, NBC Universal Foundation, Ward’s Science, Amcor Cares Foundation, CDC Foundation, Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, Intel, Kinder Morgan Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the North American Association for Environmental Education, National Eye Institute, Texas Instruments, ThermoFisher Scientific, University of Delaware, Investing in Communities, National Free Flight Society, OnShape, SkyCiv, Yale Young Global Scholars, Code.org, Japan Science and Technology Agency, mHUB, Midnight Science Club, Million Women Mentors, MxD, STEMConnector and the USDA Forest Service. Local supporting sponsors are Wichita State University, Kansas Science Olympiad, Evergy and Spirit Aerosystems.

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Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling almost 22,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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Science Olympiad is an Oakbrook Terrace-based, national non-profit organization founded in 1984 dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 STEM education, increasing interest and opportunity in science, creating a technologically literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers.