GENIUS Olympiad is an annual international high-school project competition centered on environmental problems. Terra Science and Education organizes it, and St. John Fisher University is listed as the host.
Students enter projects across AI, art, coding, entrepreneurship, music, robotics, science, short film, and speech. Selected finalists travel to Rochester, New York, for in-person presentations, judging, and cultural activities.
Benefits & funding
- The application fee for the most recent cycle was US$60 per project, and selected finalists paid a US$600 participation fee per participant.
- Participants receive a certificate; category awards include Grand Gold, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention recognition.
- International students may receive renewable RIT scholarships if admitted to RIT: US$20,000 for Gold, US$18,000 for Silver, US$15,000 for Bronze, US$14,000 for Honorable Mention, US$12,000 for Participant, or US$10,000 for Finalist status.
- The regular event program includes a Niagara Falls trip with transportation, a boxed lunch, and a Maid of the Mist ticket.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be high-school students submitting an environmentally focused project in an offered discipline.
- The competition accepts international participation, but the application route depends on the student’s school country and project category.
- Students attending school in Bangladesh, China Regional, Georgia, Greece, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, South Korea, Spain, Ukraine, or Zimbabwe must check the Country Fairs page; listed categories must qualify through the relevant national competition, while unlisted categories may apply directly.
- Applicants must be 13–18 years old and must not have started university education by the finals; team size, required files, and presentation format follow the selected discipline’s rules.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
High School
Age requirement
13–18 yrs
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Application process
- 1Check the Country Fairs page to determine whether the project must enter through a national competition or may apply directly.
- 2Choose a discipline and prepare the project materials required by that discipline.
- 3Create an account in the official application portal, submit the project, and pay the application fee by the published deadline.
- 4If selected as a finalist, confirm every attending participant, pay the participation fee, and enter travel information in the portal.
Program timeline
Standard project application deadline
March 1, 2026
Extended project application deadline
March 7, 2026
Finalists announced
March 25, 2026
Participant registration and payment deadline
May 10, 2026
GENIUS finals
June 8–12, 2026
The official opening date has not been announced
2027 cycle