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Don't study STEM.
Build it.

We're building a culture where young people innovate in STEM, not just study it — through free competitions, hackathons and 129 student-run chapters across 130 nations.

Explore competitions Start a chapter

The culture so far:

5,000+
students impacted
130
nations reached
129
chapters
Officially sponsored byHudson River TradingCitadelFiscally sponsored by Hack Club · donations tax-deductible
EXP-01

Initiatives

Four ways we grow the culture

Culture isn’t taught in a lecture. It grows when students compete, build, learn and research together — then take it home.

  1. 01CompetitionsOpen nowFree global hackathons, olympiads and challenges where students set the bar for each other — and raise it every season.4competitions open or coming up
  2. 02ChaptersOngoingThe culture, carried home: students start STEMise chapters and make building the norm at their own school or city.129chapters in 39 countries
  3. 03EducationIn developmentLearning tools that make building a daily habit, starting with STEMise Learn, a gamified platform in the making.3programs: Learn, curriculum, and STEM kits
  4. 04AiScend ResearchOngoingThe culture at the frontier: students doing real responsible-AI research with NXT Horizon, focused on equity, transparency and reproducibility.5NeurIPS 2026 workshop acceptances
EXP-02

Upcoming

Upcoming competitions

Every competition is where the culture meets: students from dozens of countries building side by side. Sponsors and collaborating professionals are listed on every event page.

Registration openOnline

DSH Hacks V.2

Submissions close Nov 7, 2026

The second edition of the DSH hackathon — global, online, free, and open to students 13+ who want to build at the intersection of AI and healthcare, not just read about it.

How it builds the cultureMakes building the default: in a few weeks an idea about AI and healthcare becomes a working project, made alongside peers from around the world.

Registration openOnline

IQIC

Oct 26 – Nov 20, 2026

International Quantitative Investing Challenge — a free quant competition where high schoolers design a strategy, then put it to the test in three weeks of live trading.

How it builds the cultureBrings the culture to finance: students form a hypothesis, test it against live markets and learn from what the data says — the same loop behind innovation in every STEM field.

UpcomingHybrid

GYSPC

Finals Feb 2027

Global Youth Science & Policy Competition — research a real scientific question, then argue what society should do about it: STEM innovation that reaches beyond the lab.

How it builds the cultureWidens what STEM innovation means: a good idea also has to be argued for, because science shapes the society around it.

View all competitions
EXP-03

Impact

Proof the culture is spreading

Students impacted
5,000+
Nations reachedAcross 6 continents
130
Chapters
129
Media impressions200K+ people reached via media
350K+

Where our participants come from

USASouth KoreaFranceNigeriaIndiaVietnamCanadaUAENepalKenyaChinaMalaysiaSaudi ArabiaPakistanPhilippinesBangladeshPortugalParaguayGermanyIraqAustraliaSouth AfricaEgyptRomaniaBrazilSingaporeSenegalDominican RepublicMyanmarThailandUzbekistanIranTurkeyArgentinaMoroccoUkraineMexicoKazakhstanMalawiLatviaJapanMaltaIcelandEthiopiaPeruCameroonNamibiaIndonesiaAlgeriaTunisiaGhanaGreeceSri LankaItalyColombiaBeninCambodiaMongoliaLaosIsraelSyriaSerbiaBosnia and HerzegovinaCyprusEstoniaIrelandEcuadorPanamaLebanonChileQatarArmeniaMontenegroLiberiaNetherlandsLithuaniaBotswanaUgandaRwandaAzerbaijanBahrainBoliviaIvory CoastHaitiSpainSwitzerlandGeorgiaDenmarkNorth MacedoniaLuxembourgFinlandHungaryJamaicaKyrgyzstanTajikistanNew ZealandAngolaCzech RepublicAlbaniaTimor LesteHondurasAfghanistanBulgariaRussiaPolandTrinidad and TobagoUnited KingdomYemenOmanCubaSudanJordanGuatemalaTaiwanBurkina FasoBelgiumRepublic of the CongoEl SalvadorFijiZimbabweTogoSloveniaPalestineKosovoBelarusComorosMaliDemocratic Republic of CongoMauritiusMadagascar
stemise-lab — build.logLIVE
  1. Submissions close Nov 7, 2026Registration openDSH Hacks V.2
  2. Oct 26 – Nov 20, 2026Registration openIQIC
  3. Jan 2027UpcomingYIPO
  4. Finals Feb 2027UpcomingGYSPC
  5. Oct 15, 2026ShippedIntroducing STEMise Learn: going deep on STEM, one concept at a time
  6. Sep 30, 2026ShippedAiScend Research accepted to five NeurIPS 2026 workshops
  7. Aug 31, 2026ShippedYIMO II recap: 2,633 competitors from 100 countries
  8. Aug 2026ShippedDon't study STEM. Build it: why STEMise exists

Partner organizations

Student-led organizations growing the same culture with us — we co-host events and cross-promote.

Skits For Youth
DeltaForge Hacks
NXT Horizon
Interscholastic Ethics Society
Exploratory
STEMist Education
Saintly
The Euler Circle
Culturing Curiosities
Non-Trivial
HowToHackathon
Minorities in STEM

Our mentors and judges have worked at

Logos show where individual volunteers work or have worked. They do not indicate sponsorship or endorsement by these companies.

Apple
Amazon
Amazon Web Services
Meta
J.P. Morgan
Cisco
Google
IBM
Oracle
Goldman Sachs
Y Combinator
Columbia Business School
University of Oxford
D. E. Shaw & Co.

From students

What competitors say

Straight from the students who competed, built, and presented at STEMise events.

“

Before YIMO, I felt that my mathematical ability was mostly limited to what I learned in school. YIMO gave me an opportunity to challenge myself with unfamiliar and competitive problems, which improved my confidence and problem-solving skills. It also taught me to stay patient and think creatively when I couldn’t find an immediate solution. Overall, YIMO helped me see mathematics as something more exciting and challenging than just an academic subject.

Aaditya Y.
Competitor, Nepal
YIMO
“

YIMO was my first international competition, and it was a wonderful experience that gave me the opportunity to participate in an international math community with a very supportive and well-organized team. Before YIMO, I had limited access to international math opportunities, and although Pakistan has STEM competitions, mathematics-focused opportunities are still limited. I believe free and open programs like YIMO are important because they give students from different backgrounds and countries access to valuable experiences, confidence, and learning opportunities, and I would love to see more subjects included alongside mathematics.

Bibi A.
Competitor, Pakistan
YIMO
“

Participating in YIMO helped me improve my academic English, as I learned new mathematical terms while preparing for the test. During my preparation, I also discovered several topics that I need to improve and gained valuable experience participating in an international math olympiad. I hope that next time I will come with stronger knowledge and be able to participate in the more competitive and challenging Division 1. I am very grateful for the opportunity to test myself and for YIMO sharing the tests, answers, and full explanations of the solution methods, which makes preparation much more accessible to students.

Sayatuly N.
Competitor, Kazakhstan
YIMO
“

YIMO helped me improve my mathematical knowledge and made me more interested in STEM. It also gave me the opportunity to connect with students from different parts of the world and compete with them. I think this is a great idea because it allows students to challenge themselves, learn from others, and improve their skills. Programs like YIMO being free and open to everyone are important because they give students opportunities to learn and grow regardless of their background.

Olaniyan W.
Competitor, Nigeria
YIMO
“

Before YIMO, my access to advanced STEM resources was limited, which made preparing for international studies challenging. This free program built my technical skills and fueled my deep passion for mathematics, giving me the foundation to pursue computer engineering abroad next year. I am now fully prepared to excel and definitely win in the next YIMO competition.

Salma A.
Competitor, Morocco
YIMO
“

Before YIMO, I had access to my school's Math Team. From this competition, I furthered my math skills, and programs like this matter to me because they allow me to showcase my skills on a higher level. Additionally, since they are free, it allows for many more students to participate and develop in a community that is welcoming. I think this competition was planned exceptionally, and I am excited to compete in the upcoming YIMO competitions. Thank you for this amazing experience.

Atharv P.
Competitor, United States
YIMO

Get involved

Build the culture
with us

It's already alive in 130 nations. Start a chapter, volunteer, or back the work — every way in makes building STEM the norm for one more community.

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