image: 2026 Science Olympiad Division C National Champion: Monta Vista High School
Credit: Kendra Cremin/Science Olympiad
Los Angeles, CA — Student teams from Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, and Sierra Vista Middle School in Irvine, California, took top honors at the 42nd Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament at the University of Southern California on Saturday, May 23, 2026. This is the second time that Monta Vista High School has captured the title and adds a back-to-back championship for Sierra Vista Middle School.
“It was amazing to witness the pride and excitement the students felt as they crossed the stage to claim their championships,” said Dan Nichols, Science Olympiad Executive Director. “I knew I was in the presence of the next generation of science leaders, researchers and innovators.”
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, robotics and coding. A full list of 2026 national tournament award recipients and official tournament results, including event-by-event scoring is posted at soinc.org/2026-national-tournament
To celebrate the 42nd Annual National Tournament, USC Dean James Bullock of the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences gave the Keynote Address and spoke about his experiences with the James Webb Space Telescope project. USC Dean Yannis C. Yortsos of the Viterbi School of Engineering also gave welcoming remarks.
Other top high school (Division C) winners at the National Tournament include:
- Second: Seven Lakes High School, Katy, Texas
- Third: Troy High School, Fullerton, California
- Fourth: Madison West High School, Madison, Wisconsin
- Fifth: Harriton High School, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
- Sixth: Solon High School, Solon, Ohio
- Seventh: Montgomery High School, Skillman, New Jersey
- Eighth: Marquette University High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Ninth: New Trier High School, Winnetka, Illinois
- Tenth: Thomas Jefferson High for Science and Technology, Virginia
Other top middle school (Division B) winners at the National Tournament include:
- Second: Solon Middle School, Solon, Ohio
- Third: Basis Cedar Park, Cedar Park, Texas
- Fourth: Kennedy Middle School, Cupertino, California
- Fifth: Daniel Wright Junior High School, Lincolnshire, Illinois
- Sixth: Marie Murphy School, Wilmette, Illinois
- Seventh: Springhouse Middle School, Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Eighth: Evergreen Middle School, Washington
- Ninth: Ladue Middle School, St. Louis, Missouri
- Tenth: Mount View Middle School, Maryland
Teams from Alston Ridge Middle School in Cary, North Carolina and Deering High School in Portland, Maine earned the 2026 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.
Before the tournament, five $10,000 Founders’ Scholarships were presented to outstanding high school seniors from the Science Olympiad USA Foundation: Eden Teclemariam of Castro Valley High School in California; William Engel of Boyceville High School in Wisconsin; Sree Sarvepalli of Tesla STEM High School in Washington; Ezra Drake from West Michigan Aviation Academy in Michigan; and Ekansh Agrawal from Garnet Valley High School in Pennsylvania. More about the scholarship can be found at soinc.org/usafoundation
Science Olympiad also partnered with the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region on its Smart to Be Good initiative, an effort to spur youth volunteerism, service and philanthropy. Funds raised from the Science Olympiad community will support ongoing community needs and honor the relief efforts of the Red Cross during the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Science Olympiad is supported nationally by the Science Olympiad USA Foundation, the University of Southern California, NASA’s Universe of Learning Astrophysics STEM Learning & Literacy Network, the Atwell Gives Foundation, the Avantor Foundation, Ward’s Science, the United States Air Force, the Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation, the Combined Federal Campaign, Google, Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park (IQMP), P33, International Motors, Ramboll, the Aerospace Corporation, the Amcor Cares Foundation, CDC, the Cambridge Centre for International Research (CCIR), CodeHS, the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, the Double Good Foundation, the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS), InGenius Prep, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the North American Association for Environmental Education, the National Free Flight Society, OnShape, Prequel, SkyCiv, Texas Instruments, TKS World, Empowerly, Investing in Communities, the MDRT Foundation, the Yale Young Global Scholars, 3D Molecular Designs, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, mHUB, the Midnight Science Club, MxD, the NBC Universal Foundation and the STEMConnector. Local supporting sponsors are University of Southern California, Hyundai and Jane Street.
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Science Olympiad is an Oak Brook-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.
About USC
Founded in 1880, the University of Southern California is one of the world’s leading academic research institutions with 23 schools, a multi-billion-dollar health enterprise, and a vast research and development engine. The university enrolls 46,000 highly accomplished undergraduate and graduate students and employees 4,600 faculty who are members of major national academies, MacArthur, Academy Award, and Pulitzer Prize winners, among many others. USC has a nationally recognized athletic program and a passionate global network of 500,000 living alumni - the Trojan Family. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, USC is a powerhouse of innovation and impact with a global reach.
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For Science Olympiad inquiries, please contact Bob Kopach: bob@soinc.org 312-852-0132
For USC inquiries, please contact Amy Blumenthal, Media Relations, USC Viterbi School of Engineering: amyblume@usc.edu 917-710-1897
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USC Website: https://nationalscienceolympiad2026.org
National Website: https://www.soinc.org/2026-national-tournament