Welcome to Southern California Science Olympiad!

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Registration is Open! September 3rd, 2019

Team Registration is now open for the 2019-2020 season! Click here to register. The 2020 Preliminary State Schedule is posted here. The rules are available online for free at store.soinc.org.

Game On B

For the 2019-2020 season, Southern California will be running Codebusters B in place of Game On B. This change only applies to Regional and State tournaments in Southern California. The rules for Codebusters can be found here.

Rules Clarifications

Southern California Science Olympiad Rules Clarifications will open on October 3rd, 2019. To submit questions, view posted clarifications, or subscribe to the Rules Updates mailing list, please go here.

Congratulations Kraemer and Troy! June 1st, 2019

Congratulations to Kraemer Middle School for their 6th place finish and Troy High School for their 1st place finish at the 2019 National Science Olympiad Tournament at Cornell University! We're proud of their amazing performance and for representing Southern California.

We'd also like to congratulate from Northern California Kennedy Middle School for their 1st place finish and Mira Loma for their 15th place finish at the 2019 National Science Olympiad Tournament.

What is Science Olympiad?

Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. Southern California Science Olympiad - a chapter of Science Olympiad - hosts, manages, or supports over 8 Invitational, 9 Regional, and 1 State Tournaments in Southern California.

Science Olympiad Tournaments are like academic track meets.

At a Science Olympiad Tournament, students work together in teams of up to 15 to compete in 23 events. The events change from year to year, covering fields and topics including: anatomy and biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, geology, mechanical and structural engineering, and technology. Some events entail taking a test, while others involve doing hands-on labs, or even building and bringing a device to the tournament. The list of 2019-2020 Events and their descriptions can be found here.

Each Science Olympiad season begins in September, when the Event Rules are released and Registration opens. Teams then spend several months preparing for their Regional Tournament in winter or spring of the next year (dates vary depending on the exact Regional). The top teams from each Regional go on to compete at the Southern California State Tournament in April, vying for the title of State Champion and the opportunity to represent Southern California at the National Tournament in May.

Middle school students setup their Boomilever, a wooden structure, for strength testing at the 2019 Southern California State Tournament.
Photo Credit: Emily Miaou
A student analyzes a hair sample in the Crime Busters event at the 2019 Southern California State Tournament.
Photo Credit: Emily Miaou

Teams and Events are split into three "Divisions". Teams in Divisions B or C only compete against other teams in the same Division.

Division A (Grades 4-6)

Division A is the elementary school Division. Division A events are specific to the tournament. Division A teams do not compete against each other, but rather strive to meet pre-defined levels of requirements in each event.

Division B (Grades 6-9)

Division B is the middle school Division. Division B events are usually easier and feature less advanced topics than Division C events.

Division C (Grades 9-12)

Division C is the high school Division. Division C events are usually harder and feature more advanced topics than Division B events.

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