Science Talent Search (STS) vs Zero Robotics High School Tournament

Comparing two elite STEM opportunities. Both are competitions for high school students.

Science Talent Search (STS) Zero Robotics High School Tournament
Prestige Tier Tier 1 — Elite Tier 2 — Highly Competitive
Type Competition Competition
Organization Society for Science NASA
Acceptance Rate Highly competitive; specific percentage not available Unknown; appears highly selective with approximately 15-16 teams reaching finals
Applicants Thousands of high school students compete through affiliated science fairs nationwide Unknown exact number; appears to be a national competition with teams from across US and potentially international participants
Deadline
Cost to Apply Free Free
US Only Yes No / International
Grades High school seniors only High school (grades 9-12)
College Impact The Regeneron Science Talent Search is among the most prestigious science competitions and significantly impacts college admissions. Finalists are nationally recognized and receive considerable presti... Extremely positive for college admissions. This is a prestigious NASA-sponsored competition with real ISS execution component, which is exceptionally rare for high school students. Demonstrates: advan...