Eligibility

Team Leaders

• Each participating team must have a Team Leader who meets the following requirements:
  • Age Requirement: 21 years or older
  • Professional Requirement: The Team Leader must either be 
    • A full-time public, private, or homeschool teacher; 
    • A leader from an approved community group or club, such as official 4-H clubs, Future Farmers of America chapters, scout groups, Key Clubs, or Boys and Girls Clubs of America clubs, or other traditionally non-scientific extracurricular organization with a formal relationship with the school; or 
      • Community groups must have at least two team members who do not live in the same household
    • A principal Investigator from an eligible grant funded by the National Science Foundation. 
  • Full-time public or private teachers are defined as: 
    • Any full-time classroom teacher in a K-12 public, including charter, or private school; school email addresses must be used in all correspondence.
  • A homeschool teacher is eligible if he or she can provide one of the following: 
    • A copy of a letter of intent to homeschool one or more students to the state or counties in which their students reside, dated after July 1, 2026;
    • A copy of the membership ID to a homeschool association dated for the 2026-2027 school year; or
    • A proof of purchase of curriculum for the 2026-2027 academic school year, dated after July 1, 2026.
  • All K-12 educators must teach in one of the 50 states, a U.S. Department of War Education Activity school, U.S. Tribally Controlled School, Bureau of Indian Education school, or the U.S. Jurisdictions of the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

• Each participating student, educator, and team leader must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national (American Samoa), or lawful permanent resident (LPR).
• Proof of eligibility is required for Team Leaders and Team Members at the state, regional, and national levels.

Required Form 

• Each Team Leader must submit a completed Adult Consent and Media Release for Educators, Team Leaders, and Volunteers form (.PDF) before they can begin participating in any mentorship or training activities sponsored by the Challenge.

Elementary Student Category

• Students in grades K-5 are eligible, with parental consent.
• Eligible teams will consist of 1-5 elementary students and one Team Leader.
• Each participating student must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national (American Samoa), or lawful permanent resident (LPR).
• Proof of eligibility is required for students at the state, regional, and national levels.
• Elementary students using age-appropriate SI tools should do so under the direct supervision of their Team Leader or their legal guardian, and in accordance with the tools’ terms of service or end-user license agreements, and with appropriate guidance to ensure safe and responsible use.
• Elementary school students who were on a 2026 Elementary School Regional Championship team are only eligible to participate on school-based teams, meaning the Team Leader is a teacher (homeschool, public, private, or charter) and all students attend the same school.

Required Form  

• The Team Leader must collect a signed Parental and Legal Guardian Consent and Media Release Student Participants form (.PDF) for each student before the team can begin participating in any mentorship or training activities sponsored by the Challenge.

Middle School Student Category 

• Students in grades 6-8 are eligible, with parental consent.
• Eligible groups will consist of 1-4 middle school students and one Team Leader. 
• Each participating student must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national (American Samoa), or lawful permanent resident (LPR).
• Proof of eligibility is required for students at the state, regional, and national levels.
• Middle school students who were on a 2026 Middle School Regional Championship team are not eligible to participate in the Middle School Student Category.* 

Required Form  

• The Team Leader must collect a completed Parental and Legal Guardian Consent and Media Release Student Participants form (.PDF) for each student before the team can begin participating in any mentorship or training activities sponsored by the Challenge.

High School Student Category

• Students in grades 9-12 are eligible, with parental consent.
• Eligible groups will consist of 1-4 high school students and one Team Leader. 
• Each participating student must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national (American Samoa), or lawful permanent resident (LPR).
• Proof of eligibility is required for students at the state, regional, and national levels.
• High school students who were on a 2026 High School Regional Championship team are not eligible to participate in the High School Student Category.*

Required Form  

• The Team Leader must collect a completed Parental and Legal Guardian Consent and Media Release for Youth Participants form (.PDF) for each student before the team can begin participating in any mentorship or training activities sponsored by the Challenge.

Educator Category 

• Any full-time classroom teacher in a K-12 public school (including charter, Tribally-controlled, or DOWEA schools) or private school is eligible. 
• A homeschool educator is eligible if he or she can provide one of the following: 
  • A copy of a letter of intent to homeschool one or more students to the state or counties in which their students reside, dated after July 1, 2026;
  • A copy of the membership ID to a homeschool association dated for the 2026-2027 school year; or
  • A proof of purchase of curriculum for the 2026-2027 academic school year, dated after July 1, 2026.
• All eligible educators must be at least 21 years-old and teach in one of the 50 states, a U.S. Department of War Education Activity school, U.S. Tribally Controlled School, Bureau of Indian Education school, or the U.S. Jurisdictions of the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Eligible groups will consist of 1-3 educators.
• Each participating educator must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national (American Samoa), or lawful permanent resident (LPR).
• Proof of eligibility is required for educators at the state, regional, and national levels.
• Educators who were on a 2026 Educator Regional Championship team may serve as a Team Leader for student teams but are not eligible to participate in the current Challenge on an educator team.*

Required Form 

• Each educator must submit a completed Adult Consent and Media Release for Educators, Team Leaders, and Volunteers form (.PDF) before they can begin participating in any mentorship or training activities sponsored by the Challenge.

*All 2026 middle school, high school, and educator track Regional Champions are invited to join the Presidential SI Challenge Ambassadors Program. Details will be provided to eligible students and educators.