High School Academic Research Competition
About High School Academic Research Competition
The High School Academic Research Competition (SARC) is a global, fully virtual competition for high-school students. Participants explore a self-selected topic, attend research-focused webinars and bootcamps, submit a short research proposal, and finalists present a video pitch.
Teaching style
SARC uses a guided, flexible learning model with expert-led live webinars and on-demand bootcamps. Instruction covers areas such as selecting a topic, developing a proposal, conducting data analysis, and presenting research.
Reputation & Succeed take
The provider showcases named winners and finalists and reports that its 2026 competition drew entries from more than 50 countries. This is a provider-published reach claim rather than independent reputation evidence.
Our take
SARC combines an accessible, fully online research competition with structured preparation for beginners and experienced students. Its strongest differentiators are topic freedom, expert-led learning resources, and a staged proposal-to-video format.
Unlike competitions restricted to a single discipline, SARC permits research across sciences, humanities, social sciences, business, politics, sustainability, and other fields. It also combines judging with webinars and bootcamps intended to develop research skills.
Who this provider suits
Who should choose them
High-school students seeking a fully virtual, individual competition should consider SARC, particularly if they want to investigate a self-selected topic and receive introductory support with research questions, proposals, and data analysis. The stated eligibility generally covers ages 13–18, with limited exceptions.
Who it may not suit
SARC is unlikely to suit students seeking a team competition, an in-person experience, deadline extensions, or detailed first-round scores and written feedback. Entrants must submit individual work in the prescribed proposal format.