§ WA

Research programs in Washington.

186 local programs run in Washington, 110 of them free or paid, and 4 explicitly prioritize under-resourced or first-generation students. Plus 210 nationwide programs open to anyone in the US.

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Local to Washington

ACE Mentor Program of Washington
ACE Mentor Program of Washington (Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma)
A free after-school program in which high school students are mentored by architecture, engineering and construction professionals, visit construction sites and complete a year-long team design project presented at a final presentation night.
📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Museum of Flight with Puget Sound Skills Center
Aeronautical Explorations (Museum of Flight)
Three-week no-cost summer career and technical education course for rising 9th-12th graders exploring aviation careers such as air traffic control, dispatch, piloting and drones, with a flight simulator lab and airport design project.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Museum of Flight with Green River College and Puget Sound Skills Center
Aeronautical Science Pathway (Museum of Flight)
Two-year no-cost program for high school juniors and seniors preparing for aviation careers such as piloting, drone operations, air traffic control and airport management while earning high school and Green River College credit.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
The Museum of Flight
Aerospace Camp Experience (ACE) Youth Volunteer
Youth volunteers aged 16-17 assist staff running the Museum of Flight's summer Aerospace Camp Experience for children ages 4 to 8, helping with projects, games and moving groups between locations.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Seattle University
AI for Equity (Pre-College Program)
A credit-bearing overnight summer program on how technology intersects with criminal justice, covering machine learning, AI in criminal justice, AI ethics and a group project, earning 2 college credits.
📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Washington Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
AI4ALL at the Allen School
A free, multi-week introductory workshop in data science and artificial intelligence covering data science, geographic information science, machine learning, and equity and bias in urban spaces. No previous coding experience is required.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Seattle University Albers School of Business and Economics
Albers Summer Business Institute
A credit-bearing summer business residency where students take college-level courses from Seattle University professors and explore business disciplines through hands-on learning.
📅 April🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
American Legion Department of Washington
American Legion Oratorical Contest (Washington)
Constitutional speech contest for high school students, advancing from post level to the Washington state contest, with the department winner certified to the national Oratorical Contest.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Saturday Academy
Apprenticeships in Science & Engineering (ASE)
An eight-week, full-time paid summer internship pairing rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a professional scientist or engineer mentor across Oregon and SW Washington, including specialty tracks such as a Machine Learning internship through Portland State University.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Architectural Studies I (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
A multidisciplinary course introducing architectural design through design prompts, model making, drawing and visual presentation, ending with an exhibition for guests from the architectural design community.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Architectural Studies II (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Builds on Architectural Studies I: students work with a hypothetical client, study the history and socioeconomic conditions of a chosen community, and present their work to professional designers.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL)
AWSL High School Fall Conference
One-day statewide student leadership conference where high school teams and advisors attend workshops and leadership sessions with lunch provided.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Bothell Center for Biotechnology Innovation & Training
BioImpact Summer Camps (UW Bothell)
Five-day and two-day immersive camps at UW Bothell for rising 10th-12th graders covering anatomy and biomedical devices, immunology and vaccine innovation, and biotech entrepreneurship with AI and data science, with labs and company visits.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington Health Careers Opportunity Program
BRIGHT-UP (Biomedical Research Internship for Growth of High school Trainees from Underrepresented Populations)
A paid summer internship giving high school students hands-on biomedical research experience in UW labs: one week of orientation and training, then a six-week lab placement, weekly career development meetings and a closing symposium.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Public Schools Career and Technical Education
Career Quest Summer Internships (Seattle Public Schools)
Paid summer internships that pair high school students with local businesses and SPS departments in fields such as architecture and design, business and marketing, construction management, finance, education, IT and skilled trades, with a weekly launch day and CTE credit.
📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Washington Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
Changemakers in Computing
A free summer program that teaches technology, society and justice through project-based learning, with JavaScript, HTML, CSS, AI and tech ethics and college preparation led by UW undergraduate mentors.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
King County Wastewater Treatment Division and Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust
Clean Water Ambassadors High School Internship
A paid internship for a cohort of 12 high school students who learn about local environmental issues and clean water solutions, practice educating community members, take field trips and interview environmental professionals.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Coding for Cancer
A four-week virtual program where students learn the R programming language and cancer biology, then carry out an individual research project with support from computational biologists.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Washington State University School of Music
Cougar Summer Music Camp (WSU)
A one-week summer music camp at WSU for instrumental, voice and piano students with band, orchestra, choir, jazz and musical theater ensembles, private lessons, masterclasses and a final concert.
📅 June🎓 Grades 8–12
Moderate
Central Washington University High School Partnerships
CWU College in the High School
Students in grades 9-12 take CWU university courses taught by approved high school teachers on their own high school campus and earn transferable CWU credit on an official transcript.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Digital Photography: Camera, Composition & Beyond (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Covers camera settings and handling, composition and storytelling; students photograph around the UW Seattle campus and build a portfolio with feedback from instructors and visiting professionals.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington DO-IT Center
DO-IT Scholars (University of Washington)
Prepares Washington high school sophomores and juniors with disabilities for college and careers through two consecutive Summer Study sessions on the UW campus, mentoring, and year-round contact with staff and peers.
📅 January🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
EarthCorps
EarthCorps Youth Service Days
Free volunteer environmental-restoration days in the Pacific Northwest.
📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Public Schools Career and Technical Education
Education Quest (Seattle Public Schools)
Paid summer internship in which high school students support and supervise younger students in Seattle elementary summer school, helping with basic academic skills and working alongside teachers and instructional assistants.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Washington Bothell Collaborative for Socio-Ecological Engagement (CoSEE)
EnCAP High School Scholars Program (UW Bothell CoSEE)
A five-week, field-based, credit-bearing summer program for rising 10th-12th graders exploring green career pathways in Washington State through the Environmental Careers Preparedness Program.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Evergreen Boys State, Inc. (American Legion)
Evergreen Boys & Girls State
A week-long residential program where high school juniors create and run a mock government. The program is now co-ed and open to all juniors.
📅 Varies🎓 Grade 11
Moderate
American Legion Auxiliary Department of Washington
Evergreen Girls State
A week-long government and leadership program for current high school junior girls, held at Central Washington University.
📅 Varies🎓 Grade 11
Highly Selective
Seattle Public Schools Career and Technical Education with Amazon
Finance Quest - Amazon Periscope (Seattle Public Schools)
Two-week summer experience at Amazon's South Lake Union campus for 30 current 10th graders with Excel training, a day in the life of a financial analyst, personal finance workshops and a capstone case study, as part of a two-year finance and accounting pathway.
📅 Varies🎓 Grade 10
Selective
FIRST Washington
FIRST Washington (FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition)
The state organization for FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition teams in Washington, running leagues, events and the Washington championship.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship
Paid cancer research in Seattle. Prioritizes students underrepresented in biomedical sciences.
⏱ 8 weeks (summer)📅 Late January🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Foundation for Water & Energy Education (FWEE) with Centralia College
FWEE Southwest Washington Hydropower & STEM Career Academy
A summer academy in Centralia where high school students explore the inside of a power-generating dam, learn how fish hatcheries work, build a hydropower model and hydrogen car, and learn about apprenticeship and college pathways.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Foundation for Water & Energy Education (FWEE)
FWEE Tri-Cities STEM Career Academy
A week-long summer academy for Tri-Cities high school students to explore hydropower, build hydrogen and solar cars, fly a drone, take employer field trips and talk with engineers, trades workers and conservationists.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Foundation for Water & Energy Education (FWEE) with Chelan County PUD
FWEE Wenatchee Hydropower & STEM Career Academy
A week-long summer academy at the Rocky Reach Discovery Center where high school students tour Columbia River hydropower projects, build hydro models, fly a drone, race a solar car and climb a power pole with lineworkers.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
The Museum of Flight with Women in Aviation International Washington State Chapter
Girls in Aviation Day (Museum of Flight)
A one-day aerospace career event for middle and high school learners that connects students with mentors and professionals working in aviation and space careers.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga College in the High School
Gonzaga courses taught by approved high school teachers at partner Washington-area high schools, letting students earn Gonzaga college credit while still in high school.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pierce College Science Dome with Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium
High-Altitude Balloon Camp (Pierce College Science Dome)
Application-based summer camp for grades 10-12 where students experiment, code and launch a high-altitude balloon, including an overnight trip to Eastern Washington for the launch.
📅 June🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
Whitworth University (U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl)
Inland Northwest High School Regional Science Bowl
Regional DOE Science Bowl for high schools in nine eastern Washington counties and ten north Idaho counties, hosted at Whitworth University with up to three teams per school.
📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Institute for Systems Biology
ISB High School Summer Internship and DREAM-High
For current 11th graders: an in-person eight-week, roughly 300-hour summer internship at the Institute for Systems Biology, or the six-week virtual or in-person DREAM-High experience in which students learn R and Python to analyze genomics and clinical data from cancer cells.
📅 January🎓 Grade 11
Selective
National Park Service, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
Lake Roosevelt NRA Youth Conservation Corps
Paid summer Youth Conservation Corps jobs for students ages 15 to under 19 at Spring Canyon, Fort Spokane and Kettle Falls, with up to nine enrollees recruited per season; no prior experience required.
📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
MultiCare Health System
M.A.S.H. Camp - Puget Sound (MultiCare)
A free one-week summer health care career camp for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors in Pierce, south King, Kitsap and north Thurston counties, with hands-on skill stations and exposure to nursing, therapy, pharmacy and other fields.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
MultiCare Health System
M.A.S.H. Camp - Spokane (MultiCare)
A free four-day summer health care career camp in the Spokane region for high school students, run by MultiCare with hands-on clinical skill stations.
📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
MultiCare Health System
M.A.S.H. Camp - Yakima (MultiCare)
A free four-day summer health care career camp for Yakima County high school students, hosted by MultiCare at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Mechanics of Writing for High School (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Builds high school students' writing mechanics, including grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and organization for narrative, expository and argumentative essays.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Microsoft
Microsoft Discovery Program (Redmond)
Four-week paid onsite program at Microsoft in Redmond for graduating high school seniors with an interest in technology, who live and attend school within 50 miles of Redmond and have completed pre-calculus.
📅 Rolling🎓 Grade 12
Selective
Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft High School Internship Program (Redmond Area)
Paid summer internship doing technical research or development at Microsoft.
⏱ 4-10 weeks📅 February 1🎓 Grade 12
Moderate
Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation
Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship
Year-long Seattle-based training in active nonviolence for high school and college-age youth ages 14-23, including an online intensive and a self-designed nonviolent social change project.
📅 July🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)
MOHAI History Lab
Two-week summer intensive for high school students interested in local history and storytelling who conduct their own research and publish a work of historical interpretation on the Rainy Day History website.
📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
MUN Northwest
MUN Northwest Conferences (EDUMUN, SeattleMUN, KINGMUN, PACMUN)
Student-run Model UN conferences in the Seattle area: EDUMUN in early fall for new and returning delegates, SeattleMUN as a one-day downtown conference in late winter, and KINGMUN and PACMUN in spring.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
WSU Spokane Native American Health Sciences
Na-ha-shnee STEAM Summer Institute
Three-day summer day camp at WSU Spokane where high school students explore health science careers through hands-on sessions with healthcare providers and faculty, including first aid and CPR, traditional medicine and Native elder teachings.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Washington Department of Linguistics
NACLO at the University of Washington
The Seattle-area site for the North American Computational Linguistics Open, where middle and high school students solve linguistics puzzles with no prior knowledge of linguistics or languages required.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Western Washington University Department of Linguistics
NACLO at Western Washington University
Local host site in Bellingham for the North American Computational Linguistics Open, a puzzle contest for middle and high school students that requires no prior linguistics knowledge.
📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
NFFTY
National Film Festival for Talented Youth
Largest youth film festival in the world for filmmakers 24 and under.
⏱ 4 days📅 Fall🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NCW Libraries and Write On The River
NCW Libraries Teen Short Fiction Competition
An annual spring short fiction contest for 9th-12th grade students in Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, Grant and Ferry counties, with cash prizes; entries are original, unpublished work of up to 2,000 words.
📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
NFFTY (The Talented Youth)
NFFTY - National Film Festival for Talented Youth
Seattle film festival for emerging filmmakers aged 24 and younger, accepting narrative, documentary, music video, animation, experimental, episodic and environmental films, with screenings at the annual spring festival.
📅 December🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pacific Lutheran University Department of Music
Northwest High School Honor Band (PLU)
A two-day honor band for about 325 high school musicians from the Pacific Northwest, recommended by their band directors, with rehearsals under guest clinicians and a free public concert.
📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State University Native American Programs
NY'EHE - Native Youth Exploring Higher Education Camp
Free overnight summer camp on the WSU Pullman campus where high school students explore college life and higher education pathways.
📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
OneWorld Now!
OneWorld Now Global Citizen Summer Language Program
Four-week summer program where Seattle-area high school students study beginner Arabic or Korean alongside cultural activities and leadership workshops.
📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Allen Institute with Seattle Public Schools Career and Technical Education
Open Science Quest at the Allen Institute
Three-week intensive internship course at the Allen Institute where students run advanced lab activities, generate and analyze biomedical data, and get exposure to neuroscience, cell biology and immunology.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl)
Pacific Northwest High School Regional Science Bowl (DOE National Science Bowl)
Regional high school science quiz competition hosted by PNNL for schools in listed Washington and Oregon counties, with the winning team advancing to the DOE National Science Bowl.
📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Pathways Research Explorers Program
A two-week, hands-on introduction to biomedical and cancer research at Fred Hutch with lab activities, lab tours and conversations with scientists at different career stages.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Pacific Lutheran University Department of Music
PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings
A two-day honor orchestra for outstanding high school string players, nominated by their directors, with rehearsals under a guest conductor, sectionals and a public masterclass.
📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
PNNL High School Research and Business Internships
PNNL offers high school students academic-year (August-May, up to 4 hours a day) and full-time summer internships in research or business, with elective credit available through school work-based learning programs. Students must be 18 to work in lab spaces.
📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA)
Poetry Forward (ArtsWA)
A statewide original poetry writing program open to Washington schools serving grades 9-12, in which each school selects a student poet to enter the statewide contest for awards.
📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA)
Poetry Out Loud Washington
A poetry recitation competition for Washington high school students that runs from classroom and school contests through regional finals to a state final, with the state champion advancing to the National Finals.
📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Port of Seattle
Port of Seattle High School Internship Program
Paid summer internships for high school students across Port departments in aviation operations, maritime operations, governance, community engagement and green jobs, with mentorship meetings, facility tours and resume workshops.
📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Posse
Posse Foundation
Full-tuition leadership scholarships nominated by partner cities. High schoolers from cities like New York, Chicago, LA, Atlanta nominate by August of senior year.
⏱ Senior year📅 August🎓 Grade 12
Selective
The Museum of Flight with Puget Sound Skills Center
Private Pilot Ground School (Museum of Flight)
A three-week, no-cost summer career and technical education course for Washington students that covers aerodynamics, aviation weather and flight instruments to prepare for the FAA private pilot written exam, with flight simulator training and field trips.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC)
Running Start (Washington community and technical colleges)
A state program that lets 11th and 12th graders take college courses at Washington's 34 community and technical colleges and earn high school and college credit at the same time.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Rotary clubs of western Washington (RYLA Northwest)
RYLA Northwest (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards)
Four-day residential leadership camp at YMCA Camp Colman in Longbranch for high school students nominated through their local Rotary Club.
📅 May🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Student Conservation Association (SCA) Seattle
SCA Seattle Urban Green Summer Crew
Paid summer conservation crew for Seattle high school students ages 14-18, working about 35 hours a week on urban park restoration with Seattle Parks and Recreation and partners, with environmental education field trips.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Gonzaga University School of Engineering and Applied Science
SEAS Summer Immersion Program (SSIP)
A one-week residential camp for rising junior and senior high school students exploring engineering and computer science through robot programming, Python coding, research rotations with Gonzaga faculty and a research symposium.
📅 March🎓 Grades 11–12
Highly Selective
Seattle Chamber Music Society
Seattle Chamber Music Society Youth Academy for Chamber Music
Pre-college chamber music program in which students ages 12-18 are placed into ensembles, coached weekly by professional musicians and perform in masterclasses and a showcase.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle Children's Mental & Behavioral Health Camp
Free five-day camp for Puget Sound high school students ages 16-18 to explore careers in mental and behavioral health at Seattle Children's sites.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle Children's Nurse Camp
Free five-day summer camp at Seattle Children's Hospital where Puget Sound teens ages 16-18 explore nursing careers through hands-on activities and time with hospital staff.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Highly Selective
Seattle Children's Research Institute
Seattle Children's Research Internship
Paid pediatric biomedical research in Seattle.
⏱ 8 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle Children's Scrubs & 'Scopes Camp
Free five-day camp at Seattle Children's Hospital for Puget Sound teens ages 16-18 interested in medical and surgical careers.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Seattle Public Schools Seattle Skills Center
Seattle Skills Center Summer Program
Free in-person summer introductory career and technical classes for Seattle Public Schools students entering grades 9-12, including medical careers, engineering, automotive, culinary, media arts, video game design, maritime operations and education.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle University School of Law with University of Washington School of Law and Just the Beginning
Seattle University School of Law Summer Legal Institute (Law & Leadership Conference)
Multi-day summer law and leadership conference for high school students with mock law classes, panels with faculty and alumni, visits to federal courts and law firms, and a learning session on applying to law school.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
City of Seattle
Seattle Youth Employment Program
Free paid summer internships for Seattle youth ages 16-21. Targeted toward youth furthest from opportunity.
⏱ 8 weeks📅 Spring🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
City of Seattle Human Services Department
Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Internship
Paid 6-8 week summer internship placements with City departments, community organizations and private employers for Seattle youth ages 16-24, plus Learn & Earn workforce training tracks.
📅 May🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Seattle Arts & Lectures (Writers in the Schools)
Seattle Youth Poet Laureate
Annual honor for a young Seattle-area poet committed to poetic excellence and civic engagement, with a stipend, mentorship, a published chapbook, public readings and eligibility for regional and national competitions.
📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras (SYSO)
Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras Academic Year Orchestra Program
Audition-based youth orchestra program with five orchestras at different levels, Saturday rehearsals and at least three public concerts each year, plus summer music and conservatory offerings.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
SkillsUSA Washington
SkillsUSA Washington
Washington's SkillsUSA state association serving middle school, high school and college career and technical students in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, with a State Leadership & Skills Conference.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Schack Art Center (Scholastic Art & Writing Awards regional affiliate)
Snohomish County Scholastic Art Awards (Schack Art Center)
Regional affiliate of the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for students in Snohomish County, with juried exhibition, cash awards, scholarships and a path to national recognition.
📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Northwest Youth Corps
Sound to Summit
Five-week paid conservation crew for teens ages 15-18 in Tacoma and Olympia: four weeks of day work with city and county parks departments, then a camping project week at a nearby national park, with weekly education and training.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Spokane Cyber Cup (nonprofit, hosted at Spokane Falls Community College)
Spokane Cyber Cup
Daylong capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition for teams of 2-5 from regional high schools and colleges, with separate divisions for experienced and first-time participants.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Puget Sound
Summer Academic Challenge
A tuition-free four-week project-based STEAM enrichment program for Tacoma and Pierce County students, with 2026 topics including salmon and water quality, probability and statistics, and sustainable home design.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University
Summer@Cornish Art & Design Intensive
A 4-week intensive giving high school students a mini-college experience at Cornish where they create and present original work, take electives outside their main art form, and build portfolios.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) with regional ESD art shows
Superintendent's High School Art Show
Annual statewide student art competition: high school students enter a regional Educational Service District show, and selected pieces advance to the statewide Superintendent's show, where award recipients receive a $200 cash award and trophy.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Institute for Systems Biology
Systems Thinkers in STEM Ambassadorship (STiSA)
Free micro-courses, workgroups and events that build systems thinking skills in STEM, covering systems medicine, environmental systems, community action and scientist talks, with a Slack community.
📅 January🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
Seattle Public Schools Career and Technical Education with Amazon
Tech Quest powered by Amazon (Seattle Public Schools)
Two-week introductory coding and technology careers program for current 9th graders at Franklin High School with project-based learning and guest speakers from tech careers; 40 students per session.
📅 Varies🎓 Grade 9
Selective
Seattle Art Museum
Teen Arts Group (TAG) at Seattle Art Museum
An intensive program for high school-aged youth interested in leadership and community who learn how the museum works behind the scenes, lead tours, plan Teen Night Out and make their own art.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Spokesman-Review with Comma Community Journalism Lab
Teen Journalism Institute (The Spokesman-Review)
A paid eight-week summer newsroom internship in downtown Spokane for rising high school juniors and seniors, who write news and features, rotate through departments and publish a community journalism project.
📅 June🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Teens in Public Service (TIPS)
Teens in Public Service (TIPS) Summer Internships
A paid summer internship program that places Seattle-area high school students with nonprofit organizations for 6-8 weeks, with required trainings and mentoring.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
TeenTix
TeenTix Newsroom
Teen arts-journalism program in which writers attend arts events for free, write reviews that are edited one-on-one by teen editors, and are paid for their writing.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 8–12
Selective
University of Washington School of Medicine Office of Healthcare Equity (WIHSE)
UDOC High School Program (UW Medicine)
A free six-week hybrid summer residential program (three weeks virtual, three weeks in person on the UW campus) for Washington high school juniors interested in medicine, dentistry, public health, pharmacy, nursing, therapy and research, with hands-on activities and mentorship.
📅 March🎓 Grade 11
Highly Selective
Seattle University
Urban Sustainability (Pre-College Program)
A hands-on overnight program led by Seattle University faculty on human impacts on the environment, with water quality testing, green stormwater infrastructure, urban wildlife, sustainable building and plastic pollution.
📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories
UW / Friday Harbor Labs Young Investigator's Prize
Awarded each year to a high school junior with exceptional promise in science and mathematics, who spends the summer as a full-time research assistant in a UW lab at Friday Harbor Laboratories. Past winners have worked on marine biology, ecology, biomechanics and engineering projects.
📅 Varies🎓 Grade 11
Selective
University of Washington Materials Science & Engineering
UW ASM Materials Camp (High School)
A materials science summer day camp with mini-demonstrations, field trips and lab work that ends with team-based problem solving led by Materials Mentors.
📅 March🎓 Grade 10
Selective
University of Washington Bothell
UW Bothell Research Experiences
Local UW Bothell faculty research opportunities — great for North Seattle students.
⏱ Variable📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
University of Washington College of Engineering
UW Engineering Academy
A one-week introductory summer program with hands-on engineering design challenges, meetings with engineering students and faculty, and a campus tour, for students with limited access to engineering opportunities.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–11
Selective
University of Washington Foster School of Business
UW Foster Business and Leadership Program
A two-week summer program on leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and communication through workshops, visits to two Seattle corporations and a team case competition.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Washington Foster School of Business
UW Foster Business Startup Bootcamp
A one-week program where students develop a product-based startup concept into a prototype, covering design thinking, market research, business strategy and investor evaluation, ending in a pitch competition.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Washington
UW Genome Sciences Summer Bridge
Seattle-area paid genomics research. Strong support for first-gen and low-income students.
⏱ 6 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
University of Washington
UW in the High School (UWHS)
Lets high school students take UW courses taught by their own high school teachers and earn college credit, with subjects including computer science, math, science and astronomy.
📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Washington Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center
UW INSIGHT High School Program
Four-week summer program introducing high school students to public health, biomedical research and medicine, with seminars, group work and a capstone project on injury and violence prevention presented at a symposium.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Department of Neurological Surgery
UW Neurological Surgery Neuroscience Summer Student Program
Eight-week NIH-funded summer program placing students in a UW neuroscience lab with clinical shadowing, observation of neurosurgical procedures and a final research presentation.
📅 December🎓 Grade 12
Selective
University of Washington School of Nursing
UW Nurse Camp
Free week-long day camp for Washington high school sophomores and juniors interested in nursing, with nurse shadowing at UW Medical Center, CPR training, simulation lab sessions and mentoring by UW nursing students.
📅 February🎓 Grades 10–11
Highly Selective
University of Washington Department of Radiology
UW Radiology High School Immersion Week
Five-day hands-on program at UW Medical Center - Montlake where high school students learn radiology, anatomy and imaging (radiography, ultrasound, CT, MRI, nuclear) and shadow healthcare professionals.
📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington School of Pharmacy
UW School of Pharmacy STEP Summer Program (Students Exploring Pharmacy)
Four-day summer program for students in grades 9-12 (priority to rising juniors and seniors) with hands-on activities, labs, presentations, tours and workshops exploring pharmacy as a career.
📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Summer Sessions
UW Summer Sessions for U.S. High School Students
High school students who have completed eighth grade can take regular UW summer courses for college credit on the Seattle campus or online, with 100-level courses usually the best fit.
📅 June🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Algorithmic Thinking - Programming Logic Fundamentals
Live online course on algorithms and data structures used in computer engineering, including recursion, stacks, searching, sorting, lists, binary trees and parsing, in any language.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Coding in Java I
Introductory two-week Java course for incoming 9th-12th graders with no programming experience, covering core computer science concepts, control structures, data structures and Java best practices.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Coding in Java II
Intermediate Java course covering exception handling, graphical user interfaces, designing your own classes and polymorphism for students who already have Java experience.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Coding in Python I
Introduction to Python for incoming 9th-12th graders with no prior experience, covering variables, loops, functions, lists, dictionaries and file handling, ending in a text-based game project.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Coding in Python II
Students build a visually interactive Python game that grows in complexity, learning graphical windows, user input, multi-file projects and simple animation.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Dive Into Oceanography
A hands-on ocean science course covering ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, food webs and marine pollution, with data collection and experiments on density and waves.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Esports, Gaming & Broadcasting
Two-week course exploring the esports industry and careers in marketing, management, production, community building and game design through real-world projects.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: High School Entrepreneurship - Startup Lab
Two-week in-person course where students learn entrepreneurial thinking, idea development, budgeting and marketing, work in teams and give a final pitch.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to AI & Machine Learning
A course covering machine learning, neural networks, computer vision, reinforcement learning and generative AI, in which students build their own AI tool and explore ethics.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to Data Analysis
Students learn to collect, clean and analyze data and present findings with data-driven storytelling using spreadsheet tools.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to Data Visualization
Students use Tableau to turn large amounts of information into charts, graphs and maps and explore how organizations use data visualization.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to Engineering Design & Process
A project-based course on the engineering design process covering teamwork, engineering tools, basic electrical wiring, digital logic, sensors and actuators, ending with a robotics project and open house.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Introduction to Math Modeling
A course on how math is used in science, business and research, with lectures, hands-on exercises and a final modeling project; students meet professionals from different fields.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
UW Youth Programs: Mission to Mars - Build Your Own Robotic Rover
Students build a Mars rover, learn engineering design, servo-driven arms and Java programming, and steer it through a field to move and stack items.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Washington
VFW Voice of Democracy (Washington)
Audio-essay scholarship contest for Washington high school students in grades 9-12 on the 2026-27 theme "What a Veteran Taught Me About America", judged at the Post, District, Department and national levels.
📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Voices in Science: Burke-ology (High School)
Free mentored STEM program for high school students in which participants work hands-on with UW mentors on one science topic per session and present findings at a public STEAM Spotlight Symposium at the Burke.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
The Museum of Flight
Washington Aerospace Scholars
A STEM program for high school juniors exploring flight, aerospace design and space travel: an online course from November to March, then an optional six-day residency at the Museum of Flight designing a Mars mission.
📅 October🎓 Grade 11
Selective
Washington Student Math Association (WSMA)
Washington ARML Team
Invitational team of Washington's top high school math competitors, chosen by nomination and AMC, AIME and Mu Alpha Theta results, to represent the state at the American Regions Math League.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Business Week (Foundation for Private Enterprise Education)
Washington Business Week Summer Programs
Week-long summer programs in business, healthcare and advanced business tracks where high school students run mock companies, work with business mentors and earn two elective college credits from Renton Technical College.
📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington DECA
Washington DECA
Washington's DECA association for high school business and marketing students, with local chapters and an annual state Career Development Conference in Bellevue.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Council for Economic and Financial Education
Washington Economics Challenge
Online team economics exam in which teams of 3-4 high school students answer 30 questions in 35 minutes, with Adam Smith and David Ricardo divisions and advancement to the national semi-finals.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington FBLA
Washington FBLA
Washington's FBLA state association preparing middle and high school students to be business and community leaders through chapters, competitive events and the State Business Leadership Conference.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington FCCLA
Washington FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
State association of FCCLA, a career and technical student organization for students in Family and Consumer Sciences classes, offering leadership development, regional and state STAR Events competitions, and state officer opportunities.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington FFA Association
Washington FFA Association
Washington's FFA state association for students enrolled in an agriculture course, offering chapters, career development events, leadership programs and the annual state FFA Convention and Expo.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
Washington History Day
Washington's National History Day affiliate: students in middle and high school research historical topics and compete at eight regional contests and a state contest, with winners advancing to the national contest.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington HOSA
Washington HOSA Future Health Professionals
Washington's HOSA state association for health science students, with chapters, health-related competitions and a State Leadership Conference.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS), Washington region
Washington Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
Regional symposium where Washington students in grades 9-12 present original STEM research to judges and peers, with top presenters advancing to the national JSHS.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington State Legislative Youth Advisory Council / Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Washington Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC)
A student-led council of Washington youth that advocates on youth policy issues, lobbies and testifies before the legislature, and attends an annual youth Action Day in Olympia.
📅 April🎓 Grades 9–10
Selective
Washington MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement), University of Washington
Washington MESA High School Programs
Statewide pathway program run through the University of Washington offering academic support, hands-on STEM learning, career exploration, leadership development and competitions such as Washington MESA Day for high school students.
📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Washington Science Olympiad
Washington Science Olympiad (Division C)
State Science Olympiad program in which high school teams (Division C) compete in invitationals, regionals and a state tournament held in April, with national qualification for top teams.
📅 January🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State University Extension 4-H
Washington State 4-H Teen Conference
Annual four-day conference on the WSU Pullman campus for high school students (grades 8 completed through 12) with leadership development, workshops, tours and college and career exploration.
📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State Envirothon
Washington State Envirothon
A natural resources competition for teams of five high school students testing aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife and a current environmental issue, from regional events to a state competition and the NCF-Envirothon.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
PLATO and University of Washington Department of Philosophy
Washington State High School Ethics Bowl
Teams of high school students analyze ethical dilemmas on topics such as cheating, peer pressure and social media, judged on the quality of their reasoning rather than adversarial debate.
📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Chess Federation
Washington State High School Individual Chess Championship
A Swiss-system tournament open to Washington high school students in three rating sections; the champion earns the title of Washington State High School Chess Champion and travel support to the Denker Tournament of High School Champions.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State Legislature (Senate and House civic education offices)
Washington State Legislature Page Program
Students spend a week at the Capitol in Olympia during session, attending page school and assisting legislators on the floor of the Senate or House. Pages learn how state government works firsthand.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–11
Selective
Washington State Mathematics Council (WSMC)
Washington State Mathematics Council High School Math Contest
Regional and statewide math contest for Washington high school students, with team problem solving, a team project, individual events and a Math + Art contest in a collaborative setting.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State Opportunity Scholarship
Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS) Baccalaureate Scholarship
Scholarship of up to $22,500 for Washington residents, including graduating high school seniors, who plan to earn a bachelor's degree in an eligible STEM or health care major; application includes a 150-500 word essay and no references.
📅 February🎓 Grade 12
Selective
Washington State Science & Engineering Fair
Washington State Science & Engineering Fair (WSSEF)
Statewide science and engineering fair where students in grades 6 to 12 present research projects judged by scientists, with the Washington team attending the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
📅 March🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) for the U.S. Senate Youth Program
Washington State United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP)
Two Washington high school juniors or seniors in student government, education, public affairs or community service leadership roles are selected for an all-expenses-paid week in Washington, D.C. and a $12,500 college scholarship.
📅 September🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Civics Education Washington State
Washington State We the People Competition
A simulated congressional hearing competition on the U.S. Constitution held on the Capitol Campus in Olympia; the state winner advances to the national finals.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington Courts / YMCA Youth & Government
Washington State YMCA Mock Trial Competition
High school teams of student attorneys and witnesses prepare a fictional case and compete before real judges and attorney juries at district tournaments and a state championship.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Western Washington University Center for Economic and Financial Education
Washington Stock Market Game
A web-based investing simulation in which student teams manage $100,000 of virtual cash in stocks and bonds, with fall, spring and yearlong games for Washington elementary, middle and high school teams.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Student Math Association (WSMA)
Washington Student Math Association (WSMA) Math Expos and Math Bowl
Statewide student-run math association offering free monthly Math Expos (group math lessons and tutoring for K-12 students), competitive-math practices led by the Washington ARML team and an annual team Math Bowl.
📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
UW PacTrans / Washington State Department of Transportation
Washington Transportation Camp
A six-day immersive camp with hands-on projects, university-led instruction, field trips and team transportation projects covering urban planning, traffic safety, supply chain logistics, innovative materials and connected and autonomous vehicles.
📅 April🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Washington Technology Student Association
Washington TSA (Technology Student Association)
Washington's TSA state association with high school competitive events in areas such as robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, architectural design and animation at an annual state conference.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
VEX Robotics Competition (REC Foundation) Washington
Washington V5RC High School State Championship
The Washington VEX V5 Robotics Competition High School championship held in March, with qualification by awards at official events or World Skills Standings.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State Leadership Board
Washington World Fellows
A 2.5-year global leadership, study-abroad and college-prep program for Washington high school sophomores, including a summer homestay in Logroño, Spain with Spanish language and culture courses and civic education.
📅 Varies🎓 Grade 10
Selective
Western Washington University
Western Washington University in the High School (WWUHS)
College-level WWU courses (such as biology, chemistry, calculus, Spanish and literature) taught at partner high schools by high school instructors under WWU faculty oversight for college credit.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)
WIAA State Speech & Debate Championship
State championship for high school speech and debate events run by the WIAA, in which students qualify through district competition and compete in debate formats and individual speech events.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) and Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA)
WIAA/WMEA State Solo and Ensemble Contest
State music contest for Washington high school students who win their category at one of 22 regional contests, with 29 solo categories and ensembles from woodwinds and brass to mixed vocal, guitar and Mariachi.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA J Camp (Summer Workshop at WSU)
Four-day summer journalism workshop for student journalists ages 14-18 at Washington State University's Murrow College, with majors such as journalistic storytelling, photojournalism, broadcast and editorial leadership.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Highly Selective
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA J Day East
A day for student journalists who produce school newspapers, websites, yearbooks or broadcasts, with sessions led by professionals, a keynote and the Emerald Awards.
📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA J Day West
A day of learning for student media staff with sessions led by journalism professionals, a keynote and the Emerald Awards.
📅 October🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA Spring Conference & Write-Off Contests
A statewide day for student media with a keynote, sessions and write-off contests in writing, photography, layout and design, and video and online news, ending with an awards ceremony.
📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA)
WJEA Summer Trainings (West)
One-day summer journalism trainings where students choose two of seven sessions such as Editorial Leadership, Photojournalism, Video/Broadcast Journalism, Advanced Storytelling or Page Design.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA)
WMEA All-State High School Honor Ensembles
Audition-based High School All-State Band, Choir, Orchestra and Jazz ensembles that rehearse and perform together in Tacoma.
📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Woodland Park Zoo
Woodland Park Zoo Teen Ambassador Volunteer Program
Summer program for high school students entering grades 10-12 who volunteer in Zoomazium and at habitats, learn about animal care and conservation careers, and meet weekly as a teen cohort.
📅 March🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
The Success Foundation with Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce
Workforce Discovery Lab
Two-week summer program for Highline Public Schools and Tukwila School District high school students with career tours, masterclasses and networking with local employers across the Seattle Southside cities.
📅 April🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
World Affairs Council of Seattle (Global Classroom)
World Citizen Essay Contest (World Affairs Council of Seattle)
An annual spring essay contest for Washington students in grades 3-12, with a separate 9-12 award division; essays of 1,000 words or less respond to a prompt on global issues and democracy.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Writers Workshop for High School (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
An introductory creative writing workshop exploring poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, spoken word and multimodal work, with peer feedback, a final portfolio and a class reading.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Writing Arguments That Matter (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Teaches high school students to build persuasive arguments, from choosing a topic and forming a research question to finding sources and writing a compelling essay.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Washington Youth & Teen Programs
Writing for College Readiness (UW Youth & Teen Programs)
Builds high school students' college-level writing skills through frequent practice in research, argument, revision and portfolio creation.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
Washington State Opportunity Scholarship
WSOS Career & Technical Scholarship
Scholarship of up to $1,500 per quarter for Washington residents, including students who earn a high school credential by June, entering eligible certificate, apprenticeship or associate degree programs in health care, STEM or trades.
📅 October🎓 Grade 12
Selective
University of Washington Foster School of Business with EY
Young Executives in our Community (YEOC) at UW Foster
A free nine-session Saturday program on the UW Seattle campus for Washington high school students, with business lectures, career exposure, college admissions and scholarship preparation, mentorship from professionals and competitions.
📅 May🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
YMCA of Greater Seattle
Youth & Government Washington State Conference (Seattle YMCA)
Teens join a delegation, prepare legislation during the school year, and take on roles from governor to legislator at the Washington State Youth & Government conference in Olympia.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
King County Parks
Youth Conservation Corps (King County Parks)
A paid summer internship for teens interested in public lands, environmental justice and environmental careers, with hands-on ecological restoration in a King County park, field trips and an independent creative project.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Pacific Education Institute
Youth Engaged in Sustainable Systems (YESS)
A career-connected program in which high school students join paid natural resource crews through participating school districts in restoration ecology, aquaculture, urban forestry, forest management and water resources.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation
Youth Heritage Project (YHP)
Free overnight field school for high school students exploring the history, culture and nature of Washington's special places through hikes, museum tours and site visits, plus a real-world community project.
📅 May🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Youth in Focus
Youth in Focus Creative Career Cohort
17-week in-person photography and career-readiness program in Seattle for BIPOC students ages 15-19 (sophomores through seniors) with technical photo skills, commercial projects, mock interviews and a portfolio.
📅 November🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Seattle Aquarium
Youth Ocean Advocates (Seattle Aquarium)
The Seattle Aquarium's high school volunteer program in marine conservation and advocacy, with Tides, Currents and Breakers levels covering interpretation, beach cleanups, community science and advocacy projects.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Youth Summer Internship at the UW Botanic Gardens
A paid summer cohort that prepares teens for environmental careers, with visits with environmental professionals across the Puget Sound region, outdoor education work with children and a team project in the Arboretum.
📅 May🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Northwest Youth Corps
Youth Urban and Community Forestry Crews - Tacoma (Northwest Youth Corps)
A five-week paid day program for ages 15-18 in which crews of eight youth and two adult leaders work on urban forestry projects in Tacoma city parks, public lands and community gardens, with training in conservation, hand tools and wildfire prevention.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Seattle Children's Research Institute
Youth Voice Research Liaison Program (Seattle Children's)
A hybrid, paid program in which high school students learn research methods, ethics and data analysis, then consult with Seattle Children's research teams on study design, outreach and recruitment for youth-relevant projects.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 10–12
Selective
Wing Luke Museum
YouthCAN (Wing Luke Museum)
The museum's free afterschool arts program for high school students, where teens work with teaching artists to explore identity and culture and produce creative work for a group exhibit in the Frank Fujii Youth Gallery.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo Guide High School Volunteer Program (Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium)
Teens in grades 9-12 train as Zoo Guides who talk with guests about animals, conservation and environmental topics during the summer season at the Tacoma zoo.
📅 Varies🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective

Nationwide programs open to Washington students

University of Pennsylvania
Academic English & University Readiness Academy
Two-week residential academy at Penn for non-native English speakers. Students do university-style work: reading, lectures, discussions, research and group projects, ending in a final presentation. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
⏱ 2 weeks (July 26 - August 8, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP)
AEOP High School Apprenticeship Program
Students work alongside Army scientists and engineers on cutting-edge research projects in world-class laboratories.
⏱ 8 weeks📅 Early March🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)
AFSA National High School Essay Contest
An essay contest designed to engage students in thinking about peace and conflict resolution.
📅 February 15🎓 Grades 11–12
Selective
Carnegie Mellon University
AI Scholars at CMU
Free AI-focused summer program for rising seniors underrepresented in computing.
⏱ 4 weeks (summer)📅 February🎓 Grade 11
Selective
AI4ALL
AI4ALL Open Learning
Girls in grades 6-12 learn AI and Python through interactive virtual classes.
⏱ 2 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Mathematical Association of America
AIME
Invitational round for top AMC scorers. 15-question, 3-hour exam that gates the USAMO. No fee for invited students.
⏱ 3 hours📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Freedom Forum
Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference
An all-expenses-paid journalism conference for one student from every US state and DC.
⏱ 1 week📅 February 15🎓 Grade 11
Selective
Amazon
Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship
Scholarship for high school seniors planning to study computer science in college.
⏱ 4 years scholarship📅 December 1🎓 Grade 12
Selective
Mathematical Association of America
AMC 10/12
The entry-level American Mathematics Competition. Top scorers qualify for AIME and the path to the USAMO. Open to all US high schoolers; school registration required.
⏱ 75 minutes📅 November🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
ACSL
American Computer Science League (ACSL)
A multi-division computer science competition covering both theory and programming.
⏱ School year📅 November 30🎓 Grades 9–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
American Sign Language and Deaf Culture Online Seminar
Two-week online seminar (daily Zoom sessions) teaching basic ASL conversation and narrative skills in an immersion setting, plus Deaf community perspectives through vlogs, lectures and a panel of Deaf professionals. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
⏱ 2 weeks (July 13 - 24, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Highly Selective
Amgen Foundation
Amgen Scholars Future Track
Free online biotech simulations and pipeline programs preparing high schoolers for biomedical research.
⏱ Self-paced📅 Rolling🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Apple Inc.
Apple Swift Student Challenge
Swift coding competition hosted by Apple to showcase creativity and app development skills.
⏱ 1 month📅 February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Berklee College of Music
Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive
The world's premier summer performance program for contemporary music, including jazz, rock, and pop.
⏱ 5 weeks📅 March 1🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
University of Pennsylvania
Astronomical Techniques Research Academy
Two-week residential academy at Penn. Students learn observational astronomy and data analysis, build simple cameras and spectrometers, observe the Sun and stars, and analyze data with Python. Current 9th-11th graders; non-credit.
⏱ 2 weeks (July 11 - 25, 2026)🎓 Grades 9–11
Moderate
NCWIT
Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC)
Award for girls and non-binary students in computing, providing recognition and a cash prize.
⏱ One-time📅 April 15🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bard College at Simon's Rock
Bard College at Simon's Rock Young Writers Workshop
A 3-week residential program where students engage in creative and analytical thinking through literature and history.
⏱ 3 weeks📅 April 1🎓 Grades 10–12
Moderate
MIT Lincoln Lab
Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI)
Free MIT-led project-based courses in AI, robotics, cybersecurity.
⏱ 4 weeks (summer)📅 Early February🎓 Grade 11
Selective
ELASH / Bebras US
Bebras Computing Challenge (US)
An international computational thinking and informatics competition. Students can take the test remotely or through a local school coordinator.
⏱ 45 minutes📅 Early February🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective
Bennington College
Bennington Young Writers Awards
A prestigious creative writing competition for students to win cash prizes and publication.
📅 January 12🎓 Grades 9–12
Selective

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