The American Rocketry Challenge is the world’s largest rocket contest with nearly 5,000 students nationwide competing each year. The contest gives middle and high school students the opportunity to design, build and launch model rockets and hands-on experience solving engineering problems.

ARC is organized by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry with the support of over a dozen aerospace company sponsors and partnerships with organizations including NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. The annual challenge is the aerospace industry’s flagship program designed to encourage students to pursue academic and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math.

What are the Rules

• Teams are made up of 3 to 10 students between 6th and 12th grade, a supervisor, and an official Rocketry Challenge mentor.
• The rules vary slightly each year to provide a new challenge to competitors. 

Scholarship Amount: $20,000 (10 awards)

Application Deadline: December 6, 2025