Science
Original research or an engineering solution to an environmental problem — and a defence of your method in front of judges. By a distance the largest discipline at GENIUS.
Environmental project olympiad
GENIUS Olympiad — projects that change the world
An international high-school project competition built around environmental issues, spanning nine disciplines — from science and AI to art, film, music and entrepreneurship. New Zealand students apply through Vertex, present at the regional round in Sydney, and the best projects qualify for the global finals in Rochester, New York, with university scholarships on the line.
High school
9 disciplines
Sydney round: 6–8 Nov 2026
Finals: Rochester, New York
Nine disciplines
Science to short film
Rochester, NY
Global finals, June
Up to US$20,000
RIT scholarships
66+Countries at the finals
2,723Projects submitted in 2025
9Project disciplines
~30%Acceptance rate
Nine disciplines
Every kind of talent. One environmental mission.
GENIUS stands for Global Environmental Issues and Us, and the name is the brief: every discipline connects to a real environmental challenge. Pick the one that fits how your child thinks and creates.
Artificial Intelligence
Machine learning and data analysis pointed at an environmental problem — an agent that actually does something useful, not a demo of someone else's model.
Coding
Software that solves an environmental issue. This one runs in two stages: an online qualifier first, then a 24-hour hackathon at the finals.
Robotics
A robot that does real environmental work — engineering and research, not a kit build. Demonstrated live in the arena at the Sydney round.
Entrepreneurship
A sustainable business that solves an environmental problem, taken from concept to a plan with a revenue model — and a pitch that holds up under questioning.
Art
Photography, poster design or mixed media that makes people look twice at an environmental issue. Solo entry, and the work must be the student's own.
Music
An original composition or performance that moves an audience on an environmental theme. Covers don't count — it has to be the student's own writing.
Short Film
Documentary, narrative or animation aimed at changing how people behave. Screened in person at the finals, so it has to work on a big screen.
Speech
A prepared, persuasive speech delivered live to the judging panel. The shortest brief on the list and, for a lot of students, the hardest one.
Key dates
The 2026–27 season
The Sydney regional round is close — projects need to be moving now.
Now
Choose a discipline & start the project
Register your interest and we'll help pick a discipline and shape a competitive project.
Late Oct 2026
Application deadline
Project documentation and the NZ$99 entry are submitted ahead of the regional round. We'll confirm the exact cutoff with registered families.
6–8 Nov 2026
Regional round — Sydney
Students present their projects to the judging panel. Top projects in each discipline qualify for the global finals.
Jun 2027
Global finals — Rochester, New York
Hosted at St. John Fisher University. Qualifiers compete against peers from 66+ countries for medals, special awards and RIT scholarships. The week also includes a Niagara Falls trip and an international culture fair at no extra cost.
At the global finals
Medals, scholarships and a way in
GENIUS is one of the few school competitions where placing can change what university costs. Gold medallists become eligible for a renewable scholarship to Rochester Institute of Technology.
Gold
Gold medal, certificate of excellence, a share of the prize fund, and eligibility for an RIT scholarship worth up to US$20,000 a year, renewable.
Silver
Silver medal and a certificate of merit, in the discipline the project was entered in.
Bronze
Bronze medal and a certificate of achievement, in the discipline the project was entered in.
Best Innovation
Best Presentation
Social Impact
Best Junior Project
Every entrant at the global finals receives a certificate of participation.
How Vertex helps
We handle the details. You focus on the learning.
1
Find the angle
We help your child pick a discipline and an environmental problem they genuinely care about — the projects that place are the ones with heart.
2
Mentor the project
Research method, build quality, documentation — regular mentoring keeps the project honest, original and on schedule.
3
Nail the application
We walk you through the paperwork, formats and deadlines so the application does the project justice.
4
Present with confidence
Judges ask hard questions. We rehearse the presentation and defence — for Sydney, and for New York if you qualify.
Questions?
GENIUS Olympiad FAQs
GENIUS is a high-school competition — broadly Years 9–13 in NZ terms. Some disciplines are solo entries, others allow small teams. You don't need to be a Vertex member; if your teenager has a project (or the beginnings of one), talk to us.
Yes — every discipline has an environmental focus at its core, from a science experiment on water quality to a short film about waste. That constraint is the point: it forces original thinking about problems that actually matter.
Strictly. Projects must be the student's own original work — AI chatbots may not write research papers, music must not be covers, and art and film must be the entrant's own. Students must be able to defend their methodology in front of judges, and compliance is checked at the event.
Entry through Vertex is NZ$99 per project. That covers the application itself and the work of getting it in — picking a discipline, meeting the format rules and hitting the deadlines. Travel to the Sydney regional round is separate and arranged by families, and if a project qualifies for the global finals in Rochester, that trip is a further and much larger cost. Nothing is payable until you've decided to enter.
Register Interest
Put your project forward for GENIUS 2026–27
Tell us who's keen — with or without a project idea — and we'll come back with disciplines, mentoring options and deadlines. Entry is NZ$99 per project, payable only once you've decided to go ahead.
You're on the list!
Thanks — we've noted your interest in the GENIUS Olympiad and we'll be in touch with disciplines, deadlines and next steps.
Registering interest doesn't commit you to anything — it just means we'll keep you in the loop for this season.