CISC 2026 Theme

CISC, the Science Contest, is designed to explore scientific principles and their applications in addressing real-world problems. It inspires young minds to ask questions, experiment, and discover how things work. Strong science learning supports more advanced skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation.

• Science contest nurtures curiosity and encourages students to explore how and why things work, making science meaningful beyond the classroom.
• It develops critical thinking, experimentation, innovation and problem-solving skills, helping students build a strong foundation for future.
• The expectations in this contest align well with the science curriculum. Students are encouraged to explore and apply core scientific processes including observation, questioning, experimentation, and analysis. The contest emphasizes three key areas: understanding scientific concepts and principles, applying the scientific method to investigate and solve problems, and effectively communicating scientific ideas.
• CISC questions focus on age-appropriate problems to meet the students' expectations as outlined in curriculum goals.

• Eligibility: Grades 3-8
• Contest Dates: April 1-12, 2026
• 2 Contest Levels - Grades 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8
• Online Test Format: 50 multiple-choice problems and a written-answer problem within 60 minutes.
• Logistics: The contest will be held online.
• Practice Content: Optional practice content is available to all students for free. Though not mandatory, it offers additional enrichment opportunities to the students. The focus is on solving questions that allow students to analyze problems & design solutions.
• Practice tests are available for students to attempt similar problems

All contest participants are eligible for the following awards:

• Gold Awards: Top 1% of students for each contest level. The award includes a customized medal & e-certificate.
• Silver Awards: Top 2-3% of students for each contest level. The award includes a customized medal & e-certificate.
• Bronze Awards: Top 4-6% of students for each contest level. The award includes a customized medal & e-certificate.
• Honors Award: Top 7-10% of students for each contest level. The award includes a customized medal & e-certificate.
• Certificate of participation: Given to all participants​.

* Because of the resources, CKSTEM will not pay for the international shipping to the schools. Awards will be sent to Canadian students, including schools and all other paid students. Students will also have an opportunity to join us in an award ceremony in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

School Registrations: School teachers are responsible for proctoring students in school. Contest for a school grade must be proctored at the same time. If students take the contest at different times, only the first set of students will be considered for the awards. Up to 15 minutes of variation in start time is acceptable.

Individual Registrations: CKSTEM will proctor students who enroll for the contests directly with CKSTEM. Students are expected to use two devices with working cameras. Students must take the contest on a laptop and share the camera from this device on Zoom. The Second device is required to show the room from a different angle on Zoom. Honesty is the best policy. CKSTEM will provide multiple slots for the students to choose from during the contest period.

• If you are a school staff interested in participating, you can find the registration package here. You may also contact us at info@ckstem.org. All contests are free for school registrations. We need a minimum of 5 students for school registrations. We need a minimum of 5 students for school registrations.
• If you are an individual participant, you can enroll here. You must first create an account if you don't have it at our contest portal already. You can find instructions on how to create your account at https://www.competitivekids.org/blog/registration. There is a fee of 20 CAD for individual students.

You can download the Canadian Innovation Contests (CIC) brochure from here.