Congratulations to the 2026 Nebraska Science Olympiad STATE CHAMPIONS!
What AMAZING young scientists we have in Nebraska!
We wish them the best of luck!
Scientists in Action! (Check back for more photos soon.)
TOP 10 Winners!
Feature Story of the Year
After learning about a new event added this year—Hovercraft—two seventh-grade students from Elba Public Schools were all in. They were eager to get started but lacked the funds needed to purchase materials for their build.
Undeterred, the students presented their case to the school’s PTO and successfully secured funding for supplies. Their excitement was evident from the start—their coach shared that they were already sketching designs and planning where to set up their track in her classroom before the materials had even arrived.
They soon encountered a setback when they learned that the Hovercraft event would not be offered at their regional Science Olympiad tournament. Inspired by their determination, their coach stepped in, driving them two and half hours to the Omaha Science Olympiad tournament early one Saturday morning in March—where they took first place.
With that success behind them, they advanced to the Nebraska State Science Olympiad Tournament, where they faced seasoned teams from across the state. Despite the tough competition, their hard work paid off with an impressive fifth-place finish.
Their coach believes she has two young engineers on her hands—and she couldn’t be prouder. She says that they are already diligently entering ideas into their lab notebook for their 2027 hovercraft device.
Congratulations to these outstanding students from Elba Public Schools. You are the reason we do this work.
Nebraska Science Olympiad 2026 is a wrap!
The Nebraska Science Olympiad is a rigorous academic competition for middle and high school students, designed to inspire and empower Nebraska’s young STEM talent. This year, Nebraska supported 94 teams, with 54 advancing to the State Tournament. 538 middle and high school students competed at the state tournament in 23 challenging Science Olympiad events in each division, including written exams, laboratory experiments, and device-building and testing activities.
Please reach out to Deanna Johansen if you would like to start a team at your school or volunteer at any Nebraska Science Olympiad tournament in 2027.