General Guidelines

Iowa Science Olympiad State Tournament

This webpage outlines general guidelines to ensure a safe and organized environment during the Iowa Science Olympiad (IASO) State Tournament, hosted by the College of Engineering at Iowa State University. All participants, coaches, mentors, spectators, event supervisors, and volunteers are encouraged to review these guidelines to support a positive experience for everyone involved.

The following topics are covered on this page:

• Code of Conduct & Code of Ethics
• Team Qualification, Size, and Alternates
• Logistics
  • Timeline and Team Registration
  • Invitationals: Hosting and Participating
  • State Tournament: Event Cancellation, Campus Safety, and Parking
• Scoring
  • Appeals and Arbitration
  • Awards and Advancement
• Spectators (families, guardians, etc.)
• Required Forms
  • Youth & Adult Consent and Release Forms
  • Team Roster Form (must include participant’s grade level and be signed by school principal)
• Iowa Science Olympiad Contacts

Code of Conduct & Code of Ethics

• All participants, coaches, volunteers, and spectators are expected to act with honesty, respect, and sportsmanship.
• Cheating, harassment, or disruptive conduct may lead to team disqualification or other team sanctions.
• All work during the event must be student-led. Violations may lead to disqualification. Additional details can be found on the National Science Olympiad Building and Tools Policy.
• Practicing with built or designed devices at the State Tournament event venue is not allowed, unless the State Director coordinates and communicates for all teams to have access.
• Adult coaches, mentors, and spectators are encouraged to support and guide students but may not interfere during competition or enter event rooms unless authorized.
• For further detail, please review the National Science Olympiad Code of Ethics and General Rules and the CEO’s Code of Conduct Letter.

Team Qualification, Size, and Alternates

• Up to 15 students per team and up to three teams per school unless otherwise noted. Participants must be from the same school and can only compete on one team and one division each school year.
  • Division B (Middle School) maximum of five (5) 9th-grade participants (can be from feeder school)
  • Division C (High School) with maximum of seven (7) 12th-grade participants
• Alternate Team Members Policy
  • Up to 5 students per team may serve as alternates
  • Wristbands: will be provided a different color wristband than team members if they are still alternates
  • Alternates may impound devices and participate in Trial Events (if held)
• For the full policy on team makeup, please visit: Team Qualification and Team Size & Grade Levels

Logistics

Timeline

• Tuesday, September 2, 2025: Rules Released AND Iowa Early Registration opens
• Sunday, November 30, 2025: Early Registration closes
• Monday, December 1, 2025: Regular Registration opens
• Thursday, January 15, 2026: Regular Registration closes
• Sunday, February 15, 2026: Last day to cancel team registration and receive a full reimbursement
  • Coaches must confirm the team has not AND will not participate at in-person or virtual invitationals before a reimbursement is issued
  • Once confirmed, reimbursements will be processed by ISU Registration Services within 10 business days
• Saturday, February 28, 2026: Payment receipt deadline
• Friday, March 13, 2026, 4:00 PM to Saturday, March 28, 2026, 4:00 PM: Teams sign up for self-schedule events
• Saturday, April 11, 2026: Iowa State Tournament, Ames, IA

Team Registration

Iowa registration fees include the required National Science Olympiad membership dues of $75, and is required to participate at the Iowa State Tournament and any Invitationals. Only the first and second teams are eligible to compete at the State Tournament. All teams can compete at the Invitationals.

Invitationals

Invitationals allow teams to participate in tournaments that do not impact regional or state advancement or rankings, but may serve as practice or preparation before the State Tournament. There are many Invitationals held both in person and online. If your Iowa team is interested in hosting an invitational, the head coach must contact the Iowa State Director via email for approval, iowascioly@iastate.edu. For more information about hosting or participating in Invitationals, please visit the National Science Olympiad – Invitationals website.

Event Cancellation

• The State Tournament may be canceled due to causes and conditions beyond the organizers’ control, including, but not limited to, inclement weather, acts of nature, government restrictions, and/or any other cause beyond the event organizers’ control.
• Organizers will communication as soon as possible, but encourage teams to refer to local news and radio for current county advisories.  
• If an event is canceled from the original date, it may be postponed to a later date, but still hosted in person. This will depend on the hosting location’s availability, volunteer capabilities, and other considerations.

Campus Safety

• We want our Iowa State University events to be safe and enjoyable for all.
• In the event of an emergency, please call 911. For non-emergencies, contact the Iowa State University Police Department at 515-294-4428 or the Ames Police Department at 515-239-5133.  
• Should there be a need to evacuate the building (such as a fire alarm) or to stay in place (such as a blackout), please pay attention to and obey all announcements. There are emergency maps with emergency information posted throughout ISU buildings.  
• Please report all injuries and incidents to a volunteer at an information desk.
• Please ask team members to follow pedestrian signage and take care walking around campus and crossing streets. 

Parking

• Vehicle Parking: Please park in any of the following lots: 3, 6, 9, 10, or 29.
• Bus Parking: Iowa State Parking Division requires that all buses park in Lot 29, north of the Molecular Biology Building.
• For Parking Maps, please visit this webpage.

Scoring

At the conclusion of the IASO State Tournament Awards Ceremony, coaches will receive the final scores and team ranks. A team’s head coach has one hour from the end of the Awards Ceremony to submit compelling evidence of a scoring inconsistency using the online IASO Appeals Form. If the evidence is verified, the appropriate points, medals, and trophies will be awarded for that team only. Thinking that your team “did better” than scores reflect is not considered compelling evidence. Teams will not be asked to return awards or relinquish any points. Scores for the 2026 IASO State Tournament are not official until they are posted on this website. For more information, please see the National Science Olympiad scoring guidelines.

Appeals and Arbitration

Appeals for specific events must be submitted using the online IASO Appeals Form, following the below guidelines:

1. Only the Team Coach can submit an appeal. Appeals requested from anyone other than the Team Coach will not be accepted.
2. The Event Supervisor will tell the student event participants if a ruling is being made against them or their device at the time they are participating in the event (e.g., a penalty for a construction or rule violation). Student event participants are encouraged to ask questions to ensure they fully understand the ruling.
3. If the students have reason to believe that there is cause for an appeal, then they should speak with the Team Coach as soon as possible.
4. If the event is a build event, before leaving the event area, the student must respectfully inform the Event Supervisor that they intend to discuss a possible appeal with their Team Coach and ask to leave their device with the Event Supervisor.
5. Appeals should be submitted as soon as possible. The deadline to submit each appeal is ONE HOUR after the conclusion of the event being disputed.
6. Only specific rules, clarifications, or procedures that are believed to have been misinterpreted or misapplied can be appealed.
7. The Team Coach must consult with the Event Supervisor before submitting an appeal. The student participants should accompany the Team Coach to speak with the Event Supervisor.

The State Director and Appeals Committee will communicate with the Team Coach and resolve the appeal before the event scoring is finalized. The Team Coach will be notified once a ruling is made. The decision of the Iowa Science Olympiad State Director and Appeals Committee is final.

Awards and Advancement

The State Tournament will recognize 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams by event and overall for each division. Additionally, the overall 1st place team from each division will receive a bid to the National Tournament.

Spectators

We welcome coaches, mentors, alternate team members, families, guardians, and the public to stop by to see the amazing work teams are doing. Some events are not open to the public; please respect the venue and volunteers. The following Build Events are open to spectators: Boomilever B & C, Bungee Drop C, Electric Vehicle C, Helicopter B & C, Hovercraft B & C, Mission Possible B, Robot Tour C, and Scrambler B.

All spectators are welcomed to attend the Awards Ceremony. For a full schedule including room locations, please see the event page on our website.