Competition
March 13-15, 2026
Showcase Your Talent. Win Medals. Compete on the National Stage.
Complete this form to receive information about the 2026 ACT-SO Competition.
The NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African American high school students. ACT-SO includes 33 competitions in STEM, Humanities, Business, and Performing, Visual and Culinary Arts. Almost 300,000 young people have participated in the program since its inception. For over forty years the mission of ACT-SO has been to prepare, recognize and reward youth of African descent who exemplify scholastic and artistic excellence.
Medals & Prizes
Competition is open to all Metro-Detroit High School students.
Students are competing for medals, cash prizes and the opportunity to advance to the National NAACP ACT-SO Competition.
Gold Medal
Advancement to the National NAACP ACT-SO Competition with all expenses covered
Silver Medal
$350 PRIZE
Bronze Medal
$250 PRIZE
Business
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Culinary Arts
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Humanities
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Performing Arts
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STEM
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Visual Arts
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Business | Culinary Arts | Humanities | Performing Arts | STEM | Visual Arts |
NAACP Detroit Branch
& NAACP Detroit Youth Council Key Dates:
Click on the below dates for important deadlines and dates for competition.
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Application Due
STEM Paper Due
Humanities Submissions Due
Entrepreneurship Business Plan Due
Spoken Word Submission Due
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Business & Humanities Competitions
6:00 p.m. -
STEM, Visual Arts Competition
9:00 a.m.Performing Arts Competition
12:30 p.m. -
Culinary Arts Competition
Interested in competing in the NAACP Detroit Branch and NAACP Detroit Youth Council ACT-SO Competition?
Please follow these steps!
Review the 2026 Criteria below for the category(ies) you are interested in for competition.
Download and complete the application. Students may compete in up to three (3) categories, except for those competing in Culinary/Hospitality.
All interested competitors must complete the Statement of Integrity and return it with your application.
If you are competing in any of the following categories, please take note:
You must submit the business plan with your application.
You must submit your music composition, original essay, play, poem, short story with your application.
Spoken Word Only: You must submit your poem with your application.
You must submit your science paper and STEM Verification Form with your application.
Application Deadline is March 6, 2026
Submit the completed application in one of the following ways:
Via email: actso@detroitnaacp.org
Via fax: (313) 871-7745
Via mail:
NAACP Detroit Branch
Attn: ACT-SO
8220 2nd Avenue
Detroit, MI 48202
2026 Categories and Competitions
Students may compete in up to 3 competitions, except those competing in Culinary and Hospitality.
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Click on the category title to view the requirements.
Entrepreneurship
Refers to owning, organizing, and managing your own business by providing a necessary product or service.
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Click on the category title to view the requirements.
Culinary Arts
The creative practice of cooking. One who engages in the culinary arts, or a culinarian, is either called a cook or a chef, depending on their level of expertise.
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Click on the category title to view the requirements.
Music Composition
The science or art of arranging music by ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination or in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity.Original Essay
A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic.Playwriting
A literary composition developed for the stage.Poetry—Written
A composition, marked by language chosen for its sound, beauty, and evocative power.Short Story
A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic.
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Click on the category title to view the requirements.
Dance: Ballet
To perform a series of rhythmic and highly technical patterned bodily movements usually performed to music using grace and precision.Dance: Contemporary
To perform a series of rhythmic and technical patterned bodily movements usually performed to music.Dance: Modern
To perform a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music that focuses on the dancer’s interpretations using their emotions and moods to develop choreography.Dance: Cultural
To perform a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music to reflect the life of the people of a certain region or country.Dramatic Arts: Acting
The art of staging or acting plays.Music: Instrumental—Classical
The art of performing with a device used to produce music with tones of the late 18th and 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation.Music: Instrumental—Contemporary
The art of performing with a device used to produce music with the tones of the present.Music: Vocal—Classical
The art of performing with the human voice rhythmic tones or sounds of the late 18th and 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation.Music: Vocal—Contemporary
The art of performing with the human voice rhythmic tones or sounds to produce music with the tones of the present.Oratory
The art of effective written, and oral presentation to persuade or inform. (This is not a dramatic presentation.)Spoken Word—Performance
An original poem or prose, written by the contestant, performed as a monologue or exchange involving extemporization.
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Click on the category title to view the requirements.
Artificial Intelligence & Computer Science
The science that deals with exploring the principles and practices behind programming/coding, artificial intelligence, and the transformation of data through computational methods.Architecture
Plans for and models of structures and outdoor spaces.Biology/Microbiology
The science of life or of the origin, structure, reproduction, growth and development of living organisms collectively.Chemistry/Biochemistry
The science that deals with the composition, structure and properties of chemical processes and phenomena of substances and the transformation that they undergo.Earth & Space Sciences
The body of sciences that include geology, mineralogy, physiographic, oceanography, meteorology, climatology, astronomy, speleology, seismology, geography, etc.Engineering
Projects that directly apply scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses.Mathematics
The science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, and abstractions of spaced configurations and their structure. Development of formal logical systems, or various numerical and algebraic computations, and the application of these principles.Medicine & Health
The study of diseases and the health of humans and animals.Physics
Theories, principles, and laws governing energy and the effect of energy on matter.
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Click on the category title to view the requirements.
Drawing
The art of representing forms and figures on a surface by means of lines executed by hand or computer (digital) generated processes.Filmmaking
The art and process of making motion pictures.Painting
Art created by applying pigment on a two-dimensional surface with a brush, knife, or hand, and/or the manipulation of digital processes with a computer.Photography
The process, art, and technique of capturing images with an analog or digital camera.Sculpture
The art of making three-dimensional forms or designs.
FAQ’s
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The NAACP's Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students.
ACT-SO includes 33 competitions in STEM, humanities, business, and performing, visual and culinary arts. Almost 300,000 young people have participated from the program since its inception.
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ACT-SO was founded in 1978 by author and journalist Vernon Jarrett. The program is intended to provide recognition to young people who could demonstrate academic, scientific, and artistic achievement, allowing young people to gain recognition equal to that often achieved by entertainers and athletes.
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Students of African descent who are U.S. citizens enrolled in grades 9-12 and are amateurs in the categories are eligible to participate.
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The ACT-SO program is an enrichment program. Over the course of each year students work with local volunteer instructors and mentors to develop projects and participate in enrichment opportunities, including workshops, tutorials and field trips specific to their competitions.
The local ACT-SO competitions and ceremonies showcase the results of the students’ hard work. Competition winners receive medals and prizes provided by the local and regional sponsors and contributors. The local Gold Medalists advance to the national competition and have the opportunity to receive scholarships and other rewards provided by national sponsors.
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ACT-SO is a community-based program that provides multiple opportunities for involvement. Community members may participate as: Chairpersons, mentors, sponsors, organizers, competitors, benefactors, educational partners, etc.. The program receives support from schools, local businesses, community organizations, churches, foundations, major corporations and individuals. For more detailed criteria and information about how to get involved, please contact the National ACT-SO office.
Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, President
Ms. Kamilia Landrum, Executive Director
LaToya Henry, Program Chair, ACT-SO
NAACP Detroit Branch and NAACP Detroit Youth Council ACT-SO Program Sponsored By:
