Question 1

HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE?

Accepted Answer

To participate, all you need to do is fill in a quick registration form and follow the required guidelines.

Question 2

WHAT IS THE RESEARCH TOPIC FOR SARC?

Accepted Answer

SARC is unique in that participants can research any topic they want! Researchers can choose a topic they’re passionate about, something they wish to dive deeper into, or something they want to study in university. The only limit is the extent of their creativity and imagination.

Question 3

WHAT IS THE TIMEZONE FOR SUBMISSION DEADLINES?

Accepted Answer

All documents are to be submitted by 23:59 GMT+0.

Question 4

WHEN IS SARC 2026?

Accepted Answer

SARC 2026 occurs from April through May 2026.

Question 5

AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Accepted Answer

SARC is open to all high school students aged 13-18. We also accept entries from 9th graders who have yet to turn 13, as well as recent high school graduates who are taking a gap year and are not enrolled in university credits.

Question 6

WHAT IS THE COMPETITION FORMAT?

Accepted Answer

SARC 2025 will run across April and May, and is split into two rounds. In the 1st round, all participants must submit a 1-2 page research proposal based on the guidelines mentioned on the website. In the 2nd round, the top 50 finalists from the 1st round will have to submit a 1.5-2 minute video pitch on their research proposal.

Question 7

WHAT ARE THE KEY DATES?

Accepted Answer

Early Bird registration opens on January 1st.
Early Bird registration closes on March 8th.
Regular registration open on March 9th.
Regular registration closes on April 17th.
Bootcamps begin on April 18th.
Assessment form submission deadline April 24th.
Proposal submission deadline is on April 30th.
Qualification Winners are announced on May 6th.
Video pitch submission deadline is on May 12th.
Global Winners are announced on May 20th.

Question 8

HOW MUCH IS IT TO REGISTER FOR SARC 2026?

Accepted Answer

Early Bird Registration Fee is $15/student
Regular Registration Fee is $20/student

Question 9

HOW DO I PAY THE REGISTRATION FEE?

Accepted Answer

The registration fee can be paid at the last step of the registration form by any credit/debit card (just like online shopping). Our payment portal is secure and we don't save any card details.

Question 10

HOW DO I SUBMIT MY RESEARCH PROPOSAL?

Accepted Answer

All registrants will receive an email from the SARC team with the submission link a week before Research Proposals are due. If you don't receive any email, kindly add hello@researchcomp.org as a primary contact in your inbox and check your spam/promotions folder.

Question 11

WHAT IS THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL PAGE LIMIT?

Accepted Answer

The Research Proposal should not exceed 2 pages. Cover page, title, citations & references are not included in the 2 page limit.

Question 12

I HAVE NOT RECEIVED MY REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION.

Accepted Answer

Every participant will receive a confirmation email post registration. Please check your junk/promotions tab. Post-registration if you still haven't receieved anything, please email hello@researchcomp.org

Question 13

I AM NOT RECEIVING EMAILS, WHAT’S GOING ON?

Accepted Answer

Make sure to check your spam folder if you have used the correct email address. Registrations are not accepted from school emails and competition emails will be blocked. The competition is not responsible for changing your registration email address.

Question 14

WILL THE ESSAYS BE CHECKED FOR PLAGIARISM?

Accepted Answer

Yes, all submissions will be run through Turnitin to check for plagiarism. Your submission should be your original work. Any plagiarised work will be disqualified from the competition.

Question 15

HOW DO I KNOW SARC HAS RECEIVED MY RESEARCH PROPOSAL?

Accepted Answer

Upon your submission, we will be sending you a confirmation email within 5 mins. If you don’t receive it, email us on hello@researchcomp.org

Question 16

WILL I BE NOTIFIED IF MY RESEARCH PROPOSAL WAS FLAGGED FOR PLAGIARISM?

Accepted Answer

Participants will be notified if their research proposal has been marked as plagiarized and disqualified.

Question 17

CAN I REQUEST AN EXTENSION?

Accepted Answer

No, to ensure the competition is fair to all students, there will be no extensions. Any submission made after the stated deadlines will not be considered.

Question 18

WILL I RECEIVE A SCORE AND MARKED RUBRIC AFTER FIRST ROUND SUBMISSIONS?

Accepted Answer

No. Unfortunately we will not be providing scores, marked judging rubrics, or written comments for first round submissions as we do not have the capacity to provide this to everyone due to the immense amount of submissions.

Question 19

IS IT MANDATORY TO ATTEND ALL BOOTCAMPS?

Accepted Answer

While it is strongly encouraged for all participants to attend each of the webinars, it is not essential to attend them live. Students could have other preoccupations and those events may take place at inconvenient hours for some. Therefore, workshops will be recorded to enable them to be watched on replay.

Question 20

ARE BOOTCAMPS RECORDED?

Accepted Answer

The participant-exclusive bootcamps are available on-demand to better suit the varying time-zones and schedules of our participants.

Instructions and access will be provided to participants via email .

Question 21

HOW DO I CITE MY SOURCES?

Accepted Answer

At the end of your essay you should include a list of references in MLA style/APA 8.

Question 22

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I HAVE SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION?

Accepted Answer

You will receive a confirmation email that your submission has been received.

Question 23

WHAT HAPPENS IF I SUBMIT MORE THAN A 2 PAGE RESEARCH PROPOSAL?

Accepted Answer

Aside from the cover page, title and citations, anything over 2 pages will not be accepted.

SARC 2026 Results Are Now Live

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