About this competition
The American Rocketry Challenge (formerly the Team America Rocketry Challenge, or TARC) is the world's largest student rocket contest. Teams of 3-10 students in grades 7-12 design and build a rocket that must launch a payload (one or two raw eggs) to a target altitude, stay airborne for a specified flight duration, and land the payload unbroken.
Roughly 1,000 teams enter each year. The top ~100 advance to the National Finals at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia in May. The first-place team represents the U.S. at the International Rocketry Challenge at a major international airshow (Paris, Farnborough, or Le Bourget). The top 25 finalists are invited to NASA's Student Launch initiative.
Strong fit for students drawn to physics, aerospace engineering, and team-based hardware projects. Industry sponsorship from AIA, NAR, defense and aerospace primes means scholarship pathways are real.
Season & deadlines
Annual cycle: registration opens in early fall (~September), qualifying flights run through April, National Finals in May.
Season window: September through May.
Cost
$125 — Team registration fee. Many states/regions offer sponsorship grants — check your local section.
Prizes & outcomes
Top 10 split $100,000+ in cash prizes ($20,000 to 1st place). Top 25 invited to NASA Student Launch.
Past winners
Browse the complete list of winners by year — every district that named a winner is listed.