State Tournament

The 2026 State Tournament will be held on April 17-18, 2026!

Tournament Date

April 17-18, 2026

State Director

Lisa Giacomelli

Location

NC State University

Scores

*Appeals & Scoring Inquiries are only accepted from the Head Coach. We do not respond to score inquiries from parents and/or students. If you have a concern, reach out to your Head Coach who will then reach out to NCSO staff.

Minors on Campus

Minors MUST be accompanied at all times while on campus. See expectations for bringing minors to NC State.

Opening Ceremony – Friday

The Opening Ceremony on Friday begins at 5 pm in Reynold’s Coliseum. The expectation is for all teams to attend this ceremony. Priority floor seating will be given to teams attending the Opening Ceremony. Each team is provided 1 row of 17 seats. Rows are first come, first serve. Once floor seats are full, teams can overflow into the red bleachers on the sides of the floor. FPOWs will also sit in the bleachers on the sides of the floor. Only competitors (wearing wristbands) and head coaches (wearing issued lanyards) will be permitted on the arena floor of Reynolds. Parents and spectators must sit upstairs. The front row on each side is reserved for our 2025 Coach of the Year Award winner teams.

What is the Parade of Champions?

Attire: Fun, movie-themed, general team spirit

Expectations: Coaches are to sit with students and monitor the noise level during the ceremony. Students are to be quiet and attentive. Team rows must be kept CLEAN, especially the floor. Candy, confetti, anything sticky, glitter are strictly prohibited.

Closing Ceremony – Saturday:

We expect all teams to attend the Closing Ceremony on Saturday. You must be present at the Ceremony to pick up awards. We do not mail medals or trophies.
Each team is provided 1 row of 17 seats. Rows are first come, first serve. Once floor seats are full, teams can overflow into the red bleachers on the sides of the floor. FPOWs will also sit in the bleachers on the sides of the floor. Only competitors (wearing wristbands) and head coaches (wearing issued lanyards) will be permitted on the arena floor of Reynolds. Parents and spectators must sit upstairs. The front row on each side is reserved for our 2025 Coach of the Year Award winner teams.

Attire: Formal or semi-formal (including suits with jackets or ties or dresses, nice pants or tops) – echo Hollywood’s biggest night

Expectations at Reynolds Coliseum

Only competitors (wearing wristbands) and head coaches (wearing issued lanyards) will be permitted on the arena floor of Reynolds. Parents and spectators must sit upstairs.

Teams are assigned a home base location on campus. Teams may NOT set up for the day anywhere in Reynolds Coliseum.

Team Alternates

Teams (not FPOWs) may bring 2-4 alternates to States. Alternates may compete in Trial Events and they must be included in Avogadro and have a completed Consent Form on file.

Registration & Wristbands

The head coach will need to register and pick up team wristbands from the Registration table in Reynold’s either Friday (starting at 1 pm) or Saturday morning (starting at 7:30 am). Students cannot compete without a wristband. Wristbands are not needed for Trial Events.

Wristbands are not needed for impound – anyone can impound (drop off) a device for the team.

If you arrive late and the Registration table is closed, you can register at the NCSO Team Headquarters in Reynolds – ask at the merch table where it is located.

Consent Form: (Google Form) Must be submitted for each participant. This form is the same as Regionals and does NOT need to be completed again if it was completed for Regionals. If any students join your team who did not compete at Regionals, make sure they complete a form. Alternates must be included.

Avogadro

Avogadro access for coaches and instructions on self-scheduling will be emailed to coaches.

Trial Events

Trial events will be self-schedule events and spots are limited, first come, first serve. Coaches will receive information via email on how to register students for trial events. One pair of students per school may participate in each trial event.
FPOWs are also welcome to do trial events.
Medals are earned for Trial Events, but the results are not included in the Overall Team Score.

Hotels

We do not have reserved blocks of rooms for States, but we do recommend the “Cary Crossroads” area, which you can easily search. This area is close to campus, has lots of easy parking, restaurants, and (maybe most importantly) is close to both a Lowes & Home Depot for whatever breaks on the bus.

Food

Talley Student Union, Fountain Dining Hall and Clark Dining Hall will be open both Friday and Saturday. NC State is a cashless campus.

Fountain Dining Hall – Science Olympiad Reservations

Homebases

Each team is assigned a home base room where you can spend the day. However, it is your responsibility to keep that room in PRISTINE condition. We recommend taking a photo of the room when you arrive to make sure everything is in its place when you leave. Home bases MUST be cleaned up and clear before the start of the Award Ceremony.

Eating in home base rooms is NOT permitted. There are plenty of indoor and outdoor spaces on campus where you can enjoy food and snacks.

Home Base Requirements:
- DO NOT move furniture or any items in the classroom. Put any chairs back where they belong after use.
- Eating in home base rooms is NOT permitted.
- DO NOT write on boards.
- DO NOT leave large items in classroom garbage. Take garbage with you or find the dumpster.
- Clean up the floor.
- Wipe table/desk tops after use.

Before the start of the Award Ceremony, we will personally walk through every home base classroom to make sure it is pristine. If classrooms are not left in proper condition, your team will not be eligible to earn awards that day. The team may also be prohibited from participating in NCSO in the future.

Parking

Parking instructions are linked here – a pre-purchased parking pass is required for Friday prior to 5 pm. Parking after 5 pm on Friday and all day Saturday is free on campus and open anywhere that isn’t 24-hour reserved. The Reynolds parking deck is the easiest place for most people to park. Reynolds Coliseum Parking Deck clearance is 6’9″.

Parking Pass Instructions for Friday

Merchandise

We will have fun merch available for purchase in the lobby of Reynolds – card purchases only!

WolfAlert

Campus visitors are encouraged to download the OnCampus App so that they can receive WolfAlerts while on campus. Once you download the app, go into the settings and turn on WolfAlert notifications.