State Tournament

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.

Division B:

Division C:

STEM Expo

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Announcements

Schedules

2026 State Tournament Schedule

State Qualifiers & Team Numbers

Minors on Campus

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

Opening Ceremony – Friday

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 on the Photo Consent Form.

Registration & Wristbands

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.

Photo Consent Form: Must be turned in for each team at registration. This form is the same as Regionals, but we must have it submitted again.  Alternates must be included. One major difference to note on the Photo Consent Form is that parents must agree to allow their children’s picture to be taken.

Avogadro

Avogadro access for coaches and instructions on self-scheduling was 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.

You CANNOT leave large food take out items in your homebase rooms (i.e. empty pizza boxes, etc).

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 provided here – a pre-purchased parking pass is required for Friday. Permits are not available for purchase until Friday, April 18.  Parking on 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″.  

Merchandise

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