Timeline and Dates
The competition will take part in three phases, as listed below, which begin once registration is completed.
See Deliverables and Judging Criteria for more details about the components of each Phase.
| Stage | Details | Date & Time |
|---|---|---|
| Registration Opens | Registration for the Wharton High School Data Science Competition begins. | Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025 9:00 AM EST |
| Registration Closes | Final deadline to register before teams hit the ice. | Wednesday, Jan 28, 2026 9:00 AM EST |
| Informational Webinar* | *New this year! Learn more about the competition! Get your questions answered about registration and the timeline before you hit the ice. | Wednesday, January 14, 2026 7:00 PM EST |
| Prompt & Data Delivery Opens | Competition prompt and data released to all teams. | Monday, Feb 2, 2026 9:00 AM EST |
| Q&A Webinar | Opportunity to ask questions about the prompt and competition structure. *We recognize this date falls within the Lunar New Year. Teams will have the opportunity to send questions to staff for discussion during the Webinar ahead of time. All teams will be sent a transcript of the Webinar regardless of Webinar attendance. |
Thursday, Feb 19, 2026 9:00 AM EST |
| The competition consists of three phases. See Deliverables and Judging Criteria for more details. | ||
| Phase 1: Ice Hockey Performance Predictions | Teams submit initial analysis and predictions. | Due Monday, Mar 2, 2026 9:00 AM EST |
| Phase 2: Semifinals – Slide Presentation | Semifinalist teams deliver a slide-based explanation of their approach. | Due Monday, Mar 23, 2026 9:00 AM EDT |
| Phase 3: Finals Presentations (Top 5 Teams) | Top 5 teams present their findings live. | Monday, Apr 13, 2026 4:00 PM EDT |
*Subject to time zones