Wharton High School Data Science Competition
Presented by
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! New to the competition or need help getting started? Join us for the first informational webinar of the season, designed to answer your foundational questions before you hit the ice.
This session will walk through how to register your team, understand key deadlines and timelines, and get your team together. Please note: This webinar will not review or discuss the competition data or the prompt. Have questions about the prompt or competition structure? Participating teams can join the Q&A Webinar on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at 9:00 AM EST for an opportunity to ask questions and dive deeper into the competition. |
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 7:00 PM EST Access the webinar here. |
| 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. Please note: We recognize this date falls within the Lunar New Year and Ramadan. 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