How to Register for the Brain Bee
Registering for the International Brain Bee means entering the neuroscience competition through a local or regional chapter, then advancing tier by tier. This page walks through the five steps to enter, who qualifies, and how registration works in China.
Your entry begins with one region
Every Brain Bee journey starts locally. Registration connects a student to a regional chapter, then opens a pathway through national competition toward the international stage.
How do you register for the Brain Bee?
Your route into the Brain Bee, tier by tier. To use our registration service and receive the entry form, scan the WeChat code and add a teacher.
You register for the Brain Bee by entering through a local or regional chapter, which is the entry point for the whole competition. The International Brain Bee, founded in 1998 by Dr. Norbert Myslinski at the University of Maryland, runs on three tiers: a local or regional round, a national championship, and the World Championship. Entrants join at the local tier and advance by winning. Follow the five steps below to enter the current season.
Who is eligible to register for the Brain Bee?
Anyone in the eligible grade range can register for the Brain Bee, and no prior neuroscience coursework is required. The International Brain Bee has historically described itself as a competition for school students in grades 5 to 12 (roughly ages 10 to 18), and it sorts entrants into two divisions by grade.
Junior Division
Open to students in grades 5 through 8. The Junior division introduces younger students to neuroscience through an age-appropriate written round at participating regions.
Standard Division
Open to students in grades 9 through 12. The Standard division is the classic Brain Bee track that leads, tier by tier, toward the IBB World Championship.
One entry per season
Two rules apply almost everywhere. A student may enter only one local chapter per season, and a student may represent their country at the World Championship only once.
When are deadlines, and how much does it cost?
Deadlines and fees for the Brain Bee are set each season by the organiser running your round, so there is no single fixed date or price.
Registration windows are announced yearly, commonly opening months ahead of the spring rounds, and they close well before competition day. Because the schedule resets each year, always confirm the current window with your chapter or national committee.
Fees vary by region. Many local rounds are free to enter. In the United States, for example, local chapters are not permitted to charge competitors a registration fee, while some regions or national tiers charge a modest amount to cover materials and venue costs. Confirm any fee before you plan.
6–11 November, tentatively
The International Brain Bee currently lists the 2026 World Championship as a virtual event connected with Neuroscience 2026 in Washington, D.C. Competitors cannot register directly: they must first win their national Brain Bee. Confirm updates on the official IBB website.
How do students in China register for the Brain Bee?
Students in China register for the Brain Bee through the national committee, which follows the same three tiers as the rest of the world. Entry is usually handled by a participating school. If a school is not a registered base, the committee opens an individual registration channel during a set window. Students who want our registration service can scan the WeChat code to add a teacher and receive the entry form.
The China pathway runs regional and national rounds before the national champion advances to the World Championship. The official China site states that the 2026 activity has ended and that 2027 information is expected in September 2026, so students should wait for that announcement rather than reuse an old deadline.
2026 concluded; 2027 notice expected in September
See the China region page for the full pathway, or verify the next registration notice on the official China Brain Bee site.
Choose the Brain Bee support you need
We provide competition registration service and the entry form, periodic RMB 9.9 trial classes, complete Brain Bee tutoring, and a free level assessment.