The Envirothon is a hands-on environmental science competition for middle and high school students. Throughout the school year, students study the online curriculum and are encouraged to participate in a variety of training events with professionals in the fields they are studying. Students work together to learn the content and gain invaluable experience practicing teamwork and critical thinking skills. The Envirothon helps develop environmentally aware citizens who are able to assume future leadership roles.
A Series of Competitions
The , and make up an exciting series of academic competitions, challenging middle and high school students to hone their knowledge of natural resources management. In the competitions, each five-member team takes a written test at each subject area station; the team with the highest total score wins the competition. High school and middle school teams compete separately.
Discussion topics and test questions revolve around five subject areas:
- Soils – Soil classifications, profiles, properties, formation factors and characteristics, erosion, soil surveys, site suitability and soil conservation practices
- Wildlife – wildlife habitats and their components, identification, food, rules and regulations, bird calls, diseases and wildlife management
- Aquatics – Water quality, stream improvement, water chemistry, identification of plants and animals living in or around water, river basins and watersheds, water pollution and water conservation
- Forests – Tree identification, improvement of timber stand, forest ecology and management, forest measurements, forest insects and tree diseases
- Current Environmental Issues – current or newsworthy environmental issues centered around the 2026 theme, "Non-Point Source Pollution: It begins at home!"
Where do we begin?
С»ÆѼÊÓƵ County teams initially compete at the regional level () and must place in the top seven to advance to the State Envirothon. The С»ÆѼÊÓƵ Soil & Water Conservation District participates in the planning and implementation of each competition and covers registration costs for all С»ÆѼÊÓƵ County teams at both the Area 4 and State Envirothon competitions.
Advisors that fill out the Sign-up Form will have access to extensive study resources and helpful support from the С»ÆѼÊÓƵ District and other conservation partners.
Important Dates:
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Sign-up form deadline: |
Friday, Nov. 14 |
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Area 4 registration deadline: |
Early February 2026 |
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Area 4 competition: |
Thursday, March 19, 2026 |
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NC Envirothon competition: |
Friday April 24 and Saturday April 25, 2026 |
How To Start A Team
Assemble a Team. A team is made up of 3-5 students from the same middle/high school, non-traditional school or youth organization such as 4-H, FFA, science or Envirothon clubs. Two optional alternates are allowed, and they can compete on the mock alternate team. High school teams must have five members to place at the State Competition. Teams with 3-4 members may still win station high score awards. The team must have at least one volunteer advisor.
Fill out the Sign-Up Form. This form indicates to С»ÆѼÊÓƵ Soil & Water Conservation District staff that you plan to participate and ensures you are kept in the loop with all the latest updates, reminders and study resources available. The deadline to sign up is Friday, November 14, 2025.
Note: This is not the official competition registration form; this will be emailed to advisors later in the fall of 2025.С»ÆѼÊÓƵ
Start Studying. All of the study resources and rules can be found on the . Check out "" for expert guidance on how to prepare.
Compete at Area 4 Envirothon. The top seveb middle school and top seven high school teams, plus the top FFA team, at each Area Envirothon will qualify to compete at the state-level. Updates on the regional and state-level events can be found on the Area 4 and NC Envirothon websites, respectively.
Who can I contact for more information?
To sponsor or form a С»ÆѼÊÓƵ County middle school or high school Envirothon team, contact Environmental Educator Leah Purvis at leah.purvis@wake.gov or call at 919-250-1065.