The Competition

The Competition

The NCF-Envirothon is an annual competition for high school-aged students conducted over five consecutive days every summer during July or August. To expose students to diverse environmental issues, ecosystems, and topography the North American Envirothon is hosted in a different location each year. Teams from participating states and Canadian provinces, who have won their state or provincial event, compete for recognition and scholarships by demonstrating their knowledge of environmental science and natural resource management. The teams, each consisting of five members, work to demonstrate their knowledge of environmental science and natural resource management at five training/testing stations.

Training for the NCF-Envirothon begins well in advance of the actual event. Each team arrives at the NCF-Envirothon as a result of extensive training and superior performance at local and/or regional and state/provincial Envirothon competitions.

At the conclusion of the competition, scores are combined for final ranking and awards distribution

Station Training/Testing

At the NCF-Envirothon, teams are evaluated on their performance at each of the following training/testing stations−Soils/Land Use, Aquatic Ecology, Forestry, Wildlife, Current Environmental Issue .

Information about the training/testing sites is made available by the NCF- Envirothon Committee each spring. In advance of the competition, teams begin training by increasing their knowledge of site-specific soil composition and structure, aquatic and terrestrial fauna, plant species composition and structure, and the current environmental issue chosen for that year's competition. Once they arrive at the competition, a day of on-site training is provided by local natural resource professionals to allow each team an opportunity to familiarize themselves with each site and ask site-specific questions.

On testing day, each team is subject to a 45 to 60 minute written test conducted by cooperating agencies and/or independent environmental professionals at each station. The tests are comprehensive in nature and reflect the scientific methodology utilized in each field. Teams are expected to be familiar with common field instrumentation and must be capable of using both imperial and metric measurements.

Current Environmental Issue

Each year, the NCF-Envirothon features a different current environmental issue for station testing. Two years in advance of the competition, the host state/province proposes several current environmental issues to be approved by the NCF-Envirothon Representatives (NCFEOP) . From the proposed issues, the NCFEOP elects a well-researched and documented current environmental issue, which is applicable to most participating states/provinces.

Examples of current environmental issues chosen for the NCF-Envirothon events include:
· Urban Non-Point Source Pollution
· Introduced Species and Their Effect on Biodiversity
· Agricultural Land Conservation and Preservation
· Natural Resource Management in the Urban Environment

Current environmental issues to be used in upcoming NCF-Envirothon competitions are announced no less than two years in advance of the applicable competition. To find out the current environmental issue for this year's competition, visit the Current Competition section of the website, and for the current environmental issue for upcoming competitions, visit the Future Competition section.

Oral Presentations

Being able to orally communicate natural resource material is crucial in addressing environmental problems/issues, particularly in situations where collaborative efforts are required to develop practical solutions and effect change. READ MORE...

Judges’ Criteria/Scoring

One of the best ways to prepare for a competition is to increase your understanding of the judging criteria. READ MORE...

Future Host Guide/Handbook

The Event Information Guide includes a basic listing of tasks and responsibilities for future hosts of a NCF-Envirothon North American event. NCF- Envirothon - The Future Host Guide

Policies

Program Policies Adopted July 29, 2015 (Amended:October 2020) The National Conservation Foundation Envirothon Annual Competition shall be conducted under the approved Program Policies, as provided by the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), the National Conservation Foundation Envirothon Operating Committee (NCFEOC) and the Host (group assigned to coordinate and deliver the NCFE Annual Competition). In accordance with applicable civil rights laws, the National Conservation Foundation Envirothon (NCFE), its offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering NCFE programs are prohibited from and shall not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by the NCFE.