What is Brain Bee?
In 1998, Dr. Norbert Myslinski from the University of Maryland founded the USA Brain Bee. Since its establishment, the Brain Bee competition has motivated high school students to learn about the brain and pursue careers in neuroscience. The competition is broke up into three tiers: local, national, and international. Winners of local Brain Bee competitions move on to compete in the USA National Brain Bee Championship. The first, second, and third place winners of the USA Brain Bee Championship are awarded $1,500, $1,000, and $500, respectively. The first place winner of the national Brain Bee Championship will further advance to represent the USA in the International Brain Bee Championship. More information can be found on the USA Brain Bee website.
Princeton Brain Bee
Welcome to Princeton’s Brain Bee Chapter, the regional chapter of the USA Brain Bee championship! Princeton hosts the Regional competition annually, in which high school students are invited to take part in to share their neuroscience knowledge. For more information about Brain Bee, please visit here. For more information on our exam this year, please see the information below:
2026 Princeton Brain Bee Competition
Date: February 7th, 2025 8AM – 4PM
Location: Princeton Neuroscience Institute
2026 Princeton Brain Bee Competition Format
All participants will first take part in a written exam based on the Brain Facts book (2018 ed). The written component will be scored in one hour while students enjoy a lunch break. Following lunch, the top 20 scorers will move onto an exciting oral round, with answers judged by Princeton faculty and researchers. The winner of this round will move onto the National Brain Bee for a chance to represent the USA in the International Brain Bee!
Registration
Registration for the 2025 Brain Bee is currently open here! The form will be opened until February 1st, 2025 11:59PM.
Review Sessions
- In December, PNN hosted a variety of Jeopardy!-style review sessions over Zoom to help participants prepare for the competition.
- Review sessions roughly align with chapters from the 2018 Brain Facts Book.
- All review sessions have been hosted, but session recordings and materials for participants to use for review can be found here.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the competition free?
Yes! There is no cost to participate in the Princeton Brain Bee!
- Can I participate in multiple Regional Brain Bee competitions?
You can only participate in one Regional Brain Bee per year. Participant registration is compared with other Regional Brain Bees to prevent multiple competitions.
Winners of the only previous year’s Brain Bee is not permitted to compete again.
- Why should I compete in the Brain Bee?
It’s a fun way to test your knowledge and a great way to meet students who are also interested in the field of neuroscience!
- I still have questions! Who can I reach out to?
Please direct any questions or concerns to Ann Hinrichs (ah5028@princeton.edu) or Sarah Hu (sarah.hu@princeton.edu)