Final team submission deadline will be April 30th, 2021.
Registration Fee: $190 per team
Teams are NOT limited to competing in one tournament or the other and MAY participate in BOTH virtual and in-person World Finals if they qualify to advance to World Finals by the rules of their State Association.
Teams are NOT limited to competing in one tournament or the other and MAY participate in BOTH virtual and in-person World Finals if they qualify to advance to World Finals by the rules of their State Association.
Odyssey of the Mind understands that people are concerned about traveling and attending an event during the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency. The well-being of the OMers who participate in our program and the families that support them is our highest priority and we would not be conducting this event if we did not believe whole-heartedly that it can and will be done in a safe manner. After all, Odyssey of the Mind is about creative problem solving and this is the biggest problem we’ve ever had to solve. We humbly request that those of you that have doubts please be patient and explore our full list of COVID-19 precautions, which will be published shortly.
Odyssey of the Mind has been the world’s greatest creative problem-solving program since its beginning, in 1978. What started as a project for students in a single industrial design class has grown into a world-wide program that has reached multiple generations, allowing students to learn, develop, and employ skills related to teamwork, resource management, designing and making, divergent thinking, and so much more. Odyssey of the Mind provides students with a place to learn today’s creative problem-solving skills while having fun!
Please choose your path below.
If this is your first visit, we look forward to helping you start your odyssey into creative problem-solving!
If you are a returning team member or volunteer, welcome back.
Helpful links regarding how to combine performance and explanation videos for virtual tournaments have been added to the Virtual Team Resources page, which can be found under the Teams tab.
February 22, 2021
Problem-specific explanation video guidelines have been posted in the Virtual Tournament Procedures. The lists for each problem are key components that judges must be able to see and understand to score teams effectively. This list is only for teams performing virtually.
February 9, 2021
Program-wide General Clarifications have been posted for ALL Long-Term Problems and a problem-specific General Clarification has been posted for Problem 5: Superhero Socks: A Cliffhanger
January 25, 2021
Several General Clarifications have been posted for Long-Term Problems recently. Teams should check the Clarifications section of our website often to understand any refinements or additional insights into their problem limitations and requirements.
One General Clarification has been issued for Problem 3: Classics… OMER and the Beanstalk, and another has been issued regarding ALL virtual performance videos. Please visit your Long-Term Problem’s clarifications to read these updates.
December 14, 2020
Virtual Tournament Procedures, team lists, and guidance on creating your virtual team submission can now be found in a combined Virtual Team Resources page. The full Virtual Tournament Procedures will remain on this separate page and are the official procedures for virtual competition.
Virtual Tournament guides for officials are available in the Volunteers Corner section, under the Downloads > Tournament tabs.
November 18, 2020
A General Clarification has been posted which applies to all problems. Additional General Clarifications have been issued for Problem 4 and Problem 5. Visit our Clarifications page to read these and all other clarifications.
With the inclusion of virtual tournaments to the 2020-21 Odyssey of the Mind year, Odyssey HQ has made a minor change to Spontaneous performances. Teams had previously been limited to five team members participating in the solution but now the entire team may contribute to Spontaneous solutions. For the full text of this change and to see ALL program rules and procedures, please consult the Program Guide.
September 2, 2020
Current members may now submit team-specific clarificiation requests through our recently-redesigned Clarifications page. The deadline for submitting clarification requests is February 15, 2021.
August 27, 2020
Are you having trouble envisioning what a virtual Odyssey of the Mind performance looks like? Visit our newest page to see some of the ways that your team can capture your solution for virtual submission, all of which meet our virtual performance guidelines.
August 24, 2020
The updated Program Guide for 2020-21 is now available for all to view, in two formats. You can view and download the entire document (PDF) or visit our new page which allows you to quickly jump to the section(s) you’re looking for. This guide is intended for use by coaches and teams in Odyssey of the Mind. It contains the general rules for competition and will help them understand our program.
