Where Brilliance Meets Boldness
The NAACP’s Olympics of the mind and the arts, now competing in Acadiana. Fifty years of Black excellence — and a stage of our own.
The Program
The Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics is the NAACP’s yearlong achievement program for high school students — founded in 1978 on a simple conviction: that young people who excel in a laboratory or on a page deserve the same recognition we give athletes.
Students don’t just show up and perform. They spend the school year working with mentors, coaches, and working artists, building a piece or a project to competition standard. In March, they take the stage in Lafayette. Local gold medalists advance to the national competition at the NAACP National Convention, where national gold medalists earn scholarships.
Open to high school students in grades 9–12 who are U.S. citizens and amateurs in their category. There is a place here for you.
Compete In
Stage
Dramatics·Oratory·Spoken Word·Vocal Music·Instrumental Music·Dance
Page
Written Poetry·Short Story·Playwriting·Music Composition
Studio
Filmmaking·Photography·Drawing·Painting·Sculpture
ACT-SO runs 33 categories nationally. Lafayette leads with the creative and artistic slate; STEM, business, and culinary categories open as student interest and mentors surface — tell us what you want to compete in.
The Path
01
Fall 2026
Students sign up and are matched with a mentor or coach in their category. Families get a full orientation before any of the work begins.
02
Winter
Workshops and coaching sessions run from late fall into spring: real craft, real feedback, and a piece or project built to compete.
03
March 13, 2027
Judged by degreed and working professionals in each category, on ACT-SO’s 100-point national standard. Gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded.
04
July 2027
Local gold medalists represent Lafayette at the national ACT-SO competition, held at the NAACP National Convention. National gold medalists earn scholarships.
Student Sign-Up
Official registration follows NAACP rules this fall. Signing up here puts your student on the roster list and gets your family the orientation details first. This goes straight to the program team and nowhere else.
Mentors, Judges & Sponsors
Every category needs a panel of three judges — degreed or working professionals in the field. Every student needs a coach. And every line of this program, from workshops to medals to sending our gold medalists to nationals, can carry a name.