Hello coaches,
The tournament is coming up at the end of this week! In preparation for the 2026 Golden Gate Science Olympiad Invitational on Saturday, January 31st, we would like to share some important tournament details. As a reminder, you can view prior major announcements here.
You can view the Coaches Packet here. Please review the packet carefully and in its entirety.
A summary of its contents is below:
Remind will be our primary mode of communication during tournament day (though we will also follow important Remind announcements with an email). To join our class, text the code @ggso2026 to the number 81010 or input the code into the join site. A maximum of two representatives (coaches, captains) per team may join.
Check-in begins at 8:00 AM at Sapp Teaching and Learning Center (STLC Commons), where you will be able to pick up your Coaches Packet that contains student wristbands (required for competitors), arbitration forms, and all information from the Coaches Packet document linked above. After checking in, head to your homeroom or set up your base camp and settle in.
Note: students must have wristbands on in order to compete, and we will hand out wristbands according to the number of signed liability waivers we receive/have received.
See the full event schedule for our impound and block schedule. It will soon contain a new sheet that outlines what times each team is assigned to for self-scheduled events.
The Awards Ceremony will take place in Memorial Church. Doors will open at 4:15 PM, and due to space constraints, chairs are reserved for competitors and one coach per team only. The ceremony will conclude by 7:30 PM, after which coaches can pick up graded exams and score sheets from Shriram UTL 112.
Note: Tests will be released to each team following the Awards Ceremony only if homerooms are in satisfactory condition.
The weather looks clear on Saturday, but please continue monitoring and prepare accordingly for transporting devices, etc.
The event map can be viewed via the Coaches Packet or Google Maps. A parking map can be found here. For check-in, buses may park at Stock Farm Lawn or drop off students at the locations indicated here. Please note that buses cannot enter the Oval, or they may be ticketed and escorted off campus.
No food is allowed in homerooms, and homerooms must be vacated by 4:45 PM. Unfortunately, we must enforce the food rule very strictly to avoid facing fines. Note that custodians will be monitoring the homerooms and checking trash bins for food waste. If the weather is as forecasted, we hope your team can grab a bite to eat outside instead — here are some of our food/drink recommendations.
Free WiFi is available through Stanford Visitor.
Everyone must abide by the “never alone” policy, which states that there should never be a minor alone in a room with one adult at any time — nor should a minor ever be forced into a one-on-one situation with a volunteer, event staffer, or other adult. We take this very seriously; if you see a violation of this policy, notify headquarters in Shriram UTL 112 immediately.
Additionally, here are some details regarding Hovercraft and Helicopter:
Thank you for reading through all these reminders and updates. Please be sure to review the Coaches Packet in its entirety. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, and we look forward to seeing you at Stanford!
Links
Tournament Emails
Coaches Packet
Homerooms
Event Schedule
Awards Ceremony
Event Map
Virtual Map
Parking Map
Bus Map
Food Recommendations
Email Us
Hello all,
As we approach the tournament, we’d like to share a few event-specific updates and reminders!
Two Google forms must be completed for the Chemistry Lab, Forensics, and Materials Science events to comply with Stanford policy for lab usage. Both forms must be completed by Friday, January 16, at 11:59 PM PT.
All coaches should complete the GGSO Lab Safety form, submitting one response per team. Coaches should forward the information in this form to students, as they will need it to complete the second form (the UTL Lab Safety form).
Next, each Chemistry Lab, Forensics, and Materials Science competitor must submit the UTL Lab Safety form. Detailed submission instructions can be found within the GGSO Lab Safety form.
Before the competition, all Engineering CAD competitors must create an Onshape account. Once registered, please have students submit their account information in this Google form (one response per team). As a reminder, all competitors are expected to provide their own laptop and mouse for the event.
Event modification: Each team should bring 2 Class II calculators to this event.
Due to space constraints on campus, some event rooms may not be ADA-accessible. If there are students on your team(s) who require accessibility accommodations, please let us know which events they are participating in ASAP so we can ensure that these events are assigned to ADA-compliant spaces.
Lastly, show support for this year’s tournament by purchasing GGSO 2026 merchandise! If you are interested in buying a shirt, crewneck, or hoodie, our apparel store is located here. We are also excited to introduce stickers and totes, available at this link.
We’re looking forward to seeing you all later this month! Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.
Links
GGSO Lab Safety Form
UTL Lab Safety Form
Onshape Form
Apparel Store
Accessory Store
Email Us
Hi GGSO Community,
We hope you’ve been enjoying your winter break! We’re contacting you today with some quick reminders about upcoming dates.
The final day to submit mandatory rosters is Wednesday, December 31st, 2025. Details can be found here. Completed documents for all team members should be scanned into one PDF and submitted by the coach through this Google Form.
Additionally, self-scheduled event sign-ups open on Friday, January 9th at 4:00 PM PT and close on Friday, January 16th at 11:00 PM PT. Sign-ups will take place via ESUS, and coaches have been emailed their login information.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!
Links
Submission Instructions
Submission Form
ESUS
Email Us
Hi GGSO Community,
As a reminder, our form submission deadline is Wednesday, December 31st, 2025. If the deadline falls during your winter break and your team anticipates difficulty submitting during that time, please plan to complete the forms beforehand.
Every team member must complete the following two individual forms. These forms should be completed by the team member’s parent or guardian if the team member is under 18.
Form 1: (Individual) GGSO Waiver
Form 2: (Individual) Stanford Waiver
Every participating team must submit a team roster.
After collecting all team members’ forms and filling out the team roster, each coach must submit via this Google Form.
We hope you all get some much-needed rest this holiday break. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!
Links
GGSO Waiver
Stanford Waiver
Team Roster
Submission Form
Email Us
Hi GGSO Community,
As we get closer to the tournament, we would like to give some reminders and updates.
There are various forms due by Wednesday, December 31st, 2025, so please remind your competitors to complete them as soon as possible. Details can be found here. Completed documents for all team members should be scanned into one PDF and submitted by the coach through this Google Form.
A compilation of all tournament emails can be found here. A folder with all publicly available documents and information can be found here.
The event list can be found here, and the event schedule can be found here. We will follow State-level rules and National-level conflicts for all events.
This year’s self-scheduled events are Boomilever, Bungee Drop, Electric Vehicle, Helicopter, Hovercraft, and Robot Tour. Self-scheduled event sign-ups open on Friday, January 9th at 4:00 PM PT and close on Friday, January 16th at 11:00 PM PT.
Sign-ups will take place via ESUS, and coaches have been emailed their login information. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns regarding this process (e.g., “coach did not receive ESUS login info”).
GGSO has a new merchandise store, which is now open and accessible here! Show your support for this year’s tournament by purchasing a shirt, hoodie, or sweatshirt!
As always, please feel free to reach out with questions or concerns.
Links
Submission Form
Tournament Emails
Public Folder
Event List
Event Schedule
ESUS
Merch Store
Email Us
Hi GGSO Community,
This is a reminder that the general volunteer application for the 10th annual Golden Gate Science Olympiad Invitational at Stanford (hosted on Saturday, January 31st, 2026) is due on December 4th, 2025, at 11:59 PM PT. The link to the application can be found here.
GGSO, directed entirely by Stanford and Berkeley students, is the West Coast’s premier Science Olympiad invitational and will be hosting nearly 1000 high school students from 60 teams across the country. For those unfamiliar with Science Olympiad, it functions like an academic track meet with 23 different events in all areas of science and engineering, including topics such as astronomy, Earth science, and cryptography. Science Olympiad is the nation’s largest team-based science competition for middle and high school students!
No prior Science Olympiad experience is required to apply! General volunteers help the day run smoothly by assisting with grading exams, setting up, monitoring students, and other day-of activities. Volunteers will also receive a free GGSO T-shirt, guaranteed transportation to and from Stanford campus on tournament day (for Berkeley students), all-you-can-eat snacks (while supplies last), and free lunch!
If you are interested in advancing science education, need volunteer hours, or are just excited to get involved with a fun science competition, we’d love to have you.
Links
2026 Volunteer Form
Email Us
Hi GGSO Community,
We hope you are all doing well and getting excited for Thanksgiving break! As we get closer to the tournament, we would like to give some friendly reminders and updates.
Every team member attending the 2026 tournament (including alternates and spectators) must have two individual forms on file. These forms should be completed by the team member’s parent or guardian if the team member is under 18.
Form 1: (Individual) GGSO Waiver
Form 2: (Individual) Stanford Waiver
Every participating team must submit a team roster.
After collecting all team members’ forms and filling out the team roster, each coach must submit via this Google Form. The deadline to submit is Wednesday, December 31st, 2025.
Every school (regardless of how many teams) should fill out the Google Form exactly once. In the Google Form, you will be asked to select one of two options:
You may scan all forms and upload them as normal. Additional instructions for scanning are provided in the Google Form.
You may scan only the team roster(s) and elect to bring physical copies of the waiver forms to us on tournament day. Simply check the corresponding option on the Google Form and note that, due to strict university regulations, we will only hand out wristbands according to the number of completed forms we have on file. Please only select this option if you are confident that you won’t forget to bring your forms.
Please note that we will destroy submitted documents immediately after the tournament, in case you have any concerns about the information we are gathering. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
Links
GGSO Waiver
Stanford Waiver
Team Roster
Submission Form
Email Us
Hi GGSO Community,
This is a reminder that the ES/TC application for the 10th annual GGSO Invitational at Stanford (hosted on Saturday, January 31st, 2026) is due on October 6th, 2025, at 11:59 PM PT. The link for the application can be found here. Please note that these roles are only available to students who have graduated from high school.
If you have prior Science Olympiad experience, consider applying to be an Event Supervisor (ES) or Test Committee (TC) member. Event Supervisors are responsible for writing the tests and supervising competitors on tournament day, while Test Committee members evaluate test drafts prior to tournament day.
As an added plus, all in-person volunteers will also receive a free GGSO t-shirt, guaranteed transportation to and from Stanford campus on tournament day (for Berkeley students), all-you-can-eat snacks (while supplies last), and free lunch!
Thank you all for your continued interest in running our tournament. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions!
Links
2026 ES/TC Form
Email Us
Hi GGSO Community,
This is our final reminder regarding registration for the 2026 Golden Gate Invitational. Registration can be completed via this Google Form by tomorrow, September 27th at 12:00 PM PDT. Head coaches, keep an eye on your inboxes following the deadline for further updates about team status and our feedback form!
Links
2026 Registration Form
2026 Tournament Involvement Form
Email Us
Hi GGSO Community,
This is a reminder that registration for this season’s Golden Gate Invitational closes in 2 days, September 27th at 12:00 PM PDT, via this Google Form. Please note that we are no longer using Scilympiad this year. Head coaches will be emailed regarding the status of their team(s) shortly after registration closes.
We understand that our transition from Scilympiad may have caused some confusion in the registration process. Keep an eye out for our feedback form in a future email; we’d greatly appreciate your input to ease the process next season. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns!
Links
2026 Registration Form
2026 Tournament Involvement Form
Email Us
Hi GGSO Community,
This is a reminder that registration for the 2026 Golden Gate Invitational will open tomorrow, September 20th, 2025 at 12:00 PM PDT via this Google Form. Please note that we are no longer using Scilympiad this year. Spots are limited, so be sure to sign up fast! Our tournament is capped at 60 teams total.
Links
2026 Registration Form
Email Us
Hello GGSO Community,
The 10th annual Division C Golden Gate Science Olympiad Invitational will be hosted in person at Stanford on Saturday, January 31st, 2026! Registration details will be announced in an upcoming announcement.
This is the first time GGSO will be hosted at Stanford, and we’re so excited to create an unforgettable competition experience for all teams at the “Farm”. To help us plan for this season’s invite, please let us know your Awards Ceremony preferences via this form.
Feel free to email us with any questions or suggestions. We can’t wait to welcome you to Stanford campus!
Links
Email Us
Hello GGSO Community,
We hope you all are doing well! We are sending out a reminder that the application for the 2025-2026 GGSO Board of Directors is due in two days on Friday, May 30th at 11:59 PM PST.
More information can be found on the application form linked above, including the positions we are actively recruiting for. We’re excited to read your applications, and as always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
Links
Email Us
2025-2026 Board Application
Hello GGSO Community,
The application for our 2025-2026 GGSO Board of Directors is now live!
We’re looking for UC Berkeley and Stanford students, including but not limited to those of the incoming class of 2029, who are passionate about improving the caliber of STEM education and interested in running the 2026 Golden Gate Science Olympiad Invitational. More information can be found on the application form linked above, including the positions we are actively recruiting for. Applications are due Friday, May 30th at 11:59 PM PST.
We’re excited to work with you this upcoming season! As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Links
Email Us
2025-2026 Board Application
Hello GGSO Community,
All tests and keys from our recent tournament have been added to this Google Drive folder and are now publicly available.
As a reminder, please let us know if tests from other schools were accidentally filed with yours. We can coordinate test exchanges by scanning and emailing tests to the correct schools.
Thanks again for attending the 2025 GGSO Tournament, and we hope to see you all again next year!
Links
Email Us
Tests and Keys
Hello GGSO Community,
This is our second-to-last update before tournament day, and we’re looking forward to hosting you all at Berkeley this Saturday on February 22nd, 2025! This message contains additional details regarding the competition. You can view a list of all major announcements here.
Please make sure you have reviewed the update sent on Wednesday, February 12th containing the Coaches Packet and other important information. You can view the update here – __important action items__ (such as joining the Remind) are included!
We’re excited to announce that several organizations and academic departments will have booths at GGSO! Check out Wheeler lobby throughout the day to meet representatives from Stanford Chemical Engineering, the Stanford Materials Research Society, and the Stanford Optics Society! (Stay on the lookout for cool demos as well!)
Our team has prepared several fun activities for students to participate in during the day, including:
We will reach out with a final update closer to tournament day. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!
Links
Email Us
Panda Express Flyer
ShareTea Flyer
Coaches Packet
Event Schedule
Awards Schedule
Event Map
Hello GGSO Community,
It’s officially the month of our tournament! In preparation for the 2025 Golden Gate Science Olympiad Invitational on Saturday, February 22nd, we would like to share some important tournament details.
You can view the Coaches Packet here. Please review the packet carefully and in its entirety. A summary of its contents is below:
This will be our primary mode of communication during tournament day; we will use Remind to send updates and answer any questions you ask. To join our class, text the code @ggso2025 to the number 81010 or input the code into the join site. A maximum of two coaches per team may join.
Check-in begins at 8:00am in the lobby of Wheeler, where you will be able to pick up your Coaches Packet that contains student wristbands (required for competitors), accident and arbitration forms, and all information from the Coaches Packet document linked above. After checking in, head to your homeroom and settle in.
See the full event schedule for our impound and block schedule. Check Scilympiad to view the self-scheduled times your team signed up for!
The Awards Ceremony will take place in Pauley Ballroom. Doors will open at 5:30pm, and due to space constraints, we ask that parents stand at the back. The ceremony will conclude by 7:30pm, after which coaches can pick up graded exams and score sheets from Wheeler 120.
The weather looks clear on Saturday, but please continue monitoring and prepare accordingly for transporting devices, etc.
The event map can be viewed via the Coaches Packet or Google Maps. A parking map can be viewed here. For check-in, bus parking is first come, first served at West Circle/Crescent parking (cars may not park in this lot), and there are also street parking and parking garage options.
No food is allowed in homerooms, and homerooms must be vacated by 4:30pm. Unfortunately, we must enforce the food rule very strictly to avoid facing a $5,000 fine. Note that custodians will be monitoring the homerooms and checking trash bins for food waste. If the weather is as forecasted, we hope your team can grab a bite to eat outside instead — here are some of our food/drink recommendations.
Free WiFi is available through Berkeley-Visitor.
Everyone must abide by the “never alone” policy, which states that there should never be a minor alone in a room with one adult at any time — nor should a minor ever be forced into a one-on-one situation with a volunteer, event staffer, or other adult. We take this very seriously; if you see a violation of this policy, notify headquarters in Wheeler 120 immediately.
Sign-ups will close at the end of this week (i.e., Sunday, 2/16 at 11:59pm PST), so please complete them ASAP.
Thank you for reading through all these reminders and updates. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, and we look forward to seeing you at Berkeley!
Links
Email Us
Coaches Packet
Homerooms and Team Numbers
Event Schedule
Awards Schedule
Event Map
Parking Map
Food/Drink Recommendations
Golden Gate Science Olympiad is run by Golden Gate Science League, a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Questions? Interested in sponsoring? Joining us as a student at Stanford or UC Berkeley next year? Shoot us an email to get involved with our team!