Building excellence beyond the classroom.
ACT-SO brings together high school students, mentors, and community volunteers to develop academic projects, creative work, and performances through a yearlong program leading to local and national competitions.
Your next chapter starts here.
ACT-SO brings together high school students, mentors, and community volunteers to develop academic projects, creative work, and performances through a yearlong program leading to local and national competitions.
Ready to share your talent? Sign up for ACT-SO’s GOT TALENT, a showcase where high school students can take the stage, express their creativity, and connect with Atlanta’s ACT-SO community. Whether you sing, dance, act, perform spoken word, or have another talent to share, this is your opportunity to shine and learn more about the 2026–2027 ACT-SO program.
This form expresses interest in the program. It is not official competition registration.
Explore the disciplines & categories
Expand the discipline to see the categories. Click the category to view the competition rubric.
STEM
ARCHITECTURE: The art and process of designing and building structures.
BIOLOGY/MICROBIOLOGY: The science of life or of the origin, structure, reproduction, growth, and development of living organisms collectively.
CHEMISTRY/BIOCHEMISTRY: The science that deals with the composition, structure, and properties of chemical processes and phenomena of substances and the transformation that they undergo.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & COMPUTER SCIENCE: The science that deals with exploring the principles and practices behind programming/coding, artificial intelligence, and the transformation of data through computational methods.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES: The body of sciences that includes geology, mineralogy, physiography, oceanography, meteorology, climatology, astronomy, speleology, seismology, geography, etc.
ENGINEERING: The use of scientific and mathematical principles to design, test, and build machines, structures, and processes to solve problems.
MATHEMATICS: The science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, and abstractions of spaced configurations and their structure.
MEDICINE AND HEALTH: The study of diseases and health of humans and animals.
PHYSICS: Theories, principles, and laws governing energy and the effect of energy on matter.
PERFORMING ARTS
DANCE – BALLET: Performing a series of rhythmic and highly technical patterned bodily movements demonstrating your mastery of formal ballet technique, artistry, and musicality.
DANCE – CONTEMPORARY: Performing a series of rhythmic and highly technical patterned bodily movements to contemporary/popular music.
DANCE – MODERN: Dance that is performed through a series of improvisation, expressive gestures, and unconventional movements from your emotion/feelings and
interpretation of your selected music.
DANCE – CULTURAL: Perform rhythmic and patterned body movements to music that reflects the culture or life of the people from a certain tribe, region, or nation.
DRAMATIC ARTS – ACTING: The art of staging or acting plays.
MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL – CLASSICAL: Perform classical music from the Western Hemisphere using a musical
instrument of your choice with or without accompaniment.
MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL – CONTEMPORARY: The art of performing with an instrument of your choice to produce
contemporary music with the tones of the present.
MUSIC VOCAL – CLASSICAL: Perform classical music from the Western Hemisphere using your voice with accompaniment.
MUSIC VOCAL – CONTEMPORARY: The art of performing with the human voice with rhythmic tones or sounds to
produce contemporary music with the tones of the present.
ORATORY: The art of effective written and oral presentation to persuade or inform. (This is not a dramatic presentation.)
SPOKEN WORD: An original poem or prose that brings it to life through a compelling monologue or dialogue that is performed.
HUMANITIES
MUSIC COMPOSITION: The science or art of arranging music on sheet music by ordering tones or sounds in succession.
ORIGINAL ESSAY: An essay with your own unique perspective, analysis, and interpretation on a pre-selected topic.
PLAYWRITING: A literary composition developed for the stage.
POETRY – WRITTEN: A linguistic composition that explores the imagination and evokes emotion through text.
SHORT STORY: A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic.
VISUAL ARTS
DRAWING: The art of representing forms and figures on a surface by means of lines executed by hand or digitally with a pencil or stylus
FILMMAKING: The art and process of making motion pictures.
PAINTING: Art created by applying pigment on a two-dimensional surface with a brush, knife, or hand and/or the manipulation of digital processes with a phone, tablet, or computer.
PHOTOGRAPHY: The process, art, and technique of capturing images with an analog or digital camera.
SCULPTURE: The art of making three-dimensional forms or designs.
BUSINESS
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Refers to owning, organizing, and managing your own business by providing a necessary product or service.
CULINARY
CULINARY ARTS: The practice and study of cooking, preparing, and presenting food, blending technique, creativity, and cultural influences.
HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT: Hospitality Management is the field of overseeing guest experiences, service standards, staff development, operations, and financial performance across food, tourism, cultural, and destination-based enterprises. It focuses on delivering high-quality, ethical, and sustainable hospitality experiences while supporting workforce development and community engagement.
Join the ACT-SO committee.
Bring your experience in student outreach, mentoring, workshops, events, fundraising, or communications to support Atlanta’s next generation.
Questions about ATL ACT-SO?
email: atlnaacpactso@gmail.com or fill out the form below.