Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics

The NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. ACT-SO includes 32 competitions in STEM, Humanities, Business, and Performing, Visual and Culinary arts. Almost 300,000 young people have participated from the program since its inception. For over forty years the mission of ACT-SO has been to prepare, recognize and reward youth of African descent who exemplify scholastic and artistic excellence.

The Detroit Branch NAACP and Detroit NAACP Youth Council conduct a joint local ACT-SO program that includes mentoring, coaching, enrichment sessions and hosting a local competition. Those students who compete in the local Detroit Branch NAACP and Detroit NAACP Youth Council ACT-SO Competitions are competing for:

Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals
Cash Prizes — Ranging from $250 - $500
All local Gold Medal winners qualify to compete in the National NAACP ACT-SO Competition for an opportunity to win Bronze, Silver and Gold and Cash Prizes as well.

Detroit Branch NAACP and Detroit NAACP Youth Council ACT-SO Competition

April 23-25, 2021

Interested in competing in the Detroit Branch NAACP and Detroit NAACP Youth Council ACT-SO Competition? Please follow these 3 steps!

Review the 2021 Categories and Competitions information below.
Download and complete the application. Students may compete in up to three (3) categories.
Submit the completed application in one of the following ways:
- Via email: actso@detroitnaacp.org
- Via fax: (313) 871-7745
- Via mail:
  Detroit Branch NAACP
  Attn: ACT-SO
  8220 2nd Avenue
  Detroit, MI 48202