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Prince William Area NAACP
ACT-SO
Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological & Scientific Olympics
What is ACT-SO?
ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) is a year-long achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among high school students of African descent. The ACT-SO program centers around the dedication and commitment of community volunteers, educators, retirees, artist, scientists, civic leaders and business leaders to serve as mentors and coaches to promote academic and artistic excellence. There are 33 competition categories in STEM, Humanities, Business, and the Performing, Visual and Culinary Arts. Almost 300,000 high school students have participated in the program since its inception.
ACT-SO Competition Categories
ARCHITECTURE: The science, art, or profession of designing buildings or outdoor spaces.
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.
COMPUTER SCIENCE: The science that deals with the theoretical aspects of computers including storage and the transformation of data using computers.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES: The body of sciences that include geology, mineralogy, physiography, oceanography, meteorology, climatology, astronomy, speleology, seismology, geography, etc.
ENGINEERING: Projects that directly apply scientific principles to manufacturing and practical uses.
MATHEMATICS: The science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, and abstractions of spaced configurations and their structure. Development of formal logical systems or various numerical and algebraic computations and the application of these principles.
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.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN (Pilot): Teams demonstrate their knowledge of sustainable and equitable neighborhood planning architectural design by responding to a mock request for proposal (RFP) for a real development project.
MUSIC COMPOSITION: The science or art of arranging music by ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination or in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity.
ORIGINAL ESSAY: A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic.
PLAYWRITING: A literary composition developed for the stage.
POETRY - WRITTEN: An original poem or prose performed as a monologue or exchange involving extemporization.
SHORT STORY: A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Owning, organizing, and managing your own business by providing a necessary product or service.
DANCE - BALLET: A series of rhythmic and highly technical patterned bodily movements usually performed to music using grace and precision.
DANCE - CONTEMPORARY: A series of rhythmic and technical patterned bodily movements usually performed to music.
DANCE - MODERN: A series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music that focuses on the dancer's interpretations using their emotions and moods to develop choreography.
DANCE - TRADITIONAL: A series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music to reflect the life of the people of a certain region or country.
DRAMATIC ARTS - ACTING: The art of staging or acting plays.
MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL - CLASSICAL: The art of performing with a device used to produce music with tones of the late 18th and 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation.
MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL - CONTEMPORARY: The art of performing with a device used to produce music with the tones of the present.
MUSIC VOCAL - CLASSICAL: The art of performing with the human voice rhythmic tones or sounds of the late 18th and 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation.
MUSIC VOCAL - CONTEMPORARY: The art of performing with the human voice rhythmic tones or sounds to produce music with the tones of the present.
ORATORY: The art of speaking in public eloquently and effectively. (This is not a dramatic presentation.)
POETRY PERFORMANCE: An original poem or prose performed as a monologue or exchange involving extemporization.
DRAWING: The art of representing forms and figures on a surface by means of lines.
FILMMAKING: The art and process of making motion pictures.
PAINTING: The art of laying on paints with a brush or a knife.
PHOTOGRAPHY: The process, art, and technique of taking images recorded by a camera and reproducing them on a photosensitive surface.
SCULPTURE: The art of making three-dimensional figures or designs.
Interested in Competing?
The 2025 ACT-SO local competition will be on Saturday, April 26, 2025, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM at Charles J. Colgan High School in Manassas, Virginia.
To participate in the 2025 competition please follow the three steps below:
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Review the Categories and Competition Requirements.
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Download and complete the application, which must be signed by a parent.
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Submit your application and project by the deadline.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 6, 2025
Submit the application in one of the following ways:
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Via email: pwcactso@gmail.com
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Via mail:
PW NAACP ACT-SO
P.O. Box 52
Occoquan, VA 22125
FAQs
ACT-SO is a major youth initiative of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Founded in 1978, ACT-SO provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate academic, artistic, and scientific prowess and expertise. This program celebrates student success with the same recognition often reserved for entertainers and athletes.
ACT-SO is rooted in the firm conviction that all students can succeed and compete at a superior level in the classroom and in the workplace.
Vernon Jarrett (1913 - 2004), a renowned author and journalist, initiated the idea of a program that would promote and reward academic achievers the same way entertainers and sports
figures are honored. The first national ACT-SO competition was held in 1978 in Portland,
Oregon.The NAACP ACT-SO program targets students of African descent who are U. S. Citizens enrolled in grades 9-12. However, ALL students are eligible to participate in the program.
Students interested in participating must be amateurs in the categories of competition they compete in.The ACT-SO program is an enrichment program. Over the course of each year students work with local volunteer instructors and mentors to develop projects and participate in enrichment opportunities specific to their competitions.
The local ACT-SO competitions and ceremonies showcase the results of the students’ hard work. Competition winners receive medals and prizes provided by the local and regional sponsors and contributors. The local Gold Medalists advance to the national competition and have the opportunity to receive scholarships and other rewards provided by national sponsors.