VESL STEM Rulebook

🏆 VESL STEM Rulebook

Spring 2026: March 1 – May 2

VESL offers a competitive STEM league for high school students designed to build real-world skills, expose students to career pathways, and reward engagement through challenges, competition, and recognition. Eligible students include Grades 9-13 in public, private, charter, homeschool, and virtual schools. Participate casually or competitively, regardless of experience level, school size, or time availability.

Join a Team Explore Topics Leaderboards Rewards

New Featured Challenges drop every Sunday. Submit during Featured Week to be eligible for weekly rewards and get a bonus multiplier on your individual score.

Participation is 100% free, and all competitions take place on The NotWork.

How Do I Compete? (Weekly)

Get verified (so your scores count for your team + rewards).
Complete Onboarding to get season-ready.
Join a STEM team (1–5 students from the same school; you can only be on 1 team at a time).
Submit Featured Challenges before Saturday 11:59 PM ET for weekly reward eligibility.
Resubmit to improve. You can resubmit anytime through May 2. Only your highest scores count!
Check leaderboards every Wednesday for weekly awards.

Your team stacks Season Points throughout the season. That’s what boosts your Season Ranking and can qualify NC teams for States!

What is Mastery?

Mastery is the competitive heart of VESL STEM. Every Sunday, new Featured Challenges drop in each topic.

During the Regular Season, you submit in challenges individually to boost your Team Score.

Your Team Score can earn Season Points to move higher in Season rankings.

In Playoffs, the game changes: an exclusive Playoffs multiplier applies to Season Points.

Individual Score → Team Score → Season Points → Season Rankings → (NC Only) States

Why Compete?

Weekly Rewards (Gift cards): Coins awarded every Wednesday to Top 3 individual performers per Featured Challenge, plus Top 3 weekly XP earners + 3 lucky XP earners.
Industry Proof: Earn micro-credentials to prove skills on resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and college apps.
(NC Only) State Bound: Top teams per topic qualify for in-person Championships. Multiple teams from the same school may qualify, with no cap on qualifications across multiple topics!

Spring 2026 Topics

🎮 Game Dev

🤖 Robotics

⚙️ Advanced Manufacturing

🔒 Cybersecurity

🧠 AI

🛠️ Skilled Trades

Pick a topic → submit weekly → climb leaderboards.

Individual Score → Team Score → Season Points → Season Rankings → (NC Only) States

Your score helps your team. Team placement earns Season Points.

Season Structure

Preseason (1 Week)

March 1 – March 7

Onboarding + readiness
Challenges may be scored & rewarded

Regular Season (6 Weeks)

March 8 – April 18

Featured Challenges drop Sundays
Featured Week closes Saturdays
Weekly rewards on Wednesdays

Playoffs (2 Weeks)

April 19 – May 2

A more advanced competition phase designed to mirror the (NC) State Championships format and prepare students for high-level competition.

(NC Only) State Championships

TBA

Dates & formats announced separately.

Final Season Submission Deadline: May 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET

Rulebook & Mechanics (Table of Contents)

1. Season Structure & Phases
2. Teams & Participation
3. Challenges & Submissions
4. Scoring Mechanics
5. Leaderboards & Standings
6. Rewards & Progression
7. Integrity Rules & Authority
8. Definitions & Glossary
9. For Teachers (Supporting VESL)
10. Platforms & Support
11. FAQ

1. Season Structure & Phases

A VESL STEM season lasts 9 weeks and consists of 4 phases:

1. Preseason (1 week)

Focused on onboarding, readiness, and platform familiarity
Challenges may be scored & rewarded

2. Regular Season (6 weeks)

Each newly released weekly challenge is designated as a "Featured Challenge".
Students submit in challenges individually
Individual scores contribute to Team Scores
Team Scores earn Season Points
Season leaderboard standings update throughout the season

Weekly Structure:

Sundays (12:00 AM ET): New Featured Weekly Challenges released in all topics
Wednesdays: Rewards for the previous Featured Weekly Challenges awarded
Saturday (11:59 PM ET): Deadline to submit in Featured Weekly Challenges for rewards

3. Playoffs (2 weeks)

All teams created during the season advance to Playoffs
Playoff challenges award bonus Season Points
The exclusive Playoffs multiplier applies to Season Points, not to individual scores
The Featured-Week multiplier continues to apply to individual scores (when completed during the featured week)
Weekly individual rewards (coins) continue to be awarded to top-performing students
All challenges remain open through Playoffs. Students may continue submitting and resubmitting to improve scores
Team scores and Season Points remain live until the end of Playoffs
Final submission deadline (Spring 2026): May 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST

4. State Championships (NC Only)

Students must be verified and on a qualified roster to participate in States
Qualification is based on final Season Leaderboards for each topic
The top teams (on Season Leaderboard) in each topic at the end of playoffs qualify for States
Multiple teams from the same school may qualify
States is a team-based championship
Titles, placements, and awards are issued to teams, not individuals
Students must compete at States with the same team and roster used during Playoffs
If a team member cannot attend States: The team may still compete. At least one (1) team member must attend and perform on behalf of the team
States competition details are released closer to the event.
State Qualifiers Announced (Spring 2026): May 3, 2026

2. Teams & Participation

What Is The NotWork?

The NotWork is VESL's official competition and community platform. It's where students access challenges, track progress, and engage in STEM and esports experiences throughout the season.

What Students Do There:

Complete onboarding
Join or create STEM teams
Submit challenge entries
View rubrics, scores, and feedback
Track leaderboard points and achievements
Access season updates and important announcements
Earn and redeem coins for prizes

Teams

Teams are formed on The NotWork
A team consists of 1-5 verified students from the same school
Teams of one (1) are allowed and not penalized
Students may only compete on 1 team at a time (across all topics)

Verification

A verified teacher or school representative is required for a student to receive full platform access. Student Verification is required to: join a team, contribute to team scores, earn Season Points (for North Carolina States qualification), redeem rewards, access Discord or community spaces, participate in Playoffs and (NC Only) States.

Students may become verified at any point before roster lock. Once verified, students can join a team, begin contributing to team scores, and become eligible for Playoffs and States. Unverified students may submit challenges and appear on individual leaderboards but do not contribute to team scores. These restrictions exist for safety and eligibility purposes.

Students are encouraged to help initiate or grow a VESL STEM team at their school. They can do so by reaching out to support@thenotwork.org.

Team Formation

Verified students can create or join STEM Teams directly on The NotWork. Students who create a team are automatically assigned as the Team Captain. Team Captains can invite other students from their school to join their team, or compete as a team of one. At any point during the season, Team Captains can transfer captain status to another team member, add new members, or remove existing members.

🚨 IMPORTANT: Team Changes & Roster Lock Team rosters lock at the start of Playoffs. No roster changes are permitted after this deadline. Students may join, leave, or change teams until rosters lock. Scores earned remain with the team they were earned on. Official roster lock date (Spring 2026): April 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.

Late Joiners & Catch-Up Rules

Students may join a STEM team after the season has begun, up until the start of Playoffs. Late joiners:

May complete previously released challenges
May contribute to their team's Season Score
Do not earn coins for challenges released prior to their join date
Do not earn a score multiplier for previous Featured Challenges.
Coins are only awarded for challenges completed during the week they are featured.
Late joiners are responsible for managing completion independently.

3. Challenges & Submissions

Mastery Challenges

All VESL STEM challenges fall under "Mastery". No matter the topic, every challenge follows the same competitive structure:

Individual Score → Team Score → Season Points → Season Rankings → State Qualification (NC Only).

Challenges are designed in different formats to support different skills, learning styles, and career pathways. Some challenges focus on applied skill execution, performance under pressure, and hands-on technical practice. Others focus on project-based design (building & iteration), problem solving and creativity.

All challenges:

Are submitted & scored individually
Contribute to Team Scores and Season Points
Have scores (individual & team) that appear on leaderboards to earn coins and Season Points
(NC Only) Qualify teams for State Championships by topic (Students may qualify for States in multiple topics, with no cap on qualifications)

The challenge format may vary, but how it counts does not. Challenge rewards are earned, tracked & distributed on The NotWork.

Submitting Work

All challenges are submitted and scored individually
Challenges may be scored automatically, by rubric, or by a combination of both
Students may submit and resubmit at any time through the end of Playoffs
Only a student's highest score per challenge is used

Each challenge includes: Instructions, Submission expectations, Rubric criteria, Submission deadline.

Students may submit unlimited times before the deadline (May 2, 2026). Your highest score will be recorded. This allows you to: Refine based on feedback, Improve performance, Maximize your contribution to your team.

Completing a challenge late will impact your Season Score, but not coin earnings.

4. Scoring Mechanics

Individual Scoring Method

Individual submission scores are ranked against other individual submission scores for the same challenge. Individual leaderboards are published per challenge, per topic. Tiebreakers are implemented within each challenge, but Weekly XP may also be used as a tiebreaker.

Individual scores may be generated through: Automated scoring (e.g., correctness checks, system validation), and/or Judged scoring using a rubric (human or staff review), depending on the challenge format. Rubrics are available on each challenge submission page. Once judged, students can see how they were scored and review feedback for each rubric category.

Score ranges may vary by challenge. All scoring is evaluated relative to other submissions within the same challenge during the same week. Multiple submissions are allowed. There is no cap on resubmissions. The highest scored submission is used as the participant's official score for that challenge.

Team Scoring (How Teams Earn Points)

Team Score = Average of all individual scores on a team that are non-zero + a "team bonus" (dependent on # of teammates). Team scores are calculated per challenge to earn Season Points.

Zero Submissions & Visibility: If a team has no submissions for a challenge, it earns: 0 team score for that challenge, 0 Season Points for that challenge. Teams with zero submissions for a given challenge may be hidden from that challenge's leaderboard display. Season Leaderboards reflect total accumulated Season Points regardless of challenge-level visibility.

Season Points

Season Points are used to measure team performance over time and determine the top teams (NC Only: qualification for State Championships). Season Points are earned per challenge, based on how a team score places relative to other team scores in the same topic for that challenge. Season points accumulate per topic for the whole season to determine the top teams (For NC: state qualifiers). Team placement ties are broken by the highest individual score on the team for that challenge.

How Season Points Are Awarded (For each challenge):

Individual submissions are scored
Individual scores are combined into a team score
Teams are ranked based on their team score
Season Points are awarded based on team placement per challenge
Season Points accumulate across the season by topic

Season Points are awarded using a fixed placement scale, regardless of challenge type. Season standings may change as teams improve scores. Season standings remain live through the end of Playoffs.

Featured Week Multipliers

Each newly released weekly challenge is designated as a Featured Challenge. Submissions made during the Featured Week receive a score multiplier. All submissions made during the Featured Week are eligible for the multiplier; only the highest score. Submissions made after the Featured Week do not receive a multiplier. The multiplier is applied to their individual score before team score calculations. Coins and Featured Multipliers are only available for those that submitted during the Featured Week.

5. Leaderboards & Standings

VESL STEM uses multiple leaderboards throughout the season to track progress, performance, and qualification. Each leaderboard serves a different purpose. It is normal for teams or individuals to rank differently across leaderboards: XP rankings reward engagement. Weekly Winners reward peak performance. Season Leaderboards reward consistency. Each leaderboard measures a different aspect of participation.

Ongoing Leaderboards

XP Leaderboards track student engagement and activity during a given week. XP is earned by completing challenges, interacting with content, and engaging on the platform. XP leaderboards reset every Saturday at 11:59 PM EST. The top 3 XP earners (+ 3 lucky earners) each week receive coins and recognition. XP may be used as a tie-breaker for individual challenge rankings. XP rankings are separate from Team Scores and Season Points. They do not affect season performance (NC: State Championship qualification) directly.

Season Leaderboards

Weekly Winners (Featured Challenges): Weekly Winners highlight the top individual performers in Featured Weekly Challenges. Weekly Winners are selected from submissions made during the Featured Week. Coins are awarded based on individual performance. Weekly Winners are displayed by challenge, topic, and week. Weekly Winners reflect Featured Challenge performance only and do not determine State Championship qualification.

Challenge Leaderboards (Per Challenge): Each challenge has its own leaderboard that ranks teams based on their performance for that specific challenge. Team rankings are based on team score for the challenge. Team score is calculated using the averaging method defined in the Scoring section above. Teams are ranked relative to other teams in the same topic, in the same challenge. Challenge Leaderboards determine how Season Points are awarded each challenge.

Season Standings (By Topic): Season Leaderboards track total Season Points earned by teams across all challenges in a topic. Season Points accumulate over the Regular Season and Playoffs. Season Leaderboards are topic-specific. Rankings remain live through the end of Playoffs. Season Leaderboards determine the top teams (For NC: State Championship qualification). Final qualification is confirmed only after Playoffs conclude. A team's position on the Season Leaderboard reflects consistent performance over time, not just a single challenge result. Rankings may change until the final submission deadline (May 2, 2026). North Carolina teams should not assume qualification until qualifiers are officially announced (May 3, 2026).

Leaderboard Updates & Adjustments

Leaderboard data may update as: students submit or resubmit challenges, scores are improved, scoring corrections are made. VESL reserves the right to adjust leaderboards when necessary to ensure fair and accurate competition.

Tracking Progress & Standings

On The NotWork, you can monitor: Individual scores, XP earned, Team Season Score, Leaderboard rankings, Micro-credential progress. Deadlines and performance updates are visible directly on the platform.

6. Rewards & Progression

VESL STEM uses a progression system designed to reward skill development, consistency, and engagement throughout the season. Rewards are earned, tracked, and distributed through the official competition platform.

XP (Experience Points)

XP represents a student's engagement and participation within VESL STEM. XP reflects: Learning engagement, Platform interaction, Consistency over time.

How XP Is Earned: Students earn XP through actions including, but not limited to: Completing educational content, Interacting with the platform (e.g., bookmarking, sharing), Submitting STEM challenges, Participating in weekly activities. VESL reserves the right to add, remove, or adjust XP-earning actions. XP is tracked weekly.

Coins (Reward Currency)

Coins are the primary reward currency in VESL STEM and are earned through competitive performance during the season.

How Coins Are Earned:

Weekly Mastery: Top 3 individual scores in each featured weekly challenge.
Weekly XP Challenges: Top 3 weekly XP earners. 3 additional "lucky" XP earners selected from weekly participants.

Coins are awarded per challenge, per week, and only during featured weeks. There are no caps on: Coins earned per week, Coins earned per season.

Eligibility & Limitations

Verified students: Earn and redeem coins.
Unverified students: May earn coins, May not redeem coins.
Late joiners: May only earn coins for featured & XP challenges released after they join. Do not receive coins retroactively.

Coin Shop

Coins may be redeemed for digital gift cards on The NotWork Rewards Shop. Additional rewards may be added or substituted at VESL's discretion.

Micro-Credentials

A Micro-Credential is a digital credential that verifies a student has completed and demonstrated skills through a VESL STEM challenge. Students earn micro-credentials in each challenge. Micro-credentials are awarded based on: Participation, Performance within the challenge. Each micro-credential represents a specific, industry-aligned skill set.

Purpose & Use of Micro-Credentials: Micro-credentials: Are optional but encouraged, Do not affect scoring or Season Points. Earned credentials may be shared on: Resumes, Linkedin profiles, College and scholarship applications. Micro-credentials serve as verifiable proof of skill, not prizes.

7. Integrity Rules & Official Authority

Policies & Expectations

VESL expects all competitors to demonstrate: Academic honesty, Fair play, Respectful conduct, Ownership of submitted work.

Violations may result in: Score nullification, Loss of coins, Suspension from competition.

🚨 IMPORTANT: Plagiarism & Violations Finding someone else's work online and submitting it as your own is strictly prohibited.

Authority & Adjustments

All reward decisions made by VESL staff are final. VESL reserves the right to: Correct scoring or leaderboard errors, Adjust rankings due to bugs or judging issues, Modify rules with notice when necessary, Make final determinations on disputes, Adjust reward availability, Modify coin allocation, Substitute rewards as necessary.

VESL retains final authority over: Reward eligibility, Coin allocation, Redemption disputes, Prize fulfillment.

8. Definitions & Glossary

Mastery Challenge: A weekly challenge scored by rubric. All Mastery Challenges affect the team leaderboard.
XP: Experience points earned weekly. Used for weekly XP rewards.
Coins: Rewards earned only when a challenge is completed during its featured week.
Micro-Credential: A skill-based badge earned for demonstrated performance.
Playoffs: Advanced competitive phase after Regular Season.
State Championship: Final North Carolina event for qualified teams.

9. For Teachers (Supporting VESL STEM)

This section outlines how educators support participation, maintain eligibility, and help their students compete at a high level.

1. Teacher Responsibilities (Account & Student Verification)

Teachers (or other approved school staff) are responsible for verifying that students competing under their school are legitimate, enrolled students. Verification includes: Confirming student identity, Confirming school affiliation. Teachers do not approve STEM Teams. Students form and manage their own teams. Your verification ensures: Accurate team averages, Fair competition, Correct school representation. Student verification is completed directly on The NotWork Teacher Dashboard.

Team Formation

Students may: create teams, join existing teams, or compete as a team of one. Teachers are not responsible for approving teams but may: facilitate introductions between interested students, encourage balanced team formation, and support healthy collaboration.

Maintaining Eligibility & Roster Accuracy

Teachers should: Periodically confirm verified students are still enrolled, Encourage students to remain active and engaged, Ensure rosters are correct before Playoffs.

2. Monitoring Progress & Dashboards

Viewing Participation: Through the Teacher Dashboard, educators can: View all registered students at their school, Directly verify accounts, Monitor participation patterns. New NotWork features are actively being developed to expand visibility into student progress and communication tools.

Tracking Team Performance: Teams are scored as: Average of all non-zero individual scores + team bonus (based on team size). Teachers are encouraged to: Monitor weekly submissions, Encourage resubmission for higher scores, Remind students that consistency improves team averages.

Identifying Drop-Off or Disengagement: Watch for: Multiple missed weeks, Students who stop submitting, Declining participation before major milestones. Because team average matters, inactive students impact overall performance. Early encouragement can significantly improve outcomes.

3. Supporting Struggling or Disengaged Students

Common Student Challenges: Students may struggle with: Time management, Understanding rubric expectations, Technical submission confusion, Confidence or motivation.

Mentoring Without Doing the Work: Teachers are encouraged to support students in a mentor role. You may: Review rubrics with students, Help interpret feedback, Ask guiding questions, Support resubmission strategy. You should not: Complete work on their behalf, Substantially alter submissions, Script solutions for students. VESL STEM competition is designed to reflect authentic student skill development.

When to Intervene: Consider stepping in if: A student has missed multiple deadlines, A team's participation drops suddenly, A student appears confused about expectations. Small interventions early often prevent disengagement later.

Redirecting to Resources: Students should first consult: The challenge page, Rubric criteria, Posted deadlines on The NotWork. For additional support, students and teachers may contact: support@thenotwork.org. Teachers receive weekly STEM updates directly from VESL staff with any announcements, schedule notes, or clarifications.

4. Encouraging Participation & Team Growth

Fully Student-Driven With Flexible Engagement Models: VESL is designed so students can compete independently with light teacher supervision. However, stronger engagement yields stronger outcomes. Many teachers choose to: Integrate VESL STEM Challenges into classroom activities, Use club time to collaborate on weekly challenges, Host weekly STEM work sessions, Offer extra credit for participation, Use challenges during substitute teacher days, Run after-school STEM labs. VESL adapts to your school structure, from minimal oversight to fully integrated curriculum support.

Motivating Consistency: Encourage students to: Compete every week, Resubmit for higher mastery scores, Pursue both Mastery & XP recognition, Monitor their team leaderboard position.

Preparing Students for States (North Carolina Only): All teams created during the season automatically advance to Playoffs. Before Playoffs: Ensure roster accuracy, Encourage full team participation, Reinforce revision strategy. For North Carolina teams: State Championship qualifiers are based on team performance. Qualifiers announced May 3, 2026. VESL works directly with qualified students to manage permission slips and logistics support where possible. VESL does not provide direct accommodations. Individual schools may require internal approvals. Teachers are welcome to support travel coordination if needed.

6. Support & Partnership

VESL exists to support schools and empower students. If at any point you have ideas for how VESL can better support your STEM program, including classroom integration, communication improvements, or strategic expansion: Please contact: support@thenotwork.org. We view teachers as partners in building student opportunities.

10. Platforms & Support

Platforms & Communication

How Challenges Are Announced: New challenges are announced through: The NotWork platform, Email updates, Official VESL Discord (if applicable). The most official and up-to-date information always lives on The NotWork.

Where Updates & Deadlines Live: Deadlines, clarifications, and any adjustments are posted directly on: The challenge page, The NotWork Announcements, Official VESL email communication. Students are responsible for monitoring deadlines and announcements.

Support & Resources

VESL staff is here to support you. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at support@thenotwork.org or reach out to us on Discord (VESL Hub Server). For more resources, please see Announcements and Help on The NotWork.

How Students Get Help: Students can access: Rubrics directly on challenge pages, Platform tools, Email support at support@thenotwork.org, Live support via VESL Hub Discord server. Late joiners are responsible for managing previous challenge completion independently.

11. FAQ

What are the key deadlines for Spring 2026?

Season Start: March 1, 2026
Roster Lock: April 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET (No team changes allowed after this!)
Final Submission Deadline: May 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
(NC Only) State Qualifiers Announced: May 3, 2026

How to Win as an Individual Player?

There are multiple ways to win in VESL STEM:

Weekly Mastery Winners: Top 3 individual scores in each Weekly Featured Mastery Challenge.
Weekly XP Winners: Top 3 XP earners for the week. 3 additional "Lucky XP" winners randomly selected from all students who competed that week.
Season Recognition: Micro-credentials earned through performance, State Championships (North Carolina only), Prizes and recognition throughout the season.

What are STEM Teams? How do I join?

A STEM team consists of 1–5 students from the same school. Teams of one are allowed and not penalized.

You can find, join, or create a team at thenotwork.org/teams.

Note: You can only be on 1 team at a time across all topics.

Students are encouraged to help start or grow VESL at their school. You can do so by reaching out to support@thenotwork.org.

Why should I get verified?

You must be verified by a teacher to join a team, contribute to your team’s score, earn Season Points, or redeem rewards. Students may become verified at any point before roster lock.

Unverified students can submit challenges but won’t contribute to Team Scores or Season Points. These restrictions exist for safety and eligibility purposes.

Verification is also required to access Discord/community spaces and to participate in Playoffs + (NC Only) States.

What is the Featured Week bonus multiplier?

Every newly released weekly challenge is a Featured Challenge. Submit during the Featured Week (Sunday 12:00 AM to Saturday 11:59 PM ET) to get a bonus multiplier on your individual score.

Can I resubmit in challenges?

Yes! You can resubmit challenges as many times as you like until the May 2 deadline.

Only your highest score per challenge is used for the leaderboards.

How can my team and I maximize our scores?

Students and teams who consistently stand out follow these strategies:

Review the judging criteria (rubrics) before you submit your work.
Revise and resubmit to maximize your score based on the feedback you receive.
Compete every week to maintain high averages and earn both Mastery and XP opportunities. You can win weekly, but consistent competitors are the ones who rise over the full season.
Encourage your team: Every active teammate matters. Consistent participation improves the team average, while non-submitting members can pull the average down. If you don't submit, your score does not help your team.

How to Help Your STEM Team Win?

Your team's Season Score is calculated as: Average of all non-zero individual scores on the team + a team bonus (based on number of teammates). That means: Every active teammate matters. Consistent participation improves the average. More engaged teammates increase your team bonus. If you don't submit, your score does not help your team.

Strategic Participation During Featured Weeks: All Mastery Challenges impact the team leaderboard. To compete effectively: Make sure all teammates submit, Encourage resubmitting to maximize scores, Focus effort during high-skill challenges. Your team's average performance across weeks determines your overall team standing.

How many students do we need?

Teams may compete with 1-5 verified students from the same school. (Solo teams are allowed.)

Can students join late?

Yes! Up until Playoffs begin (see Late Join Policy).

Late joiners can complete past challenges and contribute to their team's Season Score. However, you will not earn coins retroactively for challenges released before your join date, nor will you receive a score multiplier for previous Featured Challenges. Late joiners are responsible for managing previous challenge completion independently.

What if a student misses a week?

They can still compete in all challenges. Missed featured weeks reduce opportunities for coins and featured week multipliers, but do not prevent continued participation.

Can students compete solo?

Yes. Students may compete as a team of one.

Do all Mastery Challenges affect team scores?

Yes.

Are there limits to how many coins I can earn?

No! There are no caps on coins earned per week or coins earned per season.

However, remember that while unverified students can earn coins, they cannot redeem them until they get verified.

What happens during Playoffs?

Playoffs are the final 2 weeks of the season (April 19 – May 2).

Playoff challenges are high-stakes. During this phase, an exclusive Playoffs multiplier applies to Season Points to help determine final State qualification (NC Only).

How do NC students qualify for State Championships?

Qualification is based on your final Season Leaderboard rank per topic at the end of Playoffs. The top teams per topic on the final Season Leaderboard qualify. Multiple teams from the same school may qualify. Students may qualify for States in multiple topics, with no cap on qualifications.

North Carolina teams should not assume qualification until qualifiers are officially announced (May 3, 2026).

You must compete at States with the same team and roster you used during the Playoffs.
At least one team member must attend to compete on behalf of the team.

Want to go deeper?

Everything below helps you compete smarter — not just harder:

The more you understand the system, the more advantage you have.

Ready to Start?

Get verified, form your team, start representing your school and win rewards.

Join a Team Explore Topics Leaderboards Rewards

For technical or scoring issues, please email support@thenotwork.org or reach out on the official VESL Hub Discord server.

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Mastery FAQ