Welcome to the Iowa Envirothon!
What is the Iowa Enviothon?
The Iowa Envirothon is an environmental and natural resource conservation problem-solving, team-building, and leadership experience and competition for 9th–12th-grade students. Through regional testing and the state competition, students exhibit their knowledge in these four areas: forestry and prairies, aquatic ecology, wildlife, and soil and land use. Teams qualifying for the state contest also prepare an oral presentation on the year’s current environmental issue.
Goals of the Iowa Envirothon:
- Increase students’ knowledge and awareness of the interrelationship of our natural resources.
- Promote environmental awareness and stewardship.
- Develop students’ critical thinking, cooperative problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Provide awareness of and access to resource organizations that offer assistance with environmental issues.
National Conservation Foundation (NCF) – Envirothon
The Iowa Envirothon was developed in conjunction with and is the qualifying event in Iowa for the international National Conservation Foundation (NCF) – Envirothon competition. The NCF-Envirothon is North America’s largest environmental competition for high school students. The program began in Pennsylvania in 1979, and since then, hundreds of thousands of students have participated in Envirothon across the United States, China, Canada, Singapore, and now the Virgin Islands. By incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) principles, hands-on learning, and outdoor field experiences, this experience equips students worldwide with the skills and knowledge to become lifelong environmental stewards.
The NCF-Envirothon also selects the current environmental issue each year, in which students explore and formulate creative solutions to real-world problems affecting ecosystems and communities worldwide.
Every year, the top-scoring team at the Iowa Envirothon state competition gets the opportunity to compete and represent Iowa in the international NCF-Envirothon competition.
↑ Click the logo to visit the NCF-Envirothon website and learn more information!
Starting in 2024, the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition (ICEC) has partnered with CDI to promote this program and provide an opportunity for qualifying schools that are new to the Iowa Envirothon:
ICEC will support schools with an urban and/or diverse population OR have a need from having a 55% or greater of the student population eligible for free/reduced lunch who are new to Envirothon since 2024. These new participants are eligible to receive a free environmental science and conservation equipment kit.
- ICEC has a limited number of environmental science and conservation equipment “kits” used in the hands-on portion of the state competition available to first-time schools/teams! ICEC and CDI are focused on recruiting additional teams to this competition.
- To be eligible, schools (coaches / advisors) must register their team(s) and pay the $80 registration fee to the Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI).
What are the steps to receiving the environmental and conservation equipment:
- Look for the 2026 Iowa Envirothon Registration form to go live!
- Register your teams before the deadline.
- Pay the per team $80 registration fee to CDI.
- Complete the on-line regional test in the allotted time frame.
Have any questions about the Iowa Envirothon? Need a W9 or have financial questions?
Please contact the Conservation Districts of Iowa!
Congrats to all our 2026 Iowa Envirothon Winners!
April 27th, 2026 Jester Park Nature Center, Grimes, IA
2026 Iowa Envirothon Top 4 Overall Scores:
1st: Decorah – Naturally Selected
Decorah Naturally Selected is eligible to represent Iowa and compete at the international NCF Envirothon, July 19-25, at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi.
2nd: Decorah – Sahur Society
3rd: Muscatine – Muskie Senior Plus
4th: North Fayette Valley – Dirt Bags
1st Overall: Decorah – Naturally Selected
L – R: Atticus Raabe, Thatcher Brown, Jack Hammell, Thomas Davis, Oskar Swanson
2nd Overall: Decorah – Sahur Society
L – R: Riley Berns, Oliver Bollinger, Kyle Pattison, Reid Bers, Carson Bohner
3rd Overall: Muscatine – Muskie Senior Plus
L – R: Kaden Miller, Dylan Randel, Coen Navarro, Josh Koch, Corwin McDonald
4th Overall: North Fayette Valley – Dirt Bags
L – R: Holden Griffith, Trent Gamm, Tyler Davis, Ethan Murray, Anabel Murray
2026 Iowa Envirothon Overall Top 2 FFA Scores:
1st: Muscatine – Muskie Senior Plus
2nd: Beckman – Catholic FFA
FFA Top Score: Muscatine – Muskie Senior Plus
L – R: Kaden Miller, Dylan Randel, Coen Navarro, Josh Koch, Corwin McDonald
FFA Runner-Up: Beckman Catholic FFA
L – R: Allison Knipper, Natalie Besler, Andrea Schneider, Ashley Schilling, Annabelle Zahradnik
Area Winners
Aquatic Ecology: Muscatine – Muskie Senior Plus
Forestry: Decorah – Naturally Selected, Madrid – Pinkalicious Tiger Trouts
Soils and Land Use: Decorah – Naturally Selected, Madrid – Pinkalicious Tiger Trouts
Wildlife: Muscatine – Muskie Senior Plus
Current Issue: Decorah – Sahur Society
Oral Presentation: Decorah – Naturally Selected