The Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship
For more information about the 2026 Varsity National Varsity LifeSmarts Championship, click here.
To register as a volunteer for the 2026 National LifeSmarts Championship, click here.
For results of previous Nationals, visit the archives. ( Update in progress ) 
- State Varsity Champion teams will be invited to represent their state at the Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship by their State Coordinator or by the LifeSmarts Team.
- Wild Card Champion teams and Sweepstakes Champion Teams will be notified of their selection by the National LifeSmarts Team.
- Coaches must register their team for the Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship by March 5th.
- National competitions usually take place from a Thursday – Sunday. All team members and a minimum of one adult coach must be present when competition begins on Thursday . Teams unable to attend any or all portions of the National LifeSmarts Championships will be ineligible to represent their state at the event, and the Second Place (Runner-Up) team will be invited by the LifeSmarts Team or the State Coordinator to represent the state instead.
- Coaches must notify the National Consumers League immediately (within 14 days of being notified of their state win, sweepstakes win, or selection as a Wild Card team) if their Champion team will be unable to attend any or all portions of the National LifeSmarts Championship so that a runner-up or another team can be invited to compete in their place.
- Only one team per coach is allowed to compete in the Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship as well as only one team per school, local club, or county / city/ local organization.
- LifeSmarts Mastery Rule: Student competitors who are members of a team that wins the National LifeSmarts Championship are ineligible to compete again in Varsity LifeSmarts on the state or national level. Team members will be encouraged to stay involved in LifeSmarts as mentors for their school or organization, members of LEAP (the LifeSmarts Engagement Advisory Panel), active members of the LifeSmarts Alumni Association, Alumni assistants at the National LifeSmarts Championship, and LifeSmarts coaches or assistant coaches! LifeSmarts made this change, effective with the 2018-2019 program year, to encourage more teams and students to compete.
Teams Compete at least Six Times
- Each team has an equal opportunity to advance to the single-elimination knockout bracket. All teams will compete seven times and team scores will be cumulative through mid-morning Monday.
- Preliminary Competition Rounds include:
- Competitions 1 & 2: Pre-competition
- Competition 3: Sister Team Activity (activity and content varies each year)
- Competition 4: SpeedSmarts
- Competitions 5-7: Buzzer matches – 3 per team
- After all teams complete the seven competitions, scores are tallied and the top 16 teams advance to a single-elimination knockout bracket. Teams compete until 4 teams remain as National Semifinalists, who compete on the final morning to reach the Varsity National Championship Match.
- Teams that do not qualify for the knockout bracket can take part in activities during the Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches or can choose to explore the city with their coach. All teams are required to attend the Semi-Finals, the Finals and the closing Awards Luncheon.