What is Odyssey of the Mind?

If you have questions about our program and would like to talk to a coach, please attend one of our "What is Odyssey of the Mind?" Information Meetings.

* Tuesday, September 22nd at 10AM at Panera in the Galleria
* Tuesday, September 22nd at 7PM at Panera in the Galleria

Parents, students and siblings are welcome to attend. 

The purpose of this meeting is to familiarize you with the Odyssey program so that you can decide if your child(ren) should participate.  We'll cover the team assignment process, activities involved, roles for parents, calendar of events, tournament descriptions, registration fees, and why teammates return year after year.

Why Join A Team?

Why Should I Join an Odyssey Team?

Odyssey of the Mind is an opportunity to learn:

Joining an Odyssey of the Mind team provides you with the opportunity to learn creative problem solving, teamwork, brainstorming, self-reliance, and respect for individual strengths -- unique, unforgettable experiences that will serve you now and in the future.


Odyssey of the Mind is different:

Odyssey of the Mind is different than other team, club or sports activities you might have been involved in. Odyssey of the Mind is about your team solving a problem or creating presentation with your own ideas. Although you have a coach to support and advise you, all the ideas and the work on the solution, comes from the team members. One of the most important parts of our program is that nobody outside the team (not even your parents, friends, or teachers) can contribute ideas or participate in designing or constructing the solution. Odyssey of the Mind is a different experience than classroom education. In our programs you learn by doing, learn by thinking of and creating your own solution, learn to work with, create ideas, build your solution and presentation with others.



Odyssey of the Mind is fun:

Seeing your solution come together is exciting. Brainstorming and evaluating a variety of ideas is stimulating. It is fun to meet the other teams and see their solutions and presentations for your problem and other problems. In addition to the long term problem, at the competition, your team will be presented with a Spontaneous problem which you must solve or respond to in a matter of minutes. Competing in and practicing for Spontaneous can be fun, while also sharpening your creative and quick thinking.


Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.



How do students benefit from participation?

In Odyssey of the Mind, students learn at a young age skills that will last a lifetime. They work in teams so they learn cooperation and respect for the ideas of others. They evaluate ideas and make decisions on their own, gaining greater self-confidence and increased self-esteem along the way. They work within a budget, so they learn to manage their money. They see that there’s often more than one way to solve a problem, and that sometimes the process is more important than the end result.



How does it work?

Schools or community groups purchase a membership and form teams of up to seven students. Each team chooses one of five competitive problems to solve. The problems appeal to a wide range of interests; some are technical in nature, while others are artistic or performance-oriented. Under the guidance of an adult coach, teams work on their solutions throughout the school year and, if they choose, present them in organized competitions in the spring. The “friendly” competitive aspect encourages students to be the best that they can be.



What are the competition levels?

In the U.S., the first level of competition is usually within a region of a state. Teams who place are invited to compete at the state level. These championship teams are then invited to participate in the annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, where they compete with teams from countries around the world, including Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. New countries join the program each year.



How are teams judged in competition?

Thousands of volunteers from around the world judge the competitions and serve in various positions to help make the tournaments a success. Teams are scored for their long-term problem solution, how well they solve a “spontaneous” problem on the spot, and “Style” -- the elaboration of their long-term problem solution.



Who runs the Odyssey of the Mind?

Not-for-profit organizations administer the Odyssey of the Mind program in each participating U.S. state and country. Each organization is run by a local Association Director. The organizations are licensed by Creative Competitions, Inc. (CCI), which provides all of the problems and materials necessary to run training sessions and tournaments. Contact Alison Hess at hessam42@aol.com for more information.