Step 1: Enroll

Enroll & Manage Coach Account (Non-Member of ThinkQuest Projects)

Warning! This section includes instructions for enrolling as a Coach in the ThinkQuest Website Competition only. If you wish to also enroll your school in ThinkQuest Projects and the ThinkQuest Narrative Competition, please visit the Projects: Enrollment section.

Only the Coach of a team should enroll. Students and Assistant Coaches should not enroll. (Once enrolled, the Coach is responsible for creating team accounts.)

Please note:
  • If you are already a member of ThinkQuest Projects (formerly Think.com), you do not need to enroll separately to participate in the ThinkQuest Website Competition. Just log in to ThinkQuest Projects and click the Competition tab to access the ThinkQuest Competition space (view instructions for creating teams).
  • If you are not a member of ThinkQuest Projects (and do not wish to be), note the following:
    • If you have enrolled as a Coach (formerly called Primary Coach) in a previous ThinkQuest Website Competition, you do not need to enroll again, as long as you are employed at the same school. You can use your existing coach account to log in and create teams for all future competitions.
    • If you are new to the ThinkQuest Website Competition (or have changed schools), please be sure to read the Rules to ensure that you are eligible before enrolling.

To enroll as a Coach in the ThinkQuest Website Competition (if you are not, and do not wish to be, a member of ThinkQuest Projects):
  1. Go to http://thinkquest.org and click the Enroll button.

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  1. Select your country and location.
  2. Select "Single School" (you are not allowed to enroll on behalf of a district for the competition only).
  3. Select "Website Competition Only" to enroll only in the ThinkQuest Website Competition and not ThinkQuest Projects.
  4. Click the link to view the Legal Agreement.
  5. Enter your school details and work email address.
  6. Click the Next button.

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  1. Choose your school from the list, or click the Add a School button if your school is not listed.

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  1. Verify or enter your school information.
  2. Enter your salutation, full name, job title, and a password that you will use to log in to your coach account.
  3. Enter the salutation, full name, job title, and email address for a principal, head teacher, or superintendent who can accept the ThinkQuest Legal Agreement on behalf of your school ("Signing Authority").
  4. Click the Next button.

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  1. Review all of the information you have entered (click Back to make any edits) and click the Next button.

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  1. You have now completed the application. You will receive confirmation by email, and your Signing Authority will receive an email with instructions on how to accept the ThinkQuest Legal Agreement and authorize your participation.
  2. After you receive authorization from your Signing Authority, you will be able to log in to the ThinkQuest Competition space and create teams.

To edit your contact information:
  1. Log in to your coach account and click the My Account link at the top of the page.
  2. Click the My Contact Information button.
  3. Update your contact details, and click the Save button.

To change your password:
  1. Log in to your coach account and click the My Account link at the top of the page.
  2. Click the Change My Password button.
  3. Enter your current password (the one you are using now).
  4. Enter your new password, then re-enter it to ensure that you have typed it correctly.
  5. Click the Change Password button.

Legal Authorization

Before you can create teams for the ThinkQuest Website Competition, a principal, head teacher, or other person who has the authority to sign legal documents on behalf of your school ("Signing Authority") must accept the ThinkQuest Competition Agreement on behalf of your school. Only one agreement per school is required, so if your Signing Authority has accepted this agreement in the past, s/he does not need to do so again.

In addition, if you are not a member of ThinkQuest Projects, your Signing Authority must provide authorization that you are employed at your school before you are allowed to create teams. You only need to be authorized once, even if you coach multiple teams.

To receive authorization:
  1. After you enroll, an authorization request is automatically emailed to the person whom you designated as your Signing Authority.
  2. Your Signing Authority must follow the instructions in the email to digitally accept the ThinkQuest Competition Agreement and/or verify your employment.
  3. You will receive an email confirmation when your authorization is complete.

Parental Permission

Before creating a team of students, you must obtain permission from their parents. To download the Consent Form for your country, visit the Documents page.

Create & Manage Teams (Non-Member of ThinkQuest Projects)

Once your Signing Authority has accepted the ThinkQuest Competition Agreement for your school (if applicable) and authorized your participation as a Coach, you can log in to the ThinkQuest Competition space and create teams.

In the process of creating a team, you will create the team username and password, which students and the Assistant Coach (if applicable) can use to access the File Upload tool and view the Site Profile.

To create a team (Coach only):
  1. Before creating a team, be sure to read the Team Requirements in the Rules. Teams that do not meet all the requirements will be disqualified from the competition.
  2. Log in to your coach account, and click the New Team button.

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  1. Enter a team name.
  2. Enter a team username and team password, which your students and Assistant Coach will use to log in to the ThinkQuest Competition space (your coach account information should never be shared).
    Warning! Please use care when choosing your team username, as it cannot be changed later.
  3. Choose an age division and category from the pull-down menus.
  4. In the "About Your Website" field, enter a brief description (can be edited later).
  5. Click the Save button.
  6. If you are satisfied with the team information (click Back to make any edits), click the Save button.
  7. Continue with the instructions below to add members to your team.

To add a student to your team:
  1. Log in to your coach account, and click the name of the appropriate team under the My Teams list.
  2. Click Members in the menu on the left.
  3. Click Assign Students.
  4. Enter the student's first name (last names are not allowed), school, and country.
  5. Click the Save button.
  6. Please remember to give the team username and password to the student.

To add an Assistant Coach your team:
  1. Log in to your coach account, and click the name of the appropriate team under the My Teams list.
  2. Click Members in the menu on the left.
  3. Click Assign Assistant Coach.
  4. Enter the Assistant Coach's first name, last name, email address, school (if applicable), and country.
  5. Click the Save button.
  6. Please remember to give the team username and password to the Assistant Coach.

To remove members from your team:
  1. Log in to your coach account, and click the name of the appropriate team under the My Teams list.
  2. Click Members in the menu on the left.
  3. Click the "Remove" link next to the member you want to remove.
  4. In the pop-up window, click the Remove button to confirm removal.

To edit team settings such as team name, age division, category, etc. (Coach only):
  1. Log in to your coach account, and click the Edit button under the name of the appropriate team in the My Teams list.
  2. Make edits, and click the Save button.

To change the team password (Coach only):
  1. Log in to your coach account, and click the Edit button under the name of the appropriate team in the My Teams list.
  2. Click the Change Password link.
  3. In the pop-up window, enter the new password twice, and click the Change Password button.
  4. Click the Save button on the Team Settings page.
  5. Remember to give the new password to your team.

To delete a team (Coach only):
  1. Log in to your coach account, and click the Delete button under the name of the appropriate team in the My Teams list.
    Warning! Please be sure you wish to delete the team, as a deleted team cannot be recovered under any circumstances.
  2. On the next page, click the Delete button to confirm permanent deletion of the team and all associated files on the ThinkQuest server.

Create & Manage Teams (Member of ThinkQuest Projects)

Once your Signing Authority has accepted the ThinkQuest Competition Agreement for your school (if applicable), you can create teams.

In the process of creating a team, you will create the team username and password, which students and the Assistant Coach (if applicable) can use to access the File Upload tool and view the Site Profile. Alternatively, students and teachers who are members of ThinkQuest Projects can use their member accounts to access the ThinkQuest Competition space.

To create a team (Coach only):
  1. Before creating a team, be sure to read the Team Requirements in the Rules. Teams that do not meet all the requirements will be disqualified from the competition.
  2. Log in to ThinkQuest Projects, and click the Competition tab.
  1. Click the New Team button under "Website Competition."
  1. Enter a team name.
  2. Enter a team username and team password, which your students and Assistant Coach will use to log in to the ThinkQuest Competition space. Alternatively, students and teachers who are ThinkQuest Projects members can use their member accounts to access the ThinkQuest Competition space.
    Warning! Please use care when choosing your team username, as it cannot be changed later.
  3. Select an age division from the pull-down menu.
  4. Select a category from the pull-down menu.
  5. In the "About Your Website" field, enter a brief description (can be edited later).
  6. Select the membership type for the team. Select "Open" to allow anyone in the ThinkQuest Projects community to request to join your team (write a brief message that describes what you are looking for in team members). Select "Closed" to limit membership to students that you assign and teachers that you invite.
  7. Select options for publishing and editing within your team's ThinkQuest Projects space (these options do not affect the website you build for the ThinkQuest Competition).
    • Publishing: Selecting "Yes" allows students to publish content they create in ThinkQuest Projects, making it visible to all ThinkQuest Projects members. Selecting "No" places the responsibility of publishing on teacher members.
    • Editing: Selecting "Yes" allows students to edit and delete other students' content in ThinkQuest Projects. Selecting "No" limits students to editing and deleting only their own content.
  8. Click the Save button.
  9. If you are satisfied with the team information (click Back to make any edits), click the Save button.
  10. Continue with the instructions below to add members to your team.

To add a student from your own school:
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the name of the appropriate team under My Teams.
  3. Click Members in the menu on the left, and click Assign Students.
  4. Select "Yes" on the next page to indicate that the student is a member of ThinkQuest Projects.
  5. Check the box(es) next to the student(s) you would like to assign, and click the Assign button.
  6. When you are finished assigning students, click the Done button.

To invite a student from another school in ThinkQuest Projects:
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the name of the appropriate team under My Teams.
  3. Click Members in the menu on the left.
  4. Click Invite a Teacher. (Students who are members of ThinkQuest Projects must be assigned to teams by a teacher in their own school.)
  5. Select "Choose a teacher from another school", select a country, and click Enter.
  6. Select a location, school, and teacher, and write a brief invitation message.
  7. Click the Enter button.
  8. The message will be sent to the invited teacher. Once the teacher accepts your invitation, s/he can assign students from his/her school to the team.
    Warning! Note that the teacher will not be eligible for prizes if you do not designate him/her as the team's official Assistant Coach.

To add a student who is not a member of ThinkQuest Projects:
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the name of the appropriate team under My Teams.
  3. Click Members in the menu on the left.
  4. Click Assign Students.
  5. Select "No" on the next page to indicate that the student is not a member of ThinkQuest Projects.
  6. Enter the student's first name (last names are not allowed), school, and country.
  7. Click the Save button.
  8. Please be sure to give this student the team username and password, as s/he will not be able to access the ThinkQuest Competition space through ThinkQuest Projects.

To invite an Assistant Coach who is a member of ThinkQuest Projects:
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the name of the appropriate team under My Teams.
  3. Click Members in the menu on the left.
  4. Click Invite a Teacher.
  5. Use the menus to select a teacher from your school or from any school within ThinkQuest Projects.
  6. Write a brief invitation message and click Enter. The message will be sent to the invited teacher.
  7. Once the teacher accepts your invitation, go back to the team page, click Members in the menu on the left, and click Assign Assistant Coach.
  8. Select "Choose a teacher from your team" and select the appropriate coach from the pull-down menu.
  9. Click the Save button.

To invite an Assistant Coach who is a not a member of ThinkQuest Projects:
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the name of the appropriate team under My Teams.
  3. Click Members in the menu on the left.
  4. Click Assign Assistant Coach.
  5. Select "Assign an Assistant Coach who is not a member of ThinkQuest Projects", and enter the Assistant Coach's first name, last name, email address, school (if applicable), and country.
  6. Click the Save button.
  7. Please be sure to give the Assistant Coach the team username and password, as s/he will not be able to access the ThinkQuest Competition space through ThinkQuest Projects.

To edit information for students or Assistant Coaches who are not members of ThinkQuest Projects (Coach only):
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the name of the appropriate team under My Teams.
  3. Click Members in the menu on the left.
  4. Click the "Edit" link next to the appropriate name.
  5. Make edits, and click the Save button.

To remove members (Coach only):
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the name of the appropriate team under My Teams.
  3. Click Members in the menu on the left.
  4. Click the "Remove" link next to the member you want to remove.
  5. In the pop-up window, click the Remove button to confirm removal.

To edit team settings such as team name, age division, category, etc. (Coach only):
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the Edit button under the name of the appropriate team in the My Teams list.
  3. Make edits, and click the Save button.

To change the team password (Coach only):
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the Edit button under the name of the appropriate team in the My Teams list.
  3. Click the Change Password link.
  4. In the pop-up window, enter the new password twice to confirm, and click Change Password.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Remember to give the new password to your team.

To delete a team (Coach only):
  1. Click the Competition tab.
  2. Click the Delete button under the name of the appropriate team in the My Teams list.
    Warning! Please be sure you wish to delete the team, as a deleted team cannot be recovered under any circumstances.
  3. On the next page, click the Delete button to confirm permanent deletion of the team and all associated files on the ThinkQuest server.