Maryland and Washington DC Odyssey of the Mind spreads the mission of Odyssey of the Mind by teaching students how to develop and use their natural creativity to become problem-solvers. Want to get involved with MD-DC and begin your creativity journey? Explore the ways you can get involved below!
Start or Register a Team
New to Odyssey of the Mind and looking to start a team? Are you a returning team wanting to register for the new season? Click the button below to get started!
Judge or Volunteer
Want to judge or volunteer at an MD-DC tournament? Join us at a tournament working directly with teams on their big day. Click the button to learn more!
Join the MD-DC Board
Want to get involved at the association level, help run tournaments and much more? Click the button below to learn more about our open positions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there an Odyssey of the Mind program in my area that my child can join?
A: Odyssey of the Mind teams are sponsored by schools, community organizations, or individual groups (e.g., homeschool), so if you aren’t sure if there’s an Odyssey group in your area, the best thing to do is to ask your child’s school if they have the program. If they do, great! If not, reach out to us, and we can help you get a program started in your area.
Q: My child’s school doesn’t have Odyssey of the Mind; what can I do?
A: We can help you work with your child’s school to begin an Odyssey program or, if the school is unable to support a program, with a local community organization – like the local library, scouts, or even the local VFW. An Odyssey team can compete under the name of any existing organization. Homeschool teams are also an option. In other words, we will do everything we can to make sure your child/children can participate!
Q: How will I know what to do once I start an Odyssey of the Mind group?
A: Check out our Coaches page for resources on running a program and coaching a team. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact us using the form below with details about your school, location, and contact information. You’ll have an Odyssey program up and running in no time!
Q: Is Odyssey of the Mind only for gifted and talented students?
A: Nope! Everyone is welcome to compete in Odyssey of the Mind. While many schools do offer Odyssey of the Mind as part of their gifted and talented curriculum, plenty of other schools keep their Odyssey programs open to any interested student. Our team believes that all students can benefit from the Odyssey of the Mind school program!
Q: Is Odyssey of the Mind the same as Destination Imagination?
A: Nope, but there is a history there! Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is the original creative problem-solving program that began in 1978 and has been providing competitions around the U.S. and in over 30 nations for 40+ years! Destination Imagination (DI) was started by a subset of OM volunteers several years ago and has a very similar structure to OM (e.g., OM: Long-Term Problems – DI: Challenges; OM: Spontaneous – DI: Instant Challenges; OM: Judges – DI: Appraisers; OM: Style – DI: Team Choice Elements). The good news is that if you’re already familiar with Destination Imagination, then you’ll surely understand Odyssey of the Mind, given that DI is based on OM. One important difference is OM offers the same quality program at a fraction of the cost to participants. We love the fact that young people can participate in creative problem solving no matter what program they do; we’re just glad we are able to provide the same exceptional quality we have provided for almost fifty years for a fraction of the cost.
Q: When will the competition schedule be released for the Maryland and Washington DC tournament?
A: In order to schedule teams for the big competition, our volunteer coordinator has to know how many judges/volunteers will be available and when. As such, the competition schedule is typically completed once all the judge/volunteer training events have taken place (usually one week prior to the competition). We’d love to get it to teams sooner, but we get it out as quickly as possible. If there are scheduling concerns, just let us know!
Still have questions and want to reach out? Contact us by clicking the button to the right, fill out the form, and we will be in touch!
*Adapted from Illinois Odyssey of the Mind materials.