This article describes competitions across a range of curricular areas that develop students' problem solving skills by setting authentic, real-world tasks. As individuals or members of a team, students in these competitions are challenged with finding solutions to problems faced not only in today's scientific and technological world, but also in the worlds of business, education, law, religion, humanities, and society in general. The benefits for students, their teachers, and community, as well as potential drawbacks are discussed. Steps for getting students involved in the selection and participation of competitions are also provided. The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving model is used as the framework for this article, finding one solution to meeting the needs of gifted and talented students.