The precursor to the National Biology Competition, the Ontario Biology Competition was created in 1994, at a time when high school science competitions existed for chemistry, physics, and math, but not biology. In 1998 the Ontario Biology Competition was expanded to include all of Canada and was renamed the National Biology Competition.

Since 1994, the NBC has been held annually, to provide high school students a competitive opportunity to test their knowledge and understanding of biology. The competition also aimed to enhance the recruitment of outstanding biology students to the University of Toronto, and increase the awareness among high school students and teachers of the excellence in and commitment to biological education at U of T.

The initial, paper-based format of the competition exam was modelled after the College Board’s Advanced Placement exam. It consisted of 50 multiple-choice questions covering material that a senior high school biology student was likely to have come across in their studies, and could be completed within 75 minutes.

Between 1995 and 2019, hundreds of schools from each Canadian province participated in the competition, as well as schools in over 25 countries. The National Biology Competition was paused in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but has been revived in an online format in 2024.

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