Just starting this year for 3rd grade, I do tell both DS8 and DD8 to do their best and get the top grades - not in relation to other kids but in relation to their abilities. So I guess that is "academically competitive" to an extent. The reason why I even said anything is because their effort grade are consistently lower than their achievement grades. Grades of "A" in achievement are paired with grades of "2" (on a 1,2,3 scale). I want them to not be satisfied just because they earned an "A" on their report card, but to actually produce the written work that they are capable of consistently.
