International Science Olympiad
Encyclopedia
The International Science Olympiads are a group of worldwide annual competitions in various areas of science. The competitions are designed for the 4-6 best high school
students from each participating country selected through internal National Science Olympiads, with the exception of the IOL, which allows two teams per country, and the IJSO, which is designed for junior secondary students. To date there are 12 such ISOs:
The Olympiads themselves are separate competitions each with its own organising body, even though they are loosely grouped together as "ISOs". The aims of each ISO are to promote a career in science; to challenge the brightest students from around the world; and to compare the various teaching systems of each country.
Although the competitions are aimed for secondary school pupils, the standards of the exams are extremely high. In fact, in several countries, achieving a high ranking in any ISO guarantees access to a university of choice and a fellowship.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students from each participating country selected through internal National Science Olympiads, with the exception of the IOL, which allows two teams per country, and the IJSO, which is designed for junior secondary students. To date there are 12 such ISOs:
- The International Mathematical OlympiadInternational Mathematical OlympiadThe International Mathematical Olympiad is an annual six-problem, 42-point mathematical olympiad for pre-collegiate students and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. The first IMO was held in Romania in 1959. It has since been held annually, except in 1980...
(IMO, since 1959; not held in 1980) - The International Physics OlympiadInternational Physics OlympiadThe International Physics Olympiad is an annual physics competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first IPhO was held in Warsaw, Poland in 1967....
(IPhO, since 1967; not held in 1973, 1978, 1980) - The International Chemistry OlympiadInternational Chemistry OlympiadThe International Chemistry Olympiad is an annual academic competition for high school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads....
(IChO, since 1968; not held in 1971) - The International Olympiad in InformaticsInternational Olympiad in InformaticsThe International Olympiad in Informatics is an annual computer science competition for secondary school students. The first IOI was held in 1989 in Pravetz, Bulgaria....
(IOI, since 1989) - The International Biology OlympiadInternational Biology OlympiadThe International Biology Olympiad is a science olympiad for students in sixth form . The first academic international Olympiads after the International Mathematical Olympiad were launched under the auspices of the United Nations in the 1960s...
(IBO, since 1990) - The International Philosophy OlympiadInternational Philosophy OlympiadThe International Philosophy Olympiad is an international philosophy competition for high school students organized by the FISP and supported by UNESCO. It was founded in 1993 by philosophy teachers from Bulgaria , Romania , Poland , Turkey The International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) is an...
(IPO, since 1993) - The International Environmental Project Olympiad (INEPO, since 1993)
- The International Astronomy OlympiadInternational Astronomy OlympiadThe International Astronomy Olympiad is an internationally recognized annual astronomy scientific-educating event for high school students , which includes an intellectual competition between these students...
(IAO, since 1996) - The International Geography OlympiadInternational Geography OlympiadThe International Geography Olympiad is an annual competition for the best 16 to 19 year old geography students from National Geography Olympiads. The competition consists of three parts: a written test, a multimedia test and a substantial field work exercise.iGeO tests the abilities of every...
(IGeO, since 1996) http://www.geoolympiad.org/ - The International Linguistics OlympiadInternational Linguistics OlympiadThe International Linguistics Olympiad is one of the newest in a group of twelve International Science Olympiads. The setup differs from other science olympiads, in that the program contains both individual and team contests...
(IOL, since 2003) - The International Junior Science OlympiadInternational Junior Science OlympiadThe International Junior Science Olympiad is an international science competition for students not older than 15 years old. It was first held in 2004 in Jakarta, Indonesia and is held every year since then. Each country may send a team of up to 6 students and 3 team leaders. Some of the...
(IJSO, since 2004) http://www.ijso-official.org/ - The International Olympiad on Astronomy and AstrophysicsInternational Olympiad on Astronomy and AstrophysicsThe International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics is an annual astronomy competition for high school students. It is one of the international science olympiads....
(IOAA, since 2007) http://www.ioaa.info/ - The International Earth Science OlympiadInternational Earth Science OlympiadThe International Earth Science Olympiad , one of the twelve International Science Olympiads, is an annual competition for secondary school students that tests their abilities in disciplines such as geology, meteorology, environmental science, and terrestrial astronomy...
(IESO, since 2007) http://www.ieso2008.ph/
The Olympiads themselves are separate competitions each with its own organising body, even though they are loosely grouped together as "ISOs". The aims of each ISO are to promote a career in science; to challenge the brightest students from around the world; and to compare the various teaching systems of each country.
Although the competitions are aimed for secondary school pupils, the standards of the exams are extremely high. In fact, in several countries, achieving a high ranking in any ISO guarantees access to a university of choice and a fellowship.