International Linguistics Olympiad

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International Linguistics Olympiad

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Overview of International Linguistics Olympiad

The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) is a competition for secondary-school students. Each participating country sends 1-2 teams of four contestants, typically chosen from the winners of their national Linguistics Olympiad. No prior linguistic knowledge is required, as every problem is self-contained. The best preparation is to practice with past problems.

๐Ÿ“Location

In-Person, Worldwide๐ŸŒŽ

๐Ÿ“… Application deadlines

  • No upcoming deadlines

Eligibility Requirements

๐Ÿ“‹ General Requirements

No prior knowledge of linguistics or languages is required. The competition problems are self-contained and require logical ability, patient work, and a willingness to think outside the box.

๐Ÿ‘ฅ Age Requirements

The IOL is a contest for secondary-school students; current university students are ineligible to compete.

๐Ÿ“š Grade Requirements

The IOL is a contest for secondary-school students.

๐ŸŒ Eligible Countries

High school student Australia๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Bangladesh๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ Bulgaria๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฌ Brazil๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท Canada๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Switzerland๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ China๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ Colombia๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ด Czechia๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Germany๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Spain๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Estonia๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ช Finland๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ UK๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง Hong Kong๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Hungary๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Isle of Man๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฒ India๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ Ireland๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช Japan๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Kazakhstan๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ South Korea๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท Latvia๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ป Moldova๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Malta๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡น Malaysia๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡พ Netherlands๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Nepal๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ต Poland๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ Romania๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด Russia๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Slovenia๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Sweden๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช Thailand๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ Turkey๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Taiwan๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ Ukraine๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ US๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Application Process

Contestants are chosen from the winners of national Linguistics Olympiads in participating countries. The methods of choosing contestants and composing teams differ from country to country. If your country does not participate, you can contact the organization.

๐Ÿ“… Summer

Duration

6 days

Program Dates

Jul 21, 2025 - Jul 26, 2025

Application Deadlines

  • Jan 31, 2025 โ€” Requesting new working language

    Deadline for countries to request a new working language for the contest.