The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) is a competition for pre-university students. Each national team has up to four contestants chosen through a national linguistics or related-field contest. A second team is conditional on host approval and capacity. No prior linguistic knowledge is required, as every problem is self-contained. The best preparation is to practice with past problems.
The 2027 Olympiad is scheduled for July 21–28 in Bangkok, Thailand. National student selection, international team registration and working-language requests are separate processes. International registration and payment dates remain TBA. The specific upcoming page says to request a new working language before January 31, 2027; the general regulations use February 1. National organizations should check the specific instructions without treating either date as a student application deadline.
Sources checked November 4, 2026: upcoming Olympiad, 2026 revised regulations, FAQ and country directory, updated October 27, 2026. National participation can involve registration charges as well as travel, visa and insurance costs; 2027 amounts are not yet published in the checked sources.