Copernicus organizes separate Physics and Astronomy competitions. Its current Physics rules cover grades 7 through 12; current detailed Astronomy rules could not be verified from the official Astronomy page on November 4, 2026. These subjects cover fundamental physics (laws of nature, matter, energy, forces) and astronomy (celestial objects, cosmology, astrophysics). Physics has an online Preliminary Round followed by an in-person Global Round; the current poster also lists Astronomy preliminary and Global Round events.
Physics grade categories:
| Category | Grades |
|---|---|
| Category 1 | Grades 7–8 |
| Category 2 | Grades 9–10 |
| Category 3 | Grades 11–12 |
Physics competition format:
- Preliminary Round (online): 75-minute exam; 20 multiple-choice questions; negative marking applies
- 5 easy (4 pts each, –1 wrong), 10 average (5 pts each, –1 wrong), 5 hard (6 pts each, –1 wrong); total 100 pts
- Global Round (in-person): 20 questions; 15 multiple-choice + 5 open-ended; no negative marking on open-ended questions; total 100 pts
Physics qualifying: Students scoring ≥40% in the Preliminary Round advance to the Global Round.
Physics awards:
Preliminary Round:
- 91–100%: Gold Medal + 10% discount on Global Round fee
- 75–90%: Silver Medal + 5% discount on Global Round fee
- 50–74%: Bronze Medal
- 40–49%: Honorable Mention Certificate
- All participants: Certificate of Participation
- Absolute winners (youngest top scorer per category): Free Global Round entry
Global Round:
- Top 10%: Gold Medal
- 11–30%: Silver Medal
- 31–60%: Bronze Medal
- 61–75%: Honorable Mention Certificate
- All participants: Certificate of Participation
Schedule checked November 4, 2026: The official 8th Olympiad poster lists Orlando January 24–30, 2027 and Istanbul March 24–30, 2027 for Natural Science, Physics and Astronomy. Its New York July 25–31, 2027 round is labeled Mathematics only. The subject pages still say Global Round venues will be announced; the poster supplies the dates above. Registration opening dates and cutoffs remain unverified. The official homepage lists additional country-specific exam dates, so representative schedules may differ.
The Physics rules specify 20 questions for the preliminary exam, while the general FAQ says 25. The format above follows the subject rules.