The Copernicus Physics & Astronomy Olympiad is an annual international competition for students in grades 7 through 12, organized by the Copernicus Olympiad (Houston, TX, USA). It covers both fundamental physics (laws of nature, matter, energy, forces) and astronomy (celestial objects, cosmology, astrophysics). The competition runs in two stages: an online Preliminary Round and an in-person Global Round.
Grade categories:
| Category | Grades | | ---------- | ------------ | | Category 1 | Grades 7–8 | | Category 2 | Grades 9–10 | | Category 3 | Grades 11–12 |
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, –2 wrong), 5 hard (6 pts each, –3 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
Qualifying: Students scoring ≥40% in the Preliminary Round advance to the Global Round.
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