The International Young Naturalists' Tournament (IYNT) is an annual international competition for students aged 12–16 under the calendar-year age rule, focused on interdisciplinary natural science research. Founded on the concept of the IYPT and running since 2013, the global finals rotate between host countries each year (2026: Tbilisi, Georgia).
How it works:
Teams spend up to a year researching a set of open-ended science problems published in advance. Problems span biology, physics, chemistry, and other natural sciences, requiring experimental work and empirical evidence rather than textbook answers.
At the global finals, teams compete in Science Fights — structured scientific discussions modeled on seminar presentations and thesis defenses. In each round, teams rotate between three roles:
- Reporter — presents the team's solution to a problem
- Opponent — challenges the Reporter's approach and findings
- Reviewer — evaluates the quality of both presentations
Professional scientists and educators serve as jurors and grade each team's performance. The format rewards depth of research, critical thinking, collaborative investigation, and scientific communication.
Teams pre-register and satisfy the applicable registration requirements. Countries may send multiple teams; national tournament qualification is not stated as a universal prerequisite. The global finals have rotated between host countries including Georgia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Serbia, Iran, China, and Turkey.
The August 1–6, 2026 Tbilisi event is historical. The first day included arrival and opening, Science Fights began August 2, and August 6 was departure. Regulations require participants not to turn 17 during the competition’s calendar year; teams normally have six students, with smaller teams allowed, and two adult leaders. The host offered registration packages, so universal free participation is not established.
Checked November 4, 2026: the 2027 problem set is published, but no 2027 event dates, host, registration cutoff or fee schedule is announced in the checked pages. Problem publication does not open registration. Sources: 2026 host details, general regulations and team pre-registration guidance.