International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO): Guide

Q: What is the IPO (International Philosophy Olympiad)?
A: The IPO (International Philosophy Olympiad) is an annual 4-hour handwritten essay contest for pre-university students, run by FISP under UNESCO patronage. Each country sends up to two contestants. Students choose one of four essay prompts quoting classical philosophers and write in English, French, German, or Spanish.

TL;DR
The International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) is a four-hour handwritten essay contest for pre-university students run by the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP) under UNESCO patronage.
Per the IPO statute, each country may send up to two contestants; the working languages are English, French, German, and Spanish.
Results are published with Gold, Silver, Bronze medals and Honourable Mentions. Argument mapping and definition-checking skills transfer directly to IP proofs and data commentaries.

Use it to balance your STEM training plan-our IP Maths tuition hub already emphasises structured reasoning, so folding IPO essay outlines into that routine keeps logic skills sharp for both humanities and math assessments.

Status: IPO statute + official site (history/results/evaluation) checked 2026-01-26 - format remains a four-hour handwritten essay in one of four working languages; delegation limits and awards are published on the official IPO pages; host-year details should be verified on the official site.

Registration quick answer: Students don’t enter IPO directly. Countries send national teams selected via their national organiser; see the official IPO site for the current statute and participation guidance: http://www.philosophy-olympiad.org/

1 What exactly is the IPO?

Reviewed by

Marcus Pang·Managing Director (Maths)