You can participate in the Philosophy Olympiad if you:

• attend a secondary school in Switzerland or the Principality of Liechtenstein (e.g. grammar school, vocational school, secondary school, international high school),

• or, being a Swiss or Liechtenstein national or resident, attend a foreign school.

Anyone who is attending a university before the reference date is not admitted. Anyone who has reached the age of 20 on the reference date may participate in the national selection but is not eligible for participation in the International Philosophy Olympiad.

The complete terms and conditions can be found here. Please also consult our data protection policy.

In order to participate you do not need to know Plato's works inside out, nor do you need years of philosophy classes behind you. It is important that when writing you pay attention to coherence (arguing coherently and without contradiction) and persuasiveness (substantiating claims). By thinking up your own examples, you show originality. We want to know how you think! Further criteria for a good essay are relevance (keeping the direct relation to the topic) and context (placing the topic in its philosophical, not historical context). Further tips can be found in the IPO writing guide.

The essays are evaluated anonymously by students and teachers of philosophy.

The authors of the best essays in each language are invited to the semi-finals in January, where they can qualify for the final which will be held in Berne in March. The two best finalists have the opportunity to participate in the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO). Exact dates can be found in the agenda.