Physics
Results 2nd Round 2026
What do umbrellas, mirages, and paramagnetic crystals have in common? All of these were topics of study during the second round of the Physics Olympiad, which took place on January 14.
27.01.2026
Results
Semifinal 2025/2026
On January 15, 56 young philosophers attended the semifinals, which took place simultaneously in four locations:
Photos of the KZO semifinal by Yves Bossart.
Photos of the KZO semifinal by Yves Bossart.
Photos of the KZO semifinal by Yves Bossart.
- Collège de Gambach,Fribourg, organised by Guihlem Demierre
- Kantonsschule am Burggraben, St, Gallen, organised by Boris Stanisic
- Kantonsschule Solothurn, organised by David Stäheli
- Kantonsschule Zürcher Oberland, Wetzikon, organised by Yves Bossart
We thank all the organizers very much. Kantonsschule Solothurn hosted a semifinal for the first time, which we appreciate. Yves Bossart took over the organization at KZO for the first time.
During the event, participants attended philosophical workshops and wrote an essay on one of the following topics:
- Can one be apolitical?
- It seems absurd to say “It’s raining, but I don’t believe that it’s raining.” Why?
- Is there a moral duty to work?
- Is mathematics discovered or invented?
The juries, consisting mainly of philosophy teachers, have now completed their work. All semifinalists will soon be informed about their result by e-mail.
12 students were selected for the national final, which will take place at the University of Basel, March 4-7.
There, it will be decided who represents Switzerland at the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) in Warszaw, May 14-17. Since one of the participants selected is 20 and therefore no longer eligible for the International Philosophy Olympiad, an additional student was invited, making it 13:
Finalists (alphabetically)
| Amélie | Stückelberg | Collège Voltaire |
| Amélie | Rocher | Gymnase de la Cité |
| Anton | Mandl | Kantonsschule Zug |
| Austin | Zhang | École Moser Genève |
| Daniel | Iorio | Kollegium Spiritus Sanctus Brig |
| Eric | Lüscher | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliches Gymnasium Rämibühl |
| Hongjia | Meng | Kantonale Mittelschule Uri |
| Huaxia | Lin | Kantonsschule Trogen |
| Kyra | Lafferma | Gymnasium Thun |
| Leyla | Kühner | Gymnasium Thun |
| Salome | Schwager | Kantonsschule Wil |
| Viktorie | Velharticka | Realgymnasium Rämibühl |
| Yihang | Xiong | Kantonsschule am Burggraben |
Waiting list
| Nathan | Bernard | Lycée-Collège de Saint-Maurice |
A student who was already selected to represent Liechtenstein at the IPO by qualifiying for the semifinals will also attend the Swiss final without competing:
IPO for Liechtenstein
| Lina | Sele | Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium |
Two students who narrowly missed the final qualification with essays in German are invited to join the German-speaking Philosophy Olympiad at the final of the Austrian Philosophy Olympiad in Salzburg, March 22-25:
German-speaking Philosophy Olympiad
| Diego | Käsermann | Kantonsschule Solothurn |
| Lina | Studer | Gymnasium Thun |
All semifinalists who still attend school next year and choose to participate again can profit from a wild card, granting them entry to the First Essay Round regardless of the Preliminary Round. We thank everyone for their interest in the Philosophy Olympiad and congratulate all semifinalists for their successful participation!
