“To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.”
— William James
Welcome to the
International Psychology Olympiad
The International Psychology Olympiad challenges high school students around the world to explore the human brain by:
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Thinking deeply
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Writing critically
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Investigating psychological theories
The Olympiad is the platform where students will have the opportunity to explore elements of psychology such as:
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Cognition
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Emotion
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Behavior
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Development
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Consciousness
to name a few.
The International Psychology Olympiad stands as the benchmark for students around the world to show their creativity, scholarship, and readiness to explore the complexities of the brain.
Essays are to be submitted via a Typeform link we will send.
How does the Olympiad work?
The Psychology Olympiad is an individual essay competition divided into two rounds: Regional and International.
Regional Round:
Respond to one of the three psychology prompts showing your ability to research and articulate a specific aspect of the human mind.
Respond within 7 days of the launch (see our timeline for details). Supplemental research is encouraged, see our Resources page to know where to begin your research.
International Round:
Finalists from each region advance to the international olympiad essay competition. Prompts in this round welcome a more all encompassing and full scale understanding of psychology.
Students have 7 days to write and submit their essay. Responses must be within 1000 and 1500 words for the regional round and international round respectively (see our Guidelines and Rules for more details).
Essays must be submitted to a Typeform link we will send. The Olympiad is fully online and designed for individual participants.
Step 2
Receive the prompts on the start date and submit your article before the deadline.
Step 3
Submissions are evaluated by our panel of judges who will name the regional winners.
Step 4
Finalists from the regional round will be invited to the International round and sent a new question.
Step 5
3 finalists for the International Psychology Olympiad will be announced and have their work featured on our website.
General Timeline
See our Timeline page for more a more detailed schedule.
June
Registration
July
Olympiad Begins
August
Finalists Announced
Reasons to Participate
Expert Evaluation
Recognition & Prizes
Stand Out
Have your ideas reviewed by university professors and clinical psychologists.
Winners receive international recognition, publication on our website, letters of recommendation, and college consulting credit.
The International Psychology Olympiad showcases research ability, strong writing skills, and a desire to learn, qualities top university values.
Register for the Olympiad
"The Psychology Olympiad provides a great opportunity for these students to showcase their prowess in psychology while continuing to build a competitive profile for the college admissions process.”
— Ria Jagasia, Former Johns Hopkins Admissions Officer
Judges Panel
We are proud to introduce the judging panel for the International Psychology Olympiad. Our team includes clinical psychologists, and professors of psychological theory.
Dr. Celeste L. Renaud
PhD, Cognitive Psychology – University of GenevaMSc, Experimental Psychology – University of EdinburghBA, Philosophy and Psychology – McGill University
Dr. Renaud is a specialist in cognitive linguistics, exploring the interplay between language, thought, and memory. Her work focuses on multilingual cognition, attention processes, and the influence of conceptual metaphors in learning and behavior. She has conducted cross-cultural research in Switzerland, Canada, and Japan, and supervised numerous theses on bilingualism and semantic memory. Dr. Renaud is known for her holistic mentoring approach and has served as a lead reviewer for journals on language and cognition.
Testimonials
"The Psychology Olympiad helped me realize I wanted to major in psychology. I’ve always been curious about people, but this made me see that I could actually turn that into a path of study."
Sabrina Hill
"The Psychology Olympiad helped my college application stand out, even though I’m studying computer science. It showed I could think critically about human behavior, not just code."
Elias Tran
"Competing in the Olympiad gave me the confidence to apply to universities I never thought I could get into. It helped me show that I had the discipline and curiosity to succeed."
Layla Mensah