Announcing the 2025 High School Philosophy Essay Writing Contest! Applications & Permissions due by March 6, 2025
The American Philosophy Olympiad / Open 2025
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| The APO is sponsored by the American Philosophical Association and is the official USA Delegation to the IPO. |
This year the XXXIII IPO will meet in Bari, Italy.
The American Philosophy Olympiad--or Open--(APO) is a pre-college Philosophy writing contest for American students that is connected to the wider world of international philosophy. Students compete by writing philosophical essays on specific topics. The top two writers from the USA will be chosen to compete in the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO). The two U.S. student winners will then join their international peers from high schools from 50 countries in Bari, Italy in the 33rd annual IPO. The mission of both the APO and IPO for HS students is to contribute to the development of philosophical inquiry, critical, creative, and international thinking.
To enter the contest, an interested American High School student participates in an online proctored essay writing competition on either March 8th or March 9th, from 12:00 noon, EST, to 3:00 p.m., EST. Essays are then reviewed by the APO panel to see which essays meet the criteria for the competition. At this stage, the panel reviews the candidate's skill at writing about a philosophical question, problem, or issue in French or Spanish. No contestant may write the IPO essay in the national language of the country they are representing as per the rules of the IPO. The essay will be written in the student's target language live on a Google Doc while being proctored by APO staff. Contestants must be able to write a philosophical essay in their target language at a minimum of a post-AP level.
After the online essay writing sessions, the APO panel will choose the two student essays that demonstrate the strongest philosophical thinking in the language that the student has chosen. Final selection for the two U.S.A. winners may include an interview with a member of the APO board via video conference (Zoom). Potential national winners must also be willing to participate in a video (Zoom) conference along with at least one of their parents / guardians and the Director of the APO before the selection of a national winner can be declared. This is a significant and exciting process that the committee takes very seriously. We encourage you to apply to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity.
Here are the two APO 2024 winners along with the Directors of the APO
at the closing ceremony of the IPO 2024 in Helsinki, Finland.
Left to right: Vrishnak Naitani, Joseph A. Murphy, Leonard Glozman and Stephen K. Miller
QUALIFICATIONS
Participants in APO 2025 must
- be U.S. citizen or permanent resident and current high school student in the USA and have a valid, current passport with an expiration date not sooner than December 2025
- participate in a high school philosophy class, club, Ethics Bowl, or core subject with a philosophical bent or concentration
- be highly proficient in either French or Spanish
REQUIREMENTS
Students will compete in a 3-hour timed essay online in which the students must write an essay in French or Spanish on a philosophical topic revealed at the beginning of the online session.
The online contest dates are either March 8th or 9th, 2025
COSTS
There is no cost to apply. The APO assumes all implementation and processing costs and this year there is no registration fee. For our two APO winners, the IPO host country pays for all in-country expenses (meals and lodging) during the event. Our two APO winners, however, must be able to cover the cost of their own transportation to and from the IPO host country venue, which is Bari, Italy (plus one extra night on either end of the competition dates). If necessary, contestants are encouraged to seek sponsorship beyond family from school, town, community, corporate, and / or educational institutions.
BENEFITS
The two victorious 2025 APO contestants win the opportunity to travel to Bari, Italy to share a once-in-a-lifetime experience networking face-to-face with other high school students from around the world and meeting some world-renowned philosophers. Winners of the APO through the IPO competition receive international recognition by UNESCO, the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP), the Società Filosofica Italiana (SFI.it), the American Philosophical Association (APA) and other international philosophy organizations--honors that will make the student, their parents, friends, school, and community very proud.
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Important Submission Information
You are required to submit two Google Forms to compete in the APO. The first one tells us about you and your school and the second ensures that your parents and school administrators approve of your participation. You will need to get permission to travel and participate in the conference from May 14th-May 19th so it's important to get approvals to move forward as a contestant. Please complete and submit the Google Forms by March 6th in order to participate in the essay writing competition on March 8th or March 9th. APO reserves the right refuse entry to the Zoom room for anyone who has not completed the forms.
1. Application to the APO, 2025
2. Permissions needed to participate in the APO, 2025 (parents, administrators, teachers)
Here are the Zoom Links to participate in the online proctored Essay Competition. Click the one corresponding to the date you chose at 11:50 AM EST on the day of the writing competition. You will be given two prompts on the day of the session at the session (essays are judged anonymously).
For additional information about the IPO and to view sample essays and a writer's guide, visit the International Philosophy Olympiad.
If you have any further questions, you may reach us at PhilosophyAPO@gmail.com
Bonne chance! ¡Buena suerte!
