American Philosophy Olympiad / Open (APO) 2024

Announcing the 2024 High School Philosophy Essay Writing Contest!

The American Philosophy Olympiad / Open 2024

The APO is sponsored by the American Philosophical Association
and is the official USA Delegation to the IPO. 

This year the XXXII IPO will meet in Helsinki, Finland. Here is the link.

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 Helsinki, Finland in the 32nd 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.

There are two stages of submissions to the APO, which means two essays. To enter the contest, an interested American High School student, residing and studying in the U.S.A., writes their first essay in English and then submits it via email to the APO. All submitted essays are then reviewed by the APO panel to see which essays meet the criteria for the second stage of the competition. At this stage, the panel reviews the candidate's skill at writing about a philosophical question, problem, or issue. If a student's essay meets the criteria, they will be invited by email to the second stage of the competition. For the second stage of the competition, the student will be invited to write an essay in French, German, 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. High School students studying in the USA may not write in English at the IPO. This means that it is necessary, but not sufficient for an American student to be an excellent writer who can develop philosophical thinking and writing in English. Moreover, they must be able to convey these ideas and concepts in their chosen target language--French, German, or Spanish. The second stage essay will be written in the student's target language live on a Google Doc while being proctored by APO staff. Please keep in mind that the American student writer must be able to write a philosophical essay in their target language at a minimum of a post-AP level. Please keep this in mind before submitting a stage one, English essay.

After the Stage 2 essays are written in French, German, or Spanish, the 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). In addition, winners must submit a permission letter from their parents / guardians and from their school principal to travel to Finland between the dates of May 14th and May20th, 2024. 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 APO2023 winners at the IPO in Olympia, Greece last May.
Center: Charles De Belloy, Honourable Mention at IPO2023, Stanford U.'28.
Right: Benjamin Ming Who, Harvard U.'28. Left: Joseph A. Murphy, APO Director.  

QUALIFICATIONS

Participants in APO2024 must

• be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and current high school students in the USA and have a valid, current passport with an expiration date not sooner than December 2024
• participate in a high school philosophy class, club, Ethics Bowl, or core subject with a philosophical bent or concentration
• be highly proficient in any one of the following three of the four official languages of the IPO; French, German, or Spanish

REQUIREMENTS

Stage 1

Submit an essay via email in English of approximately 800 words that responds to one of the two topics listed below.

Deadline for the English Essay Submission is Sunday, February 18, 2024

Stage 2

Finalists from Stage 1 will compete in a 3-hour timed essay writing contest online in which the students must write an essay in French, German, or Spanish on a philosophy topic revealed at the beginning of the online session.

Finalists Online Contest Date is March 2, 2024 / Alternate Online Contest Date is March 3, 2024.

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). 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 Helsinki, Finland (plus one extra night on either end of the competition dates). If necessary, contestants are encouraged to seek sponsorship beyond family from town, community, corporate, and / or educational institutions.

BENEFITS

The two victorious 2024 APO contestants win the opportunity to travel to Helsinki, Finland 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 Federation of International Philosophy Societies (FISP), and other international philosophy organizations--honors that will make the student, their parents, friends, school, and community very proud. The general theme of the event this year has to do with Climate and Democracy. But the writing topics at the IPO do not correspond to the theme of the IPO. Here is the link for the IPO2024 website.

APO Topics for 2024

Here are the two topics for APO Stage 1

The writer may choose either one of the topics. This is not a research paper, so please do not use any sources, Generative AI (ChatGPT, for example) or any research tools, or literature. Writers must use their own free thinking.

---oOo---

TOPIC 1 OF 2

In an interview with Richard Marshall, Ernest Sosa, the Rutgers University philosopher, said the following.

"Knowledge in my view is a form of action. It involves endeavors to get it right, and more broadly it concerns aimings, which can be functional rather than intentional. Through our perceptual systems, we represent our surroundings, aiming to do so accurately, where the aiming is functional or teleological, rather than intentional. And the same goes for our functional beliefs. Through our judgments, however, we do intentionally, even consciously, attempt to get it right."

TOPIC 2 of 2

In a Wikipedia article on the philosopher and ethicist, Peter Singer, the following is written.

"In Practical Ethics, Singer argues in favour of abortion rights on the grounds that fetuses are neither rational nor self-aware, and can therefore hold no preferences. As a result, he argues that the preferences of a mother to have an abortion automatically takes precedence. In sum, Singer argues that a fetus lacks personhood."

---oOo---

Important Submission Information

Please submit your essay in either PDF Format (.pdf) or MS Word Format (.docx) written in Times New Roman, font size 12, double line spacing. Send it as an attachment to an email message. Write the following in the subject line of your email: APO 2024 Stage 1 Essay.

Be sure to include the following information on a cover page accompanying the essay. But please do not include any of this information on the essay itself except for the topic chosen (Topic 1 or Topic 2) and the writer's initials.

• the writer's full name
• the name and full address of the writer's school
• the school principal's full name
• the language (French, German, or Spanish) in which the Stage 2 essay will be written
• the estimated target language proficiency of the writer--academic (e.g., Spanish 4 years or AP French), heritage speaker (e.g., Speaks Spanish at home), or native speaker
• the topic chosen for this essay (written on the cover page and on the first page of the essay)
• a very brief personal introduction

Submit essays to the APO's official email address:

PhilosophyAPO@gmail.com

For additional information about the IPO and to view sample essays and a writer's guide, visit the International Philosophy Olympiad.

Bonne chance! Viel Glück! ¡Buena suerte!

American Philosophy Open (APO) 2023

Announcing the 2023 High School Philosophy Essay Writing Contest!

The American Philosophy Open 2023

The APO is sponsored by the American Philosophical Association.

This year the XXXI IPO will meet in person in Olympia, Greece.

IPO2023

The American Philosophy Open (APO) is a pre-college Philosophy writing contest for U.S. students that is connected to the wider world of international philosophy. Students compete by writing philosophical essays on specific topics and the top two writers from the USA will be chosen to compete in the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO). The two US student winners will then join their international peers from high schools from 50 countries in Olympia, Greece in the 31st annual IPO. The APO's and IPO's mission for HS students is to contribute to the development of inquiring, critical, creative, and international thinking.

There are two stages of submissions to the APO, which means two essays. To enter the contest, an interested American High School student, residing and studying in the U.S.A., writes their first essay in English and then submits it via email to the APO. All submitted essays are then reviewed by the APO panel to see which essays meet the criteria for the second stage of the competition. At this stage, the panel reviews the candidate's skill at writing about a philosophical question, problem or issue. If a student's essay meets the criteria, they will be invited by email to the second stage of the competition. For the second stage of the competition, the student will be invited to write an essay in French, German, 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. High School students studying in the USA may not write in English at the IPO. This means that it is necessary, but not sufficient for an American student to be an excellent writer developing philosophical thinking and writing in English. Moreover, they must also be able to convey these ideas and concepts in their chosen target language—French, German, or Spanish—as well. The second stage essay will be written in the student’s target language live on a Google Doc while being proctored by APO staff.

 

After the Stage 2 essays are written in French, German, or Spanish, the 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). In addition, winners must submit a permission letter from their parents / guardians and from their school principal to travel to Greece between the dates of May 9th and May 15th, 2023. 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 incredible opportunity.

The first two APO winners of the 21st Century;
Kelly and Andy in Vienna, Austria in 2011

QUALIFICATIONS 

Participants must

• be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and current high school students in the USA and
• have a valid, current passport with an expiration date not sooner than December 2023
• participate in a high school philosophy class, club, Ethics Bowl Team, or core subject with a philosophical bent or concentration
• be highly proficient in any one of three of the four official languages of the IPO; French, German, or Spanish.

REQUIREMENTS

 

Stage 1

 

Submit an essay via email in English of approximately 800 words (but no more than 50 words more or less than 800) that responds to one of two philosophy topics. (See below.)

 

Deadline for the English Essay Submission is Sunday March 26, 2023.

 

Stage 2

 

Finalists from Stage 1 will compete in a 3-hour timed essay online in which the students must write an essay in French, German, or Spanish on a philosophy topic revealed at the beginning of the online session.

 

Finalists Online Contest Date is April 1, 2023 / Alternate Online Contest Date is April 2, 2023.

 

COSTS

 

There is no cost to apply. The APO assumes all implementation and processing cost 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). However, our two APO winners must be able to cover the cost of their own transportation to and from the IPO host country venue, which is Olympia (and possibly one or two nights in Athens), Greece. If necessary, contestants are encouraged to seek sponsor support—with or beyond family—from the community, corporate, and/or educational institutions.

 

BENEFITS

 

The two victorious 2023 APO contestants win the opportunity to travel to Olympia, Greece to share a once-in-a-lifetime experience networking face-to-face with other high school students from around the world and meeting some important world-renowned philosophers. Winners of the APO through the IPO competition receive international recognition by UNESCO, the Federation of International Philosophy Societies (FISP), and other international philosophy organizations—honors that will make the student, their parents, friends, school, and community very proud.

 

The IPO will be celebrated in Greece this May. The theme of the event is "A Life in Fair Competition." You may search the website here.

APO Topics for 2023

Here are the two topics for APO Stage 1

The writer may choose either one. This is not a research paper, so please do not use any sources, Generative AI (ChatGPT, for example) or research tools, or literature. Writers must do only their own thinking.

 -----oOo-----

For a session at the annual Eastern conference of the American Philosophical Association held in Montreal in 2023, one of the presenters wrote a paper from which we have extracted two quotations, which have become our two APO topics this year. Please choose one of the quotations and write about whether you agree or disagree with the viewpoint expressed and why?

 

 

TOPIC 1 OF 2

“Our culture … seems to imagine that philosophers are born and not made. We are nurtured in the cradle, climb out and go straight to the Ivory Tower. This is an unfortunate stereotype that hurts philosophers as much as it does the general public and pre-college students particularly.”

 

TOPIC 2 0F 2

“Every academic discipline is rooted in philosophical thinking from mathematics and the quantification of the universe as we see it to creative literature and art as we imagine it. There are implicit and explicit questions in the very nature of our academic organization of life. A person’s self-concept, understanding of the world and human behavior are all molded by the philosophical thinking and wonder implicit in our subject matters. Indeed, it is a sense of wonder and philosophical investigation that structures our consciousness, shapes our world and helps to give rise to culture.” 

 -----oOo-----

Important Submission Information

Please submit your essay in either PDF Format (.pdf) or MS Word Format (.docx) written in Times New Roman, font size 12, double line spacing. Send it as an attachment to an email message. Write the following in the subject line of your email: APO 2023 Stage 1 Essay.

Be sure to include the following information on a cover page accompanying the essay. But please do not include any of this information on the essay itself except for the topic chosen (Topic 1 or Topic 2) and the writer's initials.

• the writer's full name
• the writer's school's name and full address
• the school principal's full name
• the language (French, German, or Spanish) in which the Stage 2 essay will be written
• the estimated target langue proficiency of the writer--academic (e.g., Spanish 4 years orAP French) and/or heritage speaker (e.g., speaks Spanish at home) or native speaker
• the topic chosen for this essay (on the cover page and on the first page of the essay)
• a very brief personal introduction

Submit essays to the APO's official email address: PhilosophyAPO@gmail.com

For additional information about the IPO and to view sample essays, visit the International Philosophy Olympiad at www.philosophy-olympiad.org

Bonne chance! Viel Glück! ¡Buena suerte!

 

American Philosophy Open 2022

The APO is sponsored by the American Philosophical Association.

Announcing the 2022 High School Philosophy Essay Writing Contest!

This is the first time our international contests will be in person since 2019!

This year we will meet in person in Lisbon, Portugal.

The American Philosophy Open (APO) is a pre-college Philosophy writing contest for U.S. students that is connected to the wider world of international philosophy. Students compete by writing philosophical essays on specific topics and the top two writers from the U.S.A. will be chosen to compete in the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO). The two U.S. student winners will then join international peers from high schools from 50 countries in Lisbon, Portugal in the 30th annual IPO. The APO and IPO's mission for HS students is to contribute to the development of inquiring, critical, creative, and international thinking.

There are two stages of submissions to the APO, which means two essays. To enter the contest, an interested American High School student, residing in the U.S.A., writes their first essay in English and then submits it via email to the APO. All submitted essays are then reviewed by the APO panel to see which essays meet the criteria for the second stage of the competition. At this stage, the panel reviews the candidate's skill at writing about a philosophical question, problem or issue. If a student's essay meets the criteria, they will be invited by email to the second stage of the competition. For the second stage of the competition, the student will be invited to write an essay in French, German, or Spanish. No contestant may write the IPO essay in one's native/national language as per the rules of the International Philosophy Olympiad. This means that even if a student is excellent at developing philosophical thinking and writing, their level of French, German, or Spanish should be strong enough to convey these ideas and concepts in the target language. The second stage essay will be written live on a Google Doc while being proctored by APO staff.

After the Stage 2 essays are written in French, German, or Spanish, the 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). In addition, winners must submit a permission letter from their parents/guardians and from their school principal to travel to Portugal between the dates of May 24th and May 30th. The selection of a national winner is a significant and exciting process that the committee takes very seriously. We encourage you to apply to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.

QUALIFICATIONS

Participants must

• be U.S. citizens and current U.S. high school students
• participate in a high school philosophy class, club, Ethics Bowl Team, or core subject with a philosophical bent or concentration
• be highly proficient in any one of three of the four official languages of the IPO; French, German, or Spanish

REQUIREMENTS

Stage 1

Submit an essay via email in English of approximately 800 words (but no more than 50 words more or less than 800) that responds to one of two philosophy topics. (See below.)

Deadline for the English Essay Submission is March 25, 2022.

Stage 2

Finalists from Stage 1 will compete in a 3-hour timed essay online in which the students must write an essay in French, German, or Spanish on a philosophy topic revealed at the beginning of the online session.

Primary Online Contest Date is April 2, 2022 / Alternate Online Contest Date is April 3, 2022.

COSTS

There is no cost to apply. The APO assumes all implementation and processing cost 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). However, our two APO winners must be able to cover the cost of their own transportation to and from the IPO host country venue, which is Lisbon and Almada, Portugal. If necessary, contestants are encouraged to seek sponsor support--with or beyond family--from the community, corporate, and/or educational institutions.

BENEFITS

The two victorious 2022 APO contestants win the opportunity to travel to Lisbon, Portugal to share a once-in-a-lifetime experience networking face-to-face with other high school students from around the world and meet some important world-renowned philosophers. Winners of the APO through the IPO competition receive international recognition by UNESCO, the Federation of International Philosophy Societies (FISP), and other international philosophy organizations--honors that will make the student, their parents, friends, school, and community proud.

The IPO will be celebrated in Portugal this May. The theme of the event is "Identity & Person." You may search the website here.

APO Topics for 2022

Here are the two topics for APO Stage 1

The writer may choose either one. This is not a research paper, so don't use any sources, only their own thinking.

 -----oOo-----

TOPIC 1 OF 2

What is philosophy and why is it important to study it in high school?

TOPIC 2 0F 2

Many philosophers consider there to be four main theories of moral philosophy: Virtue Ethics, Kantianism, Utilitarianism, and Care Ethics. These theories may be used as conceptual tools to examine ethical dilemmas. Which one or combination of theories do you think most helpful to you in your considerations and why?

 -----oOo-----

Important Submission Information

Please submit your essay in either PDF Format (.pdf) or MS Word Format (.docx) written in Times New Roman, font size 12, double line spacing. Send it as an attachment to an email message. Write the following in the subject line of your email: APO Stage 1 Essay.

Be sure to include the following information on a cover page accompanying the essay. Do not include any of this information on the essay itself except for the topic chosen and the writer's initials.

• the writer's full name
• the school name and full address
• the school principal's full name
• the language (French, German, or Spanish) in which the Stage 2 essay will be written (the target language)
• the estimated target language proficiency of the writer--academic (e.g., Spanish 4 years or AP French) and/or heritage speaker (e.g., Spanish at home) or native speaker
• the topic chosen for this essay (on both the cover page and on the first page of the essay)
• a very brief personal introduction

Submit essays to the APO's official email address: PhilosophyAPO@gmail.com

For additional information about the IPO and to view sample essays, visit the International Philosophy Olympiad at www.philosophy-olympiad.org

Good luck!

Receipt of Stage 1 Essays

The Stage 1 essay is the first step taken in the American Philosophy Open.

This is the generic version of the letter that all Stage 1 writers get.

Dear APO Essay Writer,

We have received your English, qualifying essay. Thank you very much.

Now, to reiterate what the next steps are, here is what you can expect. As you

have seen online in our AP-CP blog post (http://precollegephilosophy.blogspot.com/)

and/or in the APO 2020 brochure or in Facebook, here’s what you can expect and

what we’ll expect from you.

Stage 1

APO will notify the finalists from the Stage 1 essay submissions by February

19, 2020. Everyone will be notified regardless of finalist status.

Identified finalists from Stage 1 must then submit, via email, (PhilosophyAPO@gmail.com)

a letter of recommendation from a teacher and a letter from their school administration that

grants time away from school to participate in the IPO 2020 contest in Lisbon, Portugal.

The deadline for these letters from teachers and administrators of the finalists is Monday

March 2, 2020.

Stage 2

Finalists will compete in the online, timed essay writing event on the Primary

Contest Date of Saturday March 7^th. The Alternate Contest Date is Sunday

March 8^th. Remember that the Stage 2 essay, besides being written live online

and monitored, must be written in either excellent French, German or Spanish.

The Stage 2 essay may not be written in English.

After we receive the emailed letters from each finalist’s teacher and

Administrator (by March 2nd), we will contact each finalist about the procedure

for the online essay.

Thanks again for your passion to study philosophy and to participate in this

essay contest, which is an example of the Latin phrase scribendo cogito

(I think by writing).

Thank you very much.

All the best,

Joseph A. Murphy

APO Director